Another high-profile meeting btw Serb ultra-nationalists & Trump admin. This time genocide-denying PM of #Bosnia’s RS entity, w close links to RUS. US Amb in Sarajevo has refused to meet head of her govt, Dodik, for yrs. But not the Trump team apparently. avaz.ba/vijesti/bih/39…
And as @cjcmichel reported a few weeks ago, Corey Lewandowsky appears to be the central node in connecting members of both the Dodik regime & the Vucic govt in Serbia w Trump WH. Extremely worrying for the entire region. thinkprogress.org/these-trump-ca…
A few more reminders of what kind of regime the Trump admin is apparently taking meetings w now. The Dodik govt in BiH is not merely sympathetic to RUS, they’re counting on Kremlin backing for the conflicts they hope to start. theguardian.com/world/2018/jan…
Or if you prefer your scandals of the human rights and civil society suppression variety, here’s an interview PM Cvijanovic gave to DW in 2016. What was the purpose of this meeting? Has the US now abandoned the Dayton Accords? m.dw.com/en/corruption-…
Or is it the case that, as in Kosovo apparently, the US is now seriously entertaining supporting Russian-backed secessionists and/or their partition fantasies? These are deeply troubling developments for a volatile region. balkaninsight.com/en/article/us-…
Even if the answer is “no” as the likes of Pompeo are sure to claim — not that I expect any official reactions — muddying the waters in this fashion in the Balkans will only empower extremists to organize to make hints & allegations realities. Incredibly irresponsible by the WH.
Follow-up: appears PM Cvijanovic also met with Steve Bannon, discussing w the far-right ideologue “the situation” in the RS, BiH elxns, as well as his new European think tank for promotion of far-right extremist parties. Extremely disturbing for Bosnia. atvbl.com/vijesti/republ…
