Giuliani, Blagojevich Accused of Undermining Bosnia 30 Years After Dayton
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jul 1
Giuliani, Blagojevich Accused of Undermining Bosnia 30 Years After Dayton
1 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jul 1
Summary
Bosnian analysts say Trump allies Rudy Giuliani and Rod Blagojevich are helping destabilize Bosnia by amplifying sectarian narratives and backing ultranationalist Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik.
Giuliani and Blagojevich have pushed claims of a persecuted Serbian Christian minority under Muslim leadership, rhetoric critics say echoes the ethnic logic that fueled the 1990s war.
Dodik, stripped of the presidency last year after violating Bosnia’s constitution and encouraging separatism, reportedly benefited when Giuliani helped get U.S. sanctions lifted.
Michael Flynn is registered as a foreign agent for Dodik, while his brother Joseph and former Trump lawyer Jesse Binnall are pursuing a $1.8 billion Bosnia infrastructure investment.
The accusations land as Bosnia marks a rare national high with its World Cup run, contrasting with fears that U.S. policy has shifted from Dayton-era guarantor to a source of instability.
With American interests now backing divisive leaders, will the Dayton Peace Accords that ended a war survive?
As U.S. figures back nationalist leaders, is Bosnia's hard-won peace being traded for new energy deals?
Bosnia at the Brink: The 2025-2026 Collapse of International Oversight and the Rise of Dodik’s Separatism
Overview
In late 2025, intense lobbying by Trump allies led the Trump administration to lift US sanctions on Milorad Dodik and his associates, with no explanation from the US Treasury. This sudden policy shift immediately re-energized Dodik, who publicly thanked Donald Trump and called the move a correction of past injustice. Dodik used this momentum to criticize Bosnia’s international overseer, Christian Schmidt, blaming him for ongoing problems. The rollback of international oversight emboldened separatist forces in Bosnia, weakened the international community’s influence, and increased the risk of renewed instability in the region.