KALUŽA: U.S. PRESIDENT’S ADVISER’S VISIT TO BRATUNAC CONFIRMS CHANGE IN POLICY TOWARD BiH

BANJA LUKA, JULY 4 /SRNA/ – The presence of U.S. President’s spiritual adviser Mark Burns at today’s memorial service for Serb victims in Bratunac confirms that the new U.S. administration has a different perception of the war in these areas, i.e. it is important for it to hear the Serb side as well, international relations expert Lučiano Kaluža assessed.

Kaluža noted that over the past 30 years it has been rare, or almost invisible, for Western or U.S. diplomats to visit sites of Serbs’ suffering. The narrative until now has been different, with an incorrect approach to the war in BiH from 1992 to 1995 and the post-war period," Kaluža told SRNA. He assessed that Burns’ presence at the memorