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Similar to Milorad Dodik, Sali Berisha has been sanctioned for undermining democracy, major corruption along with his family members, and blackmailing the judiciary.
Milorad Dodik, the leader of the Bosnian Serbs, is a person sanctioned by the State Department for undermining Bosnia’s security and stability. His sanctioning came at the same time as Sali Berisha. And, like Berisha at the time, he called this an action by the Soros-influenced US administration and, to ignore it, became an ardent supporter of Donald Trump. He has marched through the streets of Belgrade and Bosnia wearing T-shirts emblazoned with President Trump’s portrait, in the wake of rhetoric that this was political revenge by the Democrats in the US.
Yesterday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made his first statement on the Balkans, confirming the US policy on “persona non grata.” In a post, which can be found on the US embassy website in Belgrade, it said:
“The actions of the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, are undermining the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and threatening its security and stability. Our nation encourages political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to engage in constructive and responsible dialogue. We call on our partners in the region to join us in opposing this dangerous and destabilizing behavior.”
The Secretary of State's stance, the first on the Balkans, shows that the new administration is turning its attention to US national security policies and this is the first confirmation of support for the "non grata" sanctions policy that the US state has imposed on the Balkans.
Similar to Milorad Dodik, Sali Berisha has been sanctioned for undermining democracy, major corruption along with his family members, and blackmailing the judiciary.
This is bad news for Sali Berisha. It would be a great relief if Secretary Marco Rubio were to be grateful to Dodik for being a fan of President Trump and lift those sanctions. After all, with the logic that Berisha uses in Tirana, the US should undo everything it has done in the Balkans, from Bosnia to Kosovo to the problematic politicians it has sanctioned.
For all those who don't know, the savior of Bosnia in 1993 in the US Senate was former Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Joe Biden, who, with a 65-page speech, turned the tide of American politics and focused it on saving Bosnia from the extermination threatened by Serbian nationalism, a year after the Srebrenica massacre.
Thanks to this new US focus in the 1990s, the Dayton Agreement was reached in 1995 and then the bombing of Serbia over Kosovo in 1999.
The hope of sanctioned politicians in the Balkans that the arrival of President Trump and some kind of overthrow of the world order that is taking place could save them too, received a severe blow yesterday.
For Berisha, it would have been a great relief if the US had rewarded Dodik with his electoral love for President Trump. But that didn't happen. And to think that Serbia is currently one of the US's favorite countries, where President Vučić has completely changed course, "one foot in the West and one in the East", completely approaching Russian politics. But that didn't help either.
The Secretary of State seems to be down to earth when it comes to respecting the American state and its authority in the world.
The only hope for Berisha now remains this LaCivita, although he has not officially taken responsibility for lifting the sanctions, emphasizing that he is only an electoral advisor.
So hopes remain alive after May 11. Maybe when he loses, they will feel sorry and lift the sanctions, because he can't take two losses at this age!
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