The future relationship between Republika Srpska and the United States will largely depend on developments in Ukraine, as a decisive Russian victory in the conflict would provide Srpska with greater opportunities to advocate for its interests, said renowned American analyst and former diplomat James Jatras in an interview with Srna.
Following the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Djatras noted that it is too early to predict the impact on Republika Srpska, Serbia, and the Balkans, as the signals remain mixed.
According to him, the world is entering an unstable and transitional period, which he estimates will last about five years, during which the fate of the “empire led by Washington” will be called into question.
“Either the so-called Euro-Atlantic order in Europe, enforced by NATO and its concubine, the EU, will collapse following a decisive Russian victory in Ukraine, or Moscow will allow itself to be deceived again, letting NATO, the EU, and Banderite Ukraine survive for another day of struggle. The outcome remains uncertain for now. If the former happens, it will expand Republika Srpska’s ability to advocate for its interests alongside Serbia’s and weaken or eventually dismantle the false state of Kosovo. This could also pave the way for countries like Hungary and Slovakia, with others likely joining soon, to pursue more independent policies,” said Jatras.
On the other hand, Djatras continued, if the latter scenario unfolds, American dominance in Europe through NATO will persist, leaving Republika Srpska and Serbs in general under relentless pressure, as they have been since 1991, with the threat of a larger European war looming in the not-so-distant future.
Western perspectives on Srpska and Serbia
Regarding U.S. attitudes toward the Serbs and the Balkans, Djatras stated:
“Hardly anyone in Washington thinks much about Serbs or Republika Srpska, except for a handful of officials tasked with dealing with this small part of the world. Most of them are ‘Manicheans,’ zero-sum fanatics who view Serbs as bad actors. Their approach is focused on forcing Serbs into the ‘Euro-Atlantic box’ of NATO and the EU, which essentially means erasing Serbian identity, bolstering the ‘statehood’ of so-called Kosovo, and pressuring Serbia to abandon its orientation toward Russia, Eurasia, and BRICS, steering it instead toward subjugation to the Euro-Atlantic bloc.”
Jatras noted that the only partial exception to this was the “farce of Richard Grenell’s ‘Kosovo project’” during Trump’s first term. Grenell imagined it would mirror the Camp David Accords of 1978, signed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin after 12 days of secret negotiations.
“We saw how that turned out,” Djatras remarked.
Trump’s foreign policy vision
Jatras stressed that the critical question is whether Trump intends to steer the U.S. away from its mission of unipolar dominance toward a focus on securing limited national interests within a multipolar world that respects the spheres of influence of other powers, particularly Russia and China.
“This will largely depend on the individuals he appoints to his administration. So far, as expected, most appointments are poor choices—especially Secretary of State Marco Rubio. However, there are a few good ones whose names are best left unmentioned,” Djatras said.
Commenting on Trump’s inauguration speech, Jatras observed that the president’s rhetoric suggests a desire to move toward a policy rooted in national interests. However, his emphasis on the “exceptional” nature of the U.S. signals a continuation of the excessive privileges America has claimed since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
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Source: RTRS
