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THE WALL STREET JOURNAL · <http://online.wsj.com/public/search?article-doc-type=%7BLetters%7D&HEADER_T EXT=letters> LETTERS · NOVEMBER 9, 2009, 5:04 P.M. ET Debating Bosnia: Western Hope or Islamist Redoubt? * <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703740004574513952550860792.h tml#articleTabs=article> Article * <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703740004574513952550860792.h tml#articleTabs_comments> Comments * <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703740004574513952550860792.h tml> Email * <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703740004574513952550860792.h tml> Printer Friendly * Share: <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703740004574513952550860792.h tml> facebook <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703740004574513952550860792.h tml> ? More * Bob Dole criticizes President Barack Obama (" <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704500604574481010694996906.h tml> Bosnia and American Exceptionalism," op-ed, Oct. 23) for not demonstrating U.S. "leadership" in Bosnia—namely, urging greater government centralization in the 44% Muslim country, and strong-arming those "recalcitrant" Serbs. For a snapshot of the Bosnia that Mr. Dole hopes American leadership has created, he should look at Sarajevo, where the long tradition of Grandfather Frost (secular Santa) was recently banned from schools, and exclusively Islamic education introduced. The Dayton accords that Mr. Dole parrots as bringing peace achieved the same result the 1992 Lisbon Agreement was about to, without bloodshed. Warning against creating "monoethnic conclaves," Mr. Dole writes that "promoting [our values] abroad [is] essential." This, after leading the way to a purified second Albanian state, where after our intervention even the most basic American value—rule of law—doesn't exist. Instead, the internationals there are being corrupted or blackmailed into falling in line with the thugocracy we bolstered. We stoked and joined three aggressive wars against a natural post-Cold War ally, indeed our ally from two world wars, with one goal being to reassure the Muslim world after Desert Storm. Yugoslavia had been the most Western-facing, Hollywood-devouring country in the Communist bloc next to Poland, and it was useful to us against Soviet Russia. Afterwards, it went on the chopping block. The Balkans call precisely for the "multilateralism" and "dialogue" that Mr. Dole urges President Obama against. Mr. Obama is actually listening to the concerns of Serbs sharing power with a Muslim majority. Naturally, Mr. Dole calls this unusual nonhostility "empowering the Serb entity." Understandably, like the other architects of our "successes" in Bosnia and Kosovo, Bob Dole doesn't want to see the charade fall apart. Julia Gorin Las Vegas The Obama administration has yet to have a clear, coherent policy toward Bosnia almost a year after it came into the White House. Moreover, it is impossible for the U.S. to act alone in the backyard of Europe and in the forefront of Russian influence. While the U.S. can actively push Bosnian politicians to implement reforms required for NATO membership, when it comes to Bosnia's European Union accession, it plays a supporting role. If the U.S. takes a new initiative, membership of the EU and NATO should not be put together on the table. At the least, the stability and functionality of Bosnia must be achieved not for Brussels or Washington, but for its citizens. With the clear failure of the Butmir talks last month, the international community again lost its credibility and popularity in Bosnia, while undermining the authority of the High Representative whom it unanimously decided to support in March. Before local politicians intensify their pre-election campaign for the national election in October 2010, the Obama administration should determine that its foreign policy toward Bosnia will halt gradual division of this country. Masanobu Yonemitsu Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina I remind Mr. Dole of the quote by former Bosnian President, Alija Izetbegovic taken from his 1970 Islamic Declaration, that "There can be no peace or coexistence between Islamic faith and non-Islamic faith political institutions. The Islamic movement must and can take place as soon as it is morally and numerically strong enough, not only to destroy the non-Islamic one, but to build up a new Islamic one." Stella L. Jatras Camp Hill, Pa.
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