One argument for an independent RS in Bosnia

One element that held Bosnia together was the mixed population. But with the low number of Serbs in the Federation and the sense of discrimination among Serbs there an important element that held Bosnia together is falling away. If the international community wants to preserve Bosnia as a whole it should pay top attention to this situation. When the Serbs of the RS stop feeling connected with the territory of the Federation I see no future for Bosnia as a whole.

Postscript: the number of Serb returnees to the Federation is disputed. See this article.

Republika Srpska: After Independence

Matthew Parish, a formerly Chief Legal Adviser to the International Supervisor of Brcko who has written a book about his experience, wrote an article for Balkan Insight under the title Republika Srpska: After Independence.

It is a detailed analysis of the options that the international community had and has to influence the situation in Bosnia. His conclusion is that the international community can do very little to prevent a slow Montenegro-style independence for the Republika Srpska. He arrives also at the conclusion that the best thing that the international community can do to keep Bosnia together is to keep pushing for it. I have advocated something similar in a previous post.