Black to the Future: White Lies
One of the big news in the last couple of days is the formal opening of EU memebership negotiations for Bosnia and Herzegovina. It’s most certainly a reason for celebration due to the seemingly endless process that led to this moment when you can almost see the gates of Brussels opening in the distance. Of course, this isn’t exactly true since there’s a long way to go before all the requirements for that last signiture on the deal are met. It’s a known strategic goal for the EU to eventually include all of the countries in the Western Balkans into its fold. But do beware. Whoever tells you it’s due to their extraordinary commitment to the long-term harmony and progress of the countries in question is likely playing you for a fool.
This move is indeed long overdue and needed. But it’s not all just a friendly hand that’s finally reaching out. The crisis in the Ukraine, the Middle East and the fact that the conservative right-wing forces are increasing their influence in the EU likely pushed them to step up and beat Russia and Turkey to the punch in Bosnia. The Serbian entity in the country is openly threatening with secession. Their leader Milorad Dodik openly supports Vladimir Putin’s ambitions and Serbian president Vučić. The Bosniak elites are equally open to Arab and Turkish influences and that’s hardly encouraging if the country is expected to embrace EU values.
A major part of the problem is the lack of understanding why this dysfunctional country is actually perfectly fine the way it is for many of its citizens and the inability to see that the one-size-fits-all approach is unsustainable for many aspiring members. It was only after Croatia joined the Union that openly homophobic, misogynistic and racist parts of the population came into full-frontal spotlight. Until the completition of the process, authorities managed to surpress them in order to present themselves as a country sharing the same values, inclusivity and social justice like the rest. Too bad it wasn’t really true, but convincing enough.
After the corks of the EU champagne popped and the historical goal was finally accomplished, it was back to business as usual. Marko Perković Thompson, the most popular musician of the local alt-right audience triumphantly exclaimed “no more pretending”. He wasn’t wrong. The PM who orchestrated the membership process was later sentenced and jailed on account of several scandals and crimes. In the meantime, Croatia also joined the Schengen zone. In practice it means young people who couldn’t wait to flee that coven of corruption and nepotism now had an opportunity. It turned into a brain drain of epic proportions and it’s not going to stop.
Most of the media in Bosnia in Herzegovina praised the new development in the right direction with a slight caution due to all the homework that still needs to be done. And there’s a lot of it, painting the process as a Kafkian nightmare. It’s not a surprise their HQ in Brussels looks like the glass equivalent of a Medieval fortress. When I see people walking in and out, you instantly get the feeling the only reason why anyone would want to get in here is because they’re paid for it. If you’re a new candidate like this, it can all be very overwhelming and quite discouraging. But you get on with it until you get it done. However, there’s a needle in the bush and we have to deal with it. As I said before, this country is known for its dysfunctionality.
Over the last 30 years, disorder and chaos curiously transformed into order and method. The mess got neatly divided into several separate parts and once the borders were marked, people started settling into this newfound reality. One based on existential blackmail, corruption, nationalism, tribalism and fear. The historical clock was turned back and off they went with a systemic dismemberment of the political carcass left in the wake of the 1990s. It was a no-hostage situation: the new elite seized everything. Factories, companies, the government, education and healthcare system. Whenever they could, what used to be one they divided into two parts. It worked as a sponge absorbing money and influence at every turn, while the bureaucratic machinery worked as an ATM for the privileged few.
Now that this country is finally getting its due, it’s of the utmost importance to come to terms with why that’s unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future if we are to do it the same way like others before us. We need to ask ourselves if any of us really need a country like this and why that might not the case. Because it’s not working. The engine is broken but the car is still on the road. If the country wants to somehow live up to the idea of a prosperous and inclusive democracy, that would certainly require deep-rooted reforms with the same no-hostage principle. This is where it gets tricky though. It could put powerful people behind bars, quite a long shot.
The system as it is right now is almost feudal in its character. Leaders who have been holding on to their crown for almost three decades have established a virtually endless source of benefits for them and their ilk. Through an elaborate labyrinth of corruption and opportunism, they turned voters into subjects and elections into a mere formality. You could say we are in line with the basic principle of democracy, the peaceful transition of power. But only because it’s rarely transferred to anyone outside their closest circle of trust. The former working class has been brought to their knees after the wave of post-war privatisation and many didn’t mind playing ball in exchange for perks and profit.
There have been too many favors over the years for you to ditch the guy who got you or your children that meager but stable job just because he can get away with murder while you avoid sticking your neck out for fear of losing your head. And then there’s that ingrained urgency of loyalty. You don’t call out bullshit on your own tribe. Not gonna happen. You’re the victim here and you wear your history a proud badge of martyrdom. As long as the right blood cells are running through their veins, even convicted warlords are role models fighting the good fight while others are merely twisting the narrative you were taught as school, lapping it up.
Too many people have too much to lose if they suddenly decide to insist on playing by the Brussels playbook. We whine about being stuck in a broken system without any genuine urge to publicly demand our rights. The trouble is, when it really happens and the EU wheels begin to properly turn, you might actually see people protesting. But for a very different reason. The right to keep living a life where certain actions don’t have certain consequences. It’s like a drug, very difficult to kick once you get used to the habit. It kills your ambition for anything beyond the rat race. Stuffed with a little bit of comfort like a turkey with cranberry sauce, we settle for whatever we can get. The opposite requires risks and decisions we’re too scared to take. So don’t rush it with the confetti just yet.
