Analysis of political situation in the Western Balkans published by Timothy Less in the prestigious magazine Foreign Affairs raised a lot of noise in the region.
The author claims that the West should give up on their policy of “cherishing multiethnicity” and make a radical shift by pleasing the “nationalistic aspirations of minorities”.
Less stated that because of the fragmentation of Europe the USA must assume the leading role again and support internal fragmentations of multiethnic countries as the minorities demand. In the first phase, Washington should accept the offer of Albanians for federalization of Macedonia and the request from Croatia for the establishment of a third entity in BiH.
In the second, longer phase, Less claims that the USA must enable all the future territories to achieve close political and economic relations with their larger neighbors by introducing dual citizenships and establishing joint institutions, while they formally remain within the countries where they currently are.
In the third, final phase, the secession of those territories from the existing countries and linking with parent states should be enabled, perhaps in the form of autonomous regions at first. “Croatian entity” in BiH would merge with Croatia; Republika Srpska and Northern Kosovo with Serbia, Preševska dolina, Western Macedonia and the majority of Kosovo with Albania. Meanwhile, Montenegro, which could lose the Albanian enclave, could remain independent or merge with the expanded Serbia.
The U.S. Embassy commented on this analysis.
“Many commentators express their opinion about the foreign policy of the USA on a daily basis. Such personal opinions do not represent the official foreign policy of the USA which remains unchanged – we advocate for territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” stated the Public Relations Office of the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo.
(Source: ba.n1info.com)
