Former United States Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Michael Murphy, has reacted to an article by Israeli author Jose Lev Alvarez, which argues that Donald Trump’s administration should recognize the independence of Republika Srpska, writes Telegraph.
The article published in the Washington Examiner is titled “Let Bosnia Disintegrate: Why Donald Trump Should Recognize an Independent Republika Srpska.”
Murphy claims that the article is part of broader lobbying efforts to change the narrative about Bosnia and Herzegovina in Washington, Klix.ba reports.
According to him, a number of “analyses” on Bosnia have been published over the past year, many of which, he claims, were written by lobbyists paid to promote ethno-nationalist myths and disinformation about the country and its history.
However, Murphy described Alvarez’s writing as more extreme than the others.
“This ‘analytical writing’ is convincingly the craziest,” the former American ambassador declared.
Murphy, with irony, said that several ideas could be drawn from the article, mentioning the possibility that members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina could propose recognizing Kosovo, as well as offering the United States the opportunity to establish a military base in the country.
“Some members of the Presidency of BiH could perhaps try to implement some of his ideas by proposing a decision for BiH to recognize Kosovo, as well as another decision that would offer the US a base in BiH. US forces could return to Tuzla, where they were stationed for years after the war, or establish a base in Brcko. Both would be at the right time,” the former US ambassador added, reports Telegrafi.
According to him, American forces could return to Tuzla, where they had been stationed for years after the war, or establish a base in Brcko.
In his article, Alvarez argues that the US should recognize the independence of Republika Srpska, while among his claims is that Serbs are “trapped in an artificial state” and that multiethnic experiments in the Balkans have failed.
Klix.ba emphasizes that it has not been confirmed whether the article is part of lobbying activities related to companies paid by the Government of Republika Srpska, as the publication does not contain any clear indication that it is sponsored content. /Telegrafi/.