Complex political circumstances in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which intensified in the last year, have caused many countries to open their maps more clearly in relation to our country.
Topics such as the Election Law, anti-state moves by Milorad Dodik and the authorities in Republika Srpska (RS), threats to secession, the arrival of a new High Representative, reflections of the war in Ukraine, and much more crystallized the policy of the European Union (EU) as a community, its members individually, but also the United States (U.S.) or China towards BiH.
U.S. and the United Kingdom (UK) politics
Namely, the most engaged and direct external partner of BiH is inevitably the U.S. They unreservedly supported Christian Schmidt, then first condemned and reprimanded Milorad Dodik’s policy, and then imposed sanctions on Dodik, but also on some other individuals from different parties and structures of action. The focus of the U.S. story is Dayton BiH, a compromise on the election law, and a strong fight against corruption.
The U.S. policy towards BiH is closely followed by the UK, which has been particularly engaged in the last six months. They have a special envoy for the Western Balkans, and they were extremely specific when it comes to sanctions. Thus, they imposed sanctions on Milorad Dodik and Zeljka Cvijanovic, directly accusing them that in addition to working on the destruction of the state, they were also recognized as Russian players.
Confused EU
The EU, as a community, has been pursuing a standard policy of verbal support and calls for reforms in the last year towards BiH, but the burden around that community is the impossibility of consensus on key issues. BiH is still a big problem in the eyes of the union, a country that is at snail‘s pace when it comes candidacy for membership, but that same union often does not detect or map the culprits for such a situation.
The EU has not and will not impose uniform sanctions on Dodik and his associates. But at least some countries are still expected to do that. The first in line to follow the example of the U.S. and the UK is Germany where with the change of government and the arrival of the SPD and the Greens, the policy towards BiH is much clearer and more direct.
Of the other EU countries, the involvement of the Netherlands should be singled out, whose Members of the European Parliament (MEP) represent a strong voice in condemning RS secessionism, supporting sanctions policy, but also a clear stance in electoral reform negotiations. Namely, the Netherlands has repeatedly condemned the proposals of the mentioned law that lead to a deeper ethnic division.
Serbia and Croatia
However, BiH has had the most turbulent relations with its two neighbors in the last year. First of all with Serbia, with which topics and disputes are repeated cyclically, and mostly because of unresolved relations from the past and the policy of Aleksandar Vucic, who is the unofficial protector of Milorad Dodik’s policy.
What is new in relation to its neighbors is, first of all, Croatia’s attitude towards BiH. Electoral reform in BiH has become the primary and key foreign policy issue of official Zagreb. All Croatian officials use every opportunity in the world to impose on this topic. This relationship culminated in numerous insults from Croatian President Zoran Milanovic to BiH officials. In this context, many harsh words and even threats were said.
In the end, Russia opened its tickets to BiH somewhat more directly with the arrival of the new ambassador Igor Kalabukhov, who does not hesitate to send harsh words. He openly and at every opportunity defend Dodik’s secessionism, and anti-state moves, and is waging a verbal war in BiH with the U.S. and the UK, Klix.ba writes.
E.Dz.
