FLASH
Shkruar nga Gjergj Zefi
/The Balkans are no longer being treated as a security issue, but as a bargaining chip at global tables...
On October 29, 2025, the United States lifted sanctions on Milorad Dodik. Without notice. Without justification. Without any warning to allies. This act, which undoes decades of stable American policy in the Balkans, has only one definition: strategic capitulation to Russia. And not a forced capitulation, but a deliberate surrender.
Dodik, a genocide denier and close friend of Vladimir Putin, had been lobbying Washington for years. From $30 million in 2017, to three times that amount in 2025. And here is the result: lifting of sanctions, legalization of the secessionist line, and de facto appropriation of half of Bosnia by Russia.
The question that arises is: what did America gain? Some mention lithium. Dodik himself, in May 2025, offered Washington the mineral wealth of the Serbian entity in “exchange” for recognizing the sovereignty of Republika Srpska. But this is a naive tale. If the US wanted lithium, sanctions would be the means to control it, not to forgive it.
The decision has multiple consequences:
-First, it legalizes the narrative of genocide denial in Srebrenica.
-Secondly, it facilitates efforts to disintegrate Bosnia.
-Third, it gives Russia a geopolitical springboard in the heart of Europe.
-Fourth, it humiliates Belgrade, which until now was the "political father" of the Bosnian Serbs.
Moscow and Banja Luka speak the same language today. Dodik hugs Lavrov in Minsk, just a day before the US announced the lifting of sanctions. The message is clear: Russia no longer needs Serbia as a mediator. Republika Srpska has become a direct extension of the Kremlin. Aleksandar Vučić, who for years built the “Serbian World” model as a replica of “Russian Peace”, now sees that project stolen from him by Moscow itself.
Albania and Kosovo should see this as a wake-up call. If the US is willing to give up half of a European country for unclear interests, what guarantee is left for Pristina? Is the security of Albanians more valuable than a mining contract or a silent bargain with Moscow?
In this cynical picture, the lack of a firm response from Tirana and Pristina is worrying. No official statement from the Albanian Foreign Ministry. No public protest from the Kosovo Government. The “don’t bother Washington” approach may seem prudent, but in reality it is capitulating. If Albanians are silent about Bosnia, tomorrow they will be asked to be silent about Kosovo as well.
This is not a diplomatic blunder. It is a strategy. It is a sign that the Balkans are no longer being treated as a security issue, but as a bargaining chip at global tables. Lifting sanctions against Dodik is not a concession, it is a signal. A signal that says: “If you know how to play the game, even genocide can be hidden.”/ Pamphlet
Note:
*The title “Give the Dogs a Bone” is taken from a poem by Vladimir Vysotsky, a 1970s Russian poet and songwriter known for his subtle and sharp criticism of the hypocrisy of the Soviet system. In his verses, “dogs” symbolized the obedient, the used, and those who console themselves with crumbs of power. In this editorial, the metaphor fits a Balkan reality where criminals are treated as partners and victims are left in silence.
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