Last week, in this place, Ahmed Burić, in a splendid way dare I say, with the text “Almost European Diary” walked through the Corona traumatized Brussels. The “ordinary” inhabitants of the city have remained in the shadow of those we have been thinking about here for decades. It is a self-satisfied bureaucracy of the European Union, once synonymous with a healthy, strong, and honest mechanism dedicated to a better future. Today, it is more a symbol of political weakness, spiritual, mental, and various calculating epidemics. Here the most powerful are important, who have led to the grotesque of the former proclamations of the welfare of the world. From our perspective, their umbrella is the Americans, more important to the little ones than everyone else there. And the last thing the dwarves realize is how small they are. Even if they remember different times.
That somehow came to my mind while reading the farewell interview given to “Nezavisne novine” and “Oslobodjenje” in recent days by Eric Nelson, the Ambassador of the United States of America on his departure from Bosnia and Herzegovina. With a lot of miracles in the dark reality.
In this interview as well, the American confirmed how polite and friendly he is, and not just an ambassador of the heavenly power. He thinks well of us from the heart, no matter how much the heart and politics in diplomacy are not always a winning combination. In addition to all this, in addition to reading the ambassador’s reflections, after three years in Sarajevo, many will be surprised and even bitter. Especially to the more realistic ones, who grew up in the time of facts and logic to which their own eyes and minds pointed.
There is a lot of “strangeness” in the ambassador’s thoughts and messages, multiplied by all that is happening to us, but also expectations with the irreparable dream that “from there” they think a lot about us, that they know everything about us and are determined to solve what only we can’t, don’t want to, don’t know. Or what they don’t give us.
Interesting Answers From Ambassador Nelson
At the beginning of the conversation, Nelson’s answer to the question of what made him most happy and what disappointed him is interesting. The first is the completion of the process of demining “Sarajevo and the East Old Town… and the destruction of surplus ammunition.” They gave 124 million dollars for that. But well, despite the ambiguity of what the Eastern Old Town is, confusion remains: In the current drama of BiH’s survival, the job is about three decades since the bombing, and here is the first success to rejoice. Right now? Well, ok.
The second reason that the ambassador was “most pleased” was “… that they in Sarajevo and BiH hosted the Pride Parade, the last in the Balkans to do so, but the first with such a good response and without violence… European values are rooted in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The conversation is progressing in that sense. ” It’s nice, again, that the Parade wasn’t an issue. But there is also confusion with the selection in highlighting the results of promoting European values in BiH. Along with all the other (non) European values that the USA could be proud of here…
On the list of successes that pleased the ambassador, the most was “our success in Mostar…” The goal was for national leaders to provide those locals with space to negotiate. ” and practices on the so-called. national leaders in BiH. Three nations, along with others, are also visible in the AFBiH. And what now, with the “third army”, spectacularly presented in Banja Luka and the world as special. That is why sanctions are being used against Dodik. So What? The Ambassador strongly believes in the AFBiH, “training in cooperation with NATO partners and delivery of four helicopters“ ”
Along with all this is the statement: “We believed that (in 2021) BiH can make significant progress on 14 key priorities, including reforming the integrity of the electoral process, fighting corruption, and strengthening the rule of law… Laws are ready, and there are no actions. I am very disappointed about that… ”
Regarding obviously wrong beliefs, nothing. This is about “acting”, honestly. What you are – you are. As well as the conclusion that Nelson “enjoyed”, and that is the potential of this country, how resilient the people here are, and how young people who want to build a future here are not interested in leaving… “Ambassadors, Ambassadors”
There is a strong belief in “priorities” such as judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. Which, he admits, have not been resolved for 20 years ?! Then we should continue to call on the parties to reach an agreement… Well, with the proposals to go to the BiH Parliament that this year’s elections were fair… It is difficult not to be a little confused by all this from the US ambassador.
