Etnonacionalizam – najkancerogenija prijetnja Bosni i Hercegovini kao državi i društvu
Ethnonationalism – the most Carcinogenic Threat to Bosnia and Herzegovina as a State and Society

Author(s): Slavko Kukić
Subject(s): Politics, Sociology, Security and defense, Nationalism Studies, Inter-Ethnic Relations
Published by: Институт друштвених наука
Keywords: BiH; sovereignty; ethnonationalists authorities; global centres of power; attitude of neighbours toward BiH
Summary/Abstract: In 2022, Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the 30th anniversary of its sovereignty and international recognition as a state. Though this kind of assessments can often be heard from the headquarters of ethno-nationalist oligarchies, all this time is, indeed, not merely the time of witnessing it being a ruined state, impossible without the apparatuses of the global power centres that have been sustaining it. Quite the contrary: in 30 years of its existence, BiH became a UN member, a significant part of what had been destroyed in the war was renewed, new economic capacities have been built, its young people, athletes, students, scientists have been achieving impressive results, thus becoming the most influential ambassadors of their country all over the world. Unfortunately, throughout these 30 years, BiH has endured serious historical challenges, being between Scylla and Charybdis of civilisation, its’ stumbling being caused by those very actors mandated to make it a European state and society, but also by the mighty from without, who would preferably destroy it and use its territory to enlarge their own. The Calvary that BiH endured due its decision to head to its European future as a sovereign state is most keenly testified to by the imposed war, responsible for more than 100 thousand of human lives, hundreds of thousands of devastated, or completely ruined family, economic, or public buildings, as well as total demographic devastation. According to some estimates, more than 50% of the total population was either banished, or migrated in order to save their lives. The most of them ended outside the BiH borders, and relatively biggest portion of them have not returned to their pre-war homes to this day. This is also evidenced by the fact that BiH is near the top of the global list of countries with the biggest diasporas compared to their population. Conclusion of the war meant relief for common people, as well as hope that they could once again live like they used to – neighbour with neighbour, helping each other and living together through good times and the bad, and celebrating together both religious and state holidays. And one must admit that the initial ten years indeed promised that this could be so. However, such prospects were not facilitated by the domestic authorities, but through the practice of the global centres of power embodied in the OHR and high commissioners. Yet, the very moment that these centres of power had shifted their attention from BiH to other global points of conflict, ethnonationalists saw their opportunity to once again draw out their swords and revert to the politics of unfulfilled war goals. This is the politics which has marked the last fifteen-odd years, pushing BiH ever harder towards new civilizational and historical challenges. Unfortunately, such tendencies are stimulated, more and more openly, from without BiH, by those responsible for the wastelands and abattoirs of 30 years ago, but also by actors in the global geopolitical games who see BiH as a location of their geopolitical interest. By force of circumstances, and especially the events in Ukraine, Washington and Brussels have been warned that they would need to revert their engagement in BiH to the level comparable to the years immediately after the war. And the signals sent from these addresses, especially in the last year, suggest that this kind of a shift could indeed happen – that it is actually already happening today. The majority of the paper is dedicated to all these post-war shifts, including those that we have been witnessing in the last couple of years.

• Details
• Contents