With the Russian Federation's renewed support for separatists among Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat forces, the hard-won peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina is once again under threat, reads the letter signed by Azra Zornic, Jakob Finci, Dervo Sejdic, Kurt Bassuener, David Pettigrew, Tanya Domi and other prominent intellectuals addressed to US Foreign Secretary Antony J. Blinken regarding constitutional and electoral reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina in accordance with the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.

“Bosnia is facing the possibility of the Republika Srpska [entity] becoming the new Donbas, as well as the creation of a third entity within the country. Bosnia and Herzegovina again needs the support of the United States of America in order to avoid a renewed conflict. However, this time, the ethno-nationalist ideologies of division and discrimination that have been institutionalized and ossified thanks to Dayton [Peace Agreement] must be systematically removed from the Constitution and the electoral system in order to counter the inflows from Russia, bring stability to the region and ensure lasting peace,” the letter states.

The signatories state that without a thorough restructuring of the Constitution established in Dayton, meaningful change for Bosnia will not be possible. Therefore, the undersigned citizens and friends of Bosnia, they proposed two key initiatives for US engagement in BiH in the direction of urgently needed constitutional and electoral reforms.

“First, we encourage the US to initiate and support the process of creating a completely new social contract for the 21st century in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Instead of a complicated and extremely expensive management system that includes the national government (Council of Ministers), two entities and ten cantons, management would be transferred to Bosnian municipalities, which would result in a democratic model that is more locally based and citizen-oriented.

Second, we appeal to the US to encourage the Office of the High Representative to implement constitutional and electoral reforms throughout the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina in accordance with the relevant judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, including the judgment in Zornic v. Bosnia and Herzegovina. The judgments of the European Court are consistently opposed to the discriminatory prioritization of constituent ethnic groups in BiH and call for democratic reforms. Such democratic reforms would mean that all citizens are able and have the right to run for any position in their municipality and thus have the right to be elected to represent their municipality in the state parliament. Such a reform would also help Bosnia meet the conditions for EU membership,” they wrote.

Therefore, the letter to Secretary Blinken proposes a thorough change in America's foreign policy regarding the reform of the Election Law in BiH.

They are opposed to accommodating the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ BiH), an ethno-nationalist political party that intends to ensure that one of its members is elected to the Presidency – the so-called “legitimate” representative of Bosnian Croats. Such a result, the letter states, would only further deepen ethnic divisions and create a situation in which two out of three members of the Presidency would seek a way to undermine Bosnia's sovereignty.

The signatories to the letter also encourage the US to support real constitutional and electoral reform that would ensure a sustainable democratic political culture in BiH. They warn that with international interference in internal Bosnian affairs by Croatia, Serbia and the Russian Federation, and with the worsening of social divisions within BiH through increasingly pronounced hate speech, denial of genocide and glorification of convicted war criminals, and as long as threats of secession and the creation of a third entity continue, there is no time to lose.

The letter was signed by many prominent signatories such as Azra Zornic, Jakob Finci, Dervo Sejdic, Slaven Kovacevic, Zlatan Begic, David Pettigrew, Adil Kulenovic, Tanya Domi, Bojan Sosic, Hazim Bacic, Samir Beharic, Azra Berbic, Vildana Bijedic, Sonja Biserko, Stefica Galic, Marion Kraske, Kurt Bassuener, Senadin Lavic, Carole Hodge, Satko Mujagic, Janusz Bugajski, Emir Ramic, Daniel Serwer and Aida Ibricevic.