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The lifting of the "non-grata" for Bosnian Serbs, what is changing in the Balkans?

2025-10-30 14:12:00, Opinione Mentor Kikia

The lifting of the "non-grata" for Bosnian Serbs, what is changing in

By Mentor Kikia

(An invitation to diplomats to understand the new approaches of American policy in the region)

The US decision to remove the “non grata” and politically rehabilitate the former Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, and a number of Serbian politicians and businessmen (47 in total, individuals and companies), did not receive much attention. Here it was mostly treated as a sign that this could also happen to the leader of the Albanian Democrats, Mr. Berisha.

The sanctioning of Dodik and his political-economic clan came in March 2025, when they almost led to a secession of the Republika Srpska (Serbska) from the Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina. They passed laws and refused to recognize the constitutional and legal authority of the Federation.

Here is the announcement from the US Embassy in Sarajevo at the time:

“The United States is committed to advancing our interests in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For 30 years, our commitment to the Dayton Peace Agreement and a stable and secure Bosnia and Herzegovina has been unwavering. Let us be clear – this is a deliberate provocation to the constitutional order of BiH and poses a direct threat to the stability and security of BiH and to U.S. strategic objectives.”

What happened 7 months later, when these people were rehabilitated?

The decision did not fall from the sky. On May 23, 2025, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau gave a speech at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, right in Dayton, Ohio.

“We are here at a special time, 30 years after the negotiation of the Peace Accords for Bosnia, in this very city. For individuals or for nations, there is no nobler endeavor than the pursuit of peace for oneself or others, and undoubtedly the pursuit and promotion of peace is the essence of diplomacy, which is also my job. Therefore, we honor all those who 30 years ago gathered in this place to reach the peace agreements. Does this mean that those peace agreements are perfect? ??Of course not.”

What had happened that the speech of the number two in American diplomacy, at the NATO Assembly, was addressed specifically to Bosnia & Herzegovina?

A little further down he said: “President Trump addressed this topic last week in his major foreign policy speech in Riyadh. He acknowledged the disaster of US nation-building efforts around the world in recent decades and criticized the arrogance of those who step off planes in foreign countries and think they have all the answers. What does this mean for Bosnia and Herzegovina? It means that we are willing to listen and work with all affected parties. Agreements must be strong to be sustainable; but you must be flexible to adapt to changing times.”

What stands out is a critical stance by President Trump towards the US "for arrogantly building nations around the world" and that "peace agreements must be flexible to adapt to changing times."

What has changed? Is the US warning of a new approach to "nation building", and in this case a redistribution of territories in the Balkans? What could it bring to Kosovo, if the game in Bosnia is reopened?

Can the political rehabilitation of Dodik and his political and economic caste be understood as a first step in this direction?

“I am not here to lecture you, but to hear from those who come from Bosnia and the region. We, in the Trump Administration, are ready to offer our best services to improve conditions, but only if our involvement is desired and accepted. I know that this has not always been the spirit in which American officials have approached foreign policy. But in this regard, as in so many others, the Trump Administration is willing to try a different approach, and I am proud to represent this new way of thinking,” Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau emphasized in his speech in May 2025.

Diplomats need to think more deeply about these new approaches to American policy in the Balkans./ CNA