Murphy served on a panel discussion for the “The Dayton Dialogue: Conversations about Peace and Security in the Balkans” along with diplomat Ensar Eminovic; former Republic of Croatia Minister of Foreign Affairs Miomir Zuzul; and Jasmin Mujanovic, of the Western Balkans Observatory.
Thirty years ago, the Dayton Peace Accords marked an end to the Bosnian War, which resulted in the loss of roughly 100,000 lives. But the peace agreement wasn’t perfect, and efforts to reform the nation’s constitution have been attempted numerous times since.
“If the country breaks apart, it will not likely be an amicable separation. And if it’s not an amicable separation, it’s likely to affect the region,” Murphy said.
Pro-Russian actors are a threat to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s future stability, said Eminovic. He said NATO needs to welcome Bosnia before “it’s too late.”
“The key thing for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the most important in terms of foreign policy objectives, is joining NATO,” Eminovic said. “We believe that the U.S. national interest is to prevent a new conflict with Russia.”
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