Dodik’s visit is a prime example of malignant Russian influence.
By Andrej Nikolaidis, CdM columnist
No. The Bear from the title is not Milorad Dodik. He is the Russian little girl. The Bear is Russia.
But the hero of our story is the Dalai Manda, whose blitzkrieg statements are so peaceful that they surpass even those of the most famous Eastern sage.
Mandic is a man who is no stranger to spirituality. While he was not yet the Dalai Manda, while he was in the gravity of Christian teachings, in the Parliament he called the followers to be ready and be soldiers of Christ. If there was a man who preached peace and forgiveness, it was Christ. And yet, Mandic understood his teaching as a call to Holy War – in the name of the one whose name is the Prince of Peace. This tells us the following. Being inclined to misunderstand the teachings he follows now that he has become Dalai Manda, Mandic could launch an invasion of Czechoslovakia.
However… Dodik, who just got back after touring the East, visited the great Eastern sage Dalai Manda.
What a provincial theater it was… An amateur performance of “Hamlet Plays in the Village of Mrdusa Donja”. A snobbish theater reject, in the middle of Podgorica.
One – Dodik – from the middle of nowhere somewhere in Bosnia and the other – Mandic – who dedicated his life to making Montenegro a middle of nowhere somewhere in Serbia. One – Dodik – pretends to be the president of a “state”, which it is not and will never be. The other – Mandic – pretends that he is a European and that he is not Christ’s but Vucic and Putin’s soldier. One – Dodik – on the American Black List. The other – Mandic – accused of organizing a Russian-sponsored coup d’état in Montenegro.
Two veterans, heavyweights of Greater Serbian politics, during their gatherings, dreamed of the “Serbian World”, flew tricolour flags, and hung icons wherever they could. In Mojkovac, where Montenegrins died under Montenegrin flags, these two laid the flag of another country in their honor. We said before: Snobbish nationalist reject aimed at polarizing Montenegro.
What did it all mean politically?
If Dalai Manda imagined that he was in some kind of political transformation from an ultra-nationalist to a Euro-Atlantic enthusiast, Milorad Masha Dodik took him a few steps back, to default settings, bringing him warm greetings from Moscow. Namely, it is difficult to cooperate with the Americans when you demonstrate that, along with Russia and Belarus, you are the only one who is ready to meet a person from the American Black List.
Dodik targeted Spajic with the gibberish, some kind of agreement on special ties between his entity and the state of Montenegro. He (*Spajic) constantly repeats that he does not like to deal with national/nationalist matters – and then Dodik and Dalai Manda force an agreement on national (semi)unification. If Spajic accepts the agreement, he will alienate the Bosniak Party and move away from the possibility of reshuffling the government as he sees fit. If he does not accept it, it will be enough for attacks by Milatovic’s loyalists.
The Dodik-Dalai Manda bromance was at the same time not a finger, but a fist in the eye of the Bosniak Party, which is supposed to be in a coalition with the man who assists Dodik in destroying Bosnia. The reaction came quickly – the Bosniak Party will vote for the dismissal of Mandic, if it is voted on in Parliament.
Europe Now Movement (PES), however, does not want that vote and has come to the defense of Dalai Manda. Their view seems to be that it would be best to ignore it all. Which means that Bosniaks and Montenegrins are being asked to turn the other cheek. However… You can turn your cheek once. The second time you don’t have it.
The goal of the government reshuffle with the entry of the Bosniak Party into it is a more Euro-Atlantic government that is a more reliable partner for the West than the one that we have today. The primary goal of Dodik and Dalai Manda’s action was to prevent the formation of such a government.
So Dodik’s visit was anything but harmless. Dodik’s visit is a prime example of malignant Russian influence.
If, after Dodik’s intervention, the Bosniak Party remains out of the government, it will be exactly where Moscow and Belgrade want it to be.
(The opinions and views of the authors of the columns are not necessarily those of the CdM editorial staff)
