A statement made by Bosniak leader Bakir Izetbegovic about the country’s arms industry was taken out of context by Bosnian Serb politicians and interpreted as warmongering for pre-election purposes, Jasmin Ahic, a professor of Sarajevo’s Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security Studies told N1.
Izetbegovic told media earlier this month that Bosnia should not waste money on buying rocket systems and fighter planes but rather keep developing its own arms industry and produce for export but also for “just in case, God forbid.”
He added that he does not believe anyone would dare to start a conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as this would be too dangerous and produce a maelstrom that would “swallow the one who started it.”
The next day, Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik accused Izetbegovic of “warmongering.”
The security situation will be exploited during the pre-election campaign over the next five months, Ahic said.
Bosnia really has no serious security issues that could be used in the campaign, “so there will be attempts to reinterpret, cook up and politicize every move by anyone in mainstream politics,” he said.
According to Ahic, the Bosniak Presidency member’s ‘God forbid’ part of the statement was taken way out of context and has “polarized everything.”
Dodik’s party, the Union of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), asked for an urgent session of the House of Representatives to discuss Izetbegovic’s statements, and this was supported by the Alliance for Changes, a coalition of Serb parties in fierce opposition to the SNSD in Bosnia's Serb-dominated semi-autonomous entity, Republika Srpska (RS).
For Ahic, the Alliance’s move is understandable.
“Analyzing this, we have to be aware that each side has difficulties in responding to real issues in the campaign,” Ahic said, explaining that the Alliance for Changes in the RS can not afford ahead of elections to be seen like they are aligning with the Bosniaks.
“They have to look out for their voters in the RS. If they don’t, there could be, as is usual, comments about how people from the Alliance for Changes are traitors.”
Ahic also touched upon what experts told the US Congress at a hearing on Wednesday, when they advocated for more US involvement in Bosnia.
“It is good that the US administration has started to follow the ongoing issues on the ground, and that could pop up after the election,” he said.
