Talk of secession in Bosnia-Herzegovina is obscuring the real problems faced by ordinary citizens

Recent statements made by Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s three-person presidency, have prompted fears about the country’s future. Ivor Sokolić writes that while Dodik’s actions are unlikely to result in the imminent breakup of Bosnia-Herzegovina, they hide a more pressing problem: the growing inability and lack of willingness of the state to make the lives of ordinary Bosnians better. Instead, key political actors use state institutions and international actors to perpetuate divisions that entrench their hold on power.