Hello from Washington DC, capital of the land of the free. The United States under Donald Trump looks less and less like the country that once lectured the Balkans on democracy and freedom. These days, Washington itself feels a bit “Balkanized”, with power concentrated in one man, institutions sidelined and the rule of law undermined.
But the Western Balkans are nowhere near the top of Trump’s foreign policy agenda. The US doesn’t seem much involved in the Serbia-Kosovo dispute, is not visibly tackling the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, nor is it concerned about the erosion of democracy and Balkan states’ slow progress towards the EU.
Today, Washington’s engagement is almost invisible. But invisible does not mean absent. Much of what the US now does in the region happens below the radar, without speeches or press releases, and often without clear direction.
Serbia came close to getting an American ambassador, but in early October President Trump abruptly withdrew the nomination of Mark Brnovich, the former attorney general of Arizona. The reasons for this are still unclear, as the White House has not responded to press inquiries because of the government shutdown.
Brnovich didn’t clear the air, either. He blamed the “deep state”, saying unnamed bureaucrats did not want someone with his “political, ethnic, and religious background” in Belgrade. He never explained what that meant.
But sources with some inside knowledge said the real reason might be a trade-off among the Republicans, amid attempts to avert the US government shutdown. Allegedly, some people within the party did not support Brnovich going to Belgrade.