In its place? A rigid, polarized, illiberal populism, which, as we all know, is only a temporary waystation to outright fascism. More than any time in the past twenty-five years, Bosnia’s security is in jeopardy.Īnd with it, the idea of a pluralistic, secular, democratic Europe, one in which Muslims, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians can live side-by-side. Appealing to support from Belgrade, and more importantly from Moscow, he has been aided and abetted in his campaign to weaken American and European influence on and over the conflict. And predictable.Ĭurrently, Bosnia’s Serb President, Milorad Dodik, is agitating to effectively partition the country, with his most recent scheme being the creation of a separate Serb army. Recent years, however, have seen American influence decline, the transatlantic bond fray, and the promise of European Union membership become worryingly distant, if not altogether inaccessible. With America’s deep investment in securing the region and the long-term promise of European Union membership- for Bosnia as well as Serbia-the conflict remained cold, more rhetorical than actual. If it seems it’s a miracle the state survived-well, that’s for other reasons. Every decision was a zero-sum calculation. Ever since, politicians appealed not to shared futures, but to competing narratives.Īs such, for example, any gain for Bosniaks was interpreted as a loss for Serbs. Needless to say, this not only rewarded pre-war sectarianism and bigotry, but effectively enshrined ethnic polarization into the very structure of the state. The postwar order further burdened the country with three Presidents, one for each of its major communities-the Croats (Catholics), Serbs (Orthodox Christians), and Bosniaks (Muslims).
While this peace agreement had the benefit of halting the conflict, it also essentially froze the war too, validating Serb gains made through gross human rights violations, and leaving Bosnia effectively riven in two.īetween Bosnia’s Serbs and, on the other hand, Croats and Bosniaks, ostensible allies. That would be terrible not only for Bosnia’s Muslim plurality, for Bosnia and the Balkans, but also for European minorities, transatlantic security, and the global strength of the West.īefore I explain why, let me share just a little about what is happening in Bosnia today-a country that, for many (bad) reasons, usually goes missing from the news cycle.Īfter America and NATO terminated the predations of radical Serb forces in the mid-1990s, finally intervening to stop a horrific genocide, rampant sexual violence, and undisguised ethnic cleansing, the West imposed a peace agreement on all parties. That small Balkan country, held together by a thoroughly inadequate constitution and a declining international peacekeeping commitment, may be on the verge of collapsing into conflict. Western Muslims and Western Jews must-for their own sakes and for each other-pay closer attention to the dangerous brinksmanship now unfolding in Bosnia.