David Pettigrew, a professor of philosophy and studies of the Holocaust and genocide at the University of Southern Connecticut in the United States (U.S), said at yesterday‘s session of Circle 99 that numerous verdicts had established that Republika Srpska (RS) had been extermination or genocidal project since its foundation under the idea of ”Big Serbia“ – now renamed” Serbian World “, since that project sought to “permanently remove “non-Serbs from” the territory to which Bosnian Serbs claimed right“.
”The recognition of the RS, the award for successful genocide, was another phase of the denial of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), because that is the legal purpose of founding the RS,” stated Pettigrew.
Further, he added that since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, RS has continued to prevent the return of those who were forcibly evicted from their homes.
”The general failure to respond to this attempt to achieve the fundamental genocidal goal, apart from a few examples of reactions, represents the third phase of denial and inaction of the international community, ” claims Pettigrew.
He emphasized that the European Union (EU), Great Britain,and the U.S. must now recognize that RS was established through the commission of genocide and that fundamental genocidal intent has continued in efforts to achieve ethnic homogeneity in this entity since 1995.
”If this founding and lasting intention of RS is fully understood, then Milorad Dodik’s current threats to secede and form his own army can only be seen as an intention to complete the 1992 genocidal goals, but now with the support of the Russian Federation. The international community should no longer deny this genocidal intent and should respond effectively, ” Pettigrew noted.
He added that analysts, in response to the current crisis, had recommended that EUFOR be strengthened on the field, that NATO immediately make contingency plans, which should be accompanied by targeted sanctions against those whose actions and rhetoric threaten peace, and the removal of those individuals from politics, if necessary.
”With the stabilization of the situation, the emphasis could then be placed on the restoration of the rule of law as a strategy for permanent resistance to the denial of genocide and as a condition for building a state through a democratic society. As part of the restoration of the rule of law, the High Representative should use his Bonn powers to establish protected national memorials in former concentration camps, ” Pettigrew explained.
