This week's topic "The Bigger Picture" podcast is the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the latest events in the Republic of Srpska. The question arises, how do they affect the stability of the state? November marks three decades since the signing of the Dayton Agreement, and it seems that BiH has never been in a deeper political crisis than it is today.
Kao interlocutors for this topic Tanja Topić, program manager of the "Fridrich Ebert" Foundation in Banja Luka, editor of New Serbian Political Thought Đorđe Vukadinović and editor-in-chief of "Buka" Aleksandar Trifunović were invited.
"BiH is deeply divided. It is divided by ethnic, but also by entity attitudes. We actually have two states in one, with the central government and institutions at the state level being very fragile. We have a 'ravaged' country in every way. It has been eaten up by political corruption in all ethnic camps, as the country is divided. We also have a shrinking population, which is getting older. BiH has an average age of 55 plus, so it is a society that has been eaten up by all side", assessed Topić.
Aleksandar Trifunović recalled a tragic incident that perfectly reflects the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Namely, nineteen-year-old Muhammad, who happened to be with his goats in a minefield, lost his life the previous week.
"His mother wrote that there was nothing left of him... 30 years after the war, a 19-year-old boy who had nothing to do with that war, nor was he born at the time, is another of his victims. He didn't die in a minefield, he died from this country. BiH is a country that is dangerous to life. This is proven in every crisis situation. When there are floods, fires... When there is any kind of disaster, this country shows its acute incompetence," he stated. is Trifunović.
Đorđe Vukadinović stated that citizens also bear the burden of responsibility for the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also sees political elites, the international community, and the "neighborhood" as disturbing factors of stability.
"Everything contributes to instability for different reasons, in different ways, with different motivations. They all contribute to the destabilization of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but there is no doubt that the balance is negative," he pointed out and reminded that 30 years after the Second World War, in 1975, there was no mention of the war in Europe, and it was the most terrible conflict in history. In contrast, the war is mentioned almost every day in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
What the participants of the podcast "The Bigger Picture" think about the current situation in BiH can be found at the link:
