The issue of national identity is taken seriously by Balkan people – including the least serious among them.
“The Emperor’s New Suit” (or “Lajcak Is Naked”)
Sarajevo | 02 February 2009 | by Srecko Latal
In this case the emperor – Bosnia’s High Representative Miroslav Lajcak – suddenly found out and proudly announced to the public that he is naked -- or, put in Lajcak’s words, that the international instruments in Bosnia are a “dead horse” that he doesn’t want to ride any more.
This statement (Details in Western Bodies in Bosnia “Dead Horse” – Lajcak) brings up several very interesting elements which simply beg for a comment or two.
Firstly, this is the first time that a still-acting High Representative is being so brutally honest about international sterility in this troubled country. All previous top international envoys were usually allowing themselves this sort of criticism only from a safe distance of few years after the end of their mandate and at least few hundred kilometers away from the Balkans. So, I would say this is an improvement – at least we can discuss about problems and how to fix them in real time.
Secondly, Lajcak’s undiplomatic statements before his departure may easily end up being more beneficial for Bosnia than all of his diplomatic statements during his year and a half mandate. Although probably motivated by preservation of his own image, Lajcak’s words increase pressure on the EU and US administration to face their own past and present mistakes in the Balkans, in an attempt to avoid future ones.
For the past three-four years the West has set aside most of its political and military might in Bosnia and focused on the EU-membership card as both the carrot and the stick that should persuade local leaders to finally wake up, smell the coffee, shape up and start behaving.
Yet even after this tactics failed miserably for the past several years, international officials still don’t understand why that was so. It seems that the West still sees all Balkan troubles as a failure in communications rather than a flaw in its own strategies and tactics.
Because of this, instead of changing its approach, the West keeps investing more and more efforts into public relations and strategic communications, coming up with louder and stronger statements day after day.
It was this essential misunderstanding which has deprived the current emperor of its suit. As long as the international community refuses to realize its own nakedness, every next emperor will be condemned to wear the same garment and freeze his or hers behind in the harsh Balkan climate.
So why doesn’t this approach work, you may wonder? It’s simple: because many of the current local leaders don’t want Bosnia to join Europe. Why? Because once Bosnia rejoins Europe, they will lose many of the perks which make their lives so wonderful; they will lose good salaries and percentages from privatization deals which flow into private bank accounts, free use of office’s cars, chauffeurs and rented accommodation, and the best perk of all – no accountability and responsibility for their deeds whatsoever.
So as long as Bosnia has such leaders and as long as it has such citizens who re-elect such leaders despite their abysmal performance, it will also have a need for strong international community to set and enforce the minimum acceptable standards for behavior of the local leaders. Lajcak honestly admitted that he has decided to leave since he has no such power any more.
At the end, I know that many people – experts, analysts as well as ordinary folks like cab drivers and market vendors alike – are upset with Lajcak. They feel that the ambitious Slovak diplomat has betrayed Bosnia at the worst possible times and that his early departure has created additional chaos.
Although all this is essentially true, let’s be honest – how many people in their right mind would stay on a dead horse wobbling along the ledge of an abyss?
2009-02-03 09:56:25