The President of the Serb-dominated part of Bosnia is trying to attract voters ahead of the forthcoming elections by portraying himself as a key actor in the region, historian Husnija Kamberovic told N1 on Monday.

“I think that Dodik is a dangerous politician. His statements are dangerous. They should not be ignored,” Kamberovic said of Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska (RS), the Serb-dominated semi-autonomous entity in Bosnia.  

The recent statements Kamberovic referred to concern the border between Bosnia and Serbia. Serbia made a proposal Bosnian politicians did not want to discuss, saying it is not in their country’s interest.  

To this, Dodik on Sunday said that the border between Bosnia and Serbia will be “where Serbia wants it to be.”

Dodik has been advocating for the secession of RS from Bosnia for years. He on Sunday repeated that, for him, RS and Serbia are one.  

Kamberovic told N1 that “of course, it cannot be the way Serbia wants it to be, but Bosnia and Serbia must come to an agreement.”

“Not Serbia and Republika Srpska, as the RS is part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The border belongs to and defines the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. An entity cannot decide on borders,” Kamberovic said.  

“He is not doing this in the interest of Serbia or Republika Srpska. He is doing this in his private interests as it pays off for him personally. He is not sure how the election process will turn out for him,” he said.  

Dodik is using rhetoric that raises tensions and he is building himself up as a leader, Kamberovic said.  

“He is not portraying himself as a little Putin anymore, but as a big Putin,” Kamberovic said, referring to the Russian President.  

“He (Dodik) is the one calling the shots. When you see the way he presents himself – nobody else seems important. He is the key. This is something that motivates part of the population to support him. That is how he is building up his position in Republika Srpska,” Kamberovic said.  

The historian said that the international community must step up and give stronger support to pro-Bosnian actors in the country and, should Dodik become a member of the tripartite state Presidency, the international community must prevent him from blocking Bosnia’s progress.  

According to Kamberovic, there are “thousands of ways” for the international community to do this.  

The border changes will not take place, the historian said, adding that such border corrections ended with the Kosovo conflict from 1999, and exemplifying his point with the failed attempt by Catalonia to separate from Spain.  

Bosnia could function well if its politicians had enough will to make it function, he said, adding that the 1995 Dayton Peace Treaty should not be revised, but that efforts toward creating a more functional country should be made.  

“This is not done with changes such as the abolishing of entities, that is not realistic, but it is possible to achieve some kind of cooperation,” he said, adding that there are more aggressive than progressive ideas on the scene among Bosnian politicians.