Does His Excellency know how the common man here thinks about the EU and the USA after twenty years of making fun of “calling” to respect the judgment of the European Court? With the promise of “continuing” with the same calls. Does he know that the Parliament he is talking about has already been discussed several times, and by voting, he rejected solutions based on which the elections would be “fairer”. And that with all the ridicule of the twenty-year “irregularities”, elections were held whose winners, for the EU and the USA, became legal and legitimate. Well for thirty years, so “democratically” ruling, they destroyed the state, decomposed the society, and put the profit from everything stolen and devalued in their own pockets. Well, the young people are satisfied “they are not interested in leaving”.
There are many such and similar nonsense arising from politics and proposals expressed in the interview with Eric Nelson as the representative of his country in BiH. Despite efforts to change course in Dayton’s defense, a bastion of happiness in BiH. Which, perhaps, could have happened to other people and other politicians. Today we have a story about the unquestionable success of sanctions for Dodik, and he has had them since 2017. What would the unsanctioned “representative” of another nation say here: “Yes, I.”
How to convince the people that something is good in politics and it is not true. So it is with Nelson’s statement that he is “surprised that anyone might think that separating the army would make any sense.” And they paraded him in the uniforms of that “unimaginable” army in front of the ceremonial lodge of its “leaders”. As the RS National Assembly debated this “unthinkable” and adopted precise conclusions. How to interpret, after all, the ambassador’s hope that the sanctions, imposed or just announced, will “invite people to action” and that “anyone who is sanctioned has the opportunity to correct their actions. I guess as before.”
Bonn Powers and The Rule of Law
The whole philosophy of this approach is based on the need to “dialogue with leaders in BiH”. Of course, those “leaders” who are in manipulated elections, with mounted voter lists, with alteration of voting results, without electronic control of the election process, etc., are invited to dialogue. – for them the only legal and legitimate ones “. And so far and in everything that follows. In fact, it is a code of maintaining the status quo at all costs. It is no longer just a strategy. The notorious historical realities of centuries-old Bosnia, with all the hardships, global and regional, have been humiliated by small corrupt locals, supported by the illusions of foreign liberal institutions executed in this civilizational collapse.
These facts are not new and have only just been told. I remember when the EU concluded in October 2005 that, practically, only BiH, apart from everyone else in the Western Balkans, was left without a first step towards the EU. Then, in an interview with Senad Pećanin for “Dani”, I said this, among other things: “Why did Europe do that? Is it just because they don’t know, or is there a reason for completely fatalistic thinking: to whom in the structure of government in BiH, as it is, does Europe suit? Europe means standard. The European standard means law, it means order, it means relations in which one can know what one can and who cannot. In these standards, there is no “who took what”, there is no legalization of ethnic cleansing, there is no “high school student with a purchased diploma conducts one who has a doctorate from prestigious universities”
And so, on four pages. Admittedly, the EU is not what it was seventeen years ago today, but it is even worse in our country than before. And then they offer us from America what and how much they are interested in, “just don’t shoot.” With sanctions and threats of blockades to individuals and mafias to which they belong. And from Brussels, after the parade in Banja Luka, they say that they “strongly condemn the negative, inflammatory rhetoric about division… the complete absence of constitutive dialogue, inflammatory rhetoric in the media… etc.
And it is clear to everyone normal: A clean, uncorrupted, professional judiciary does not need the Bonn powers, but a reformed rule of law. With unquestionable control of that reform. The rest will go by itself, legally and legitimately. Reform of the “rule of law” means the reform of the judiciary, prosecutor’s office, but also fundamental changes in society, institutions, education, media “
Criminals also mention “changes” in their version. But such as to strengthen the space for them and crime. Fear and national hatred work wonders. The battle is for life and death.
Eric Nelson with his reflections on “dialogue” here is neither new nor special. He was doing his job from the optics of interest that brought him here. So, travel on ambassadors, and goodbye. It’s our fault. The interview was approved by the State Department.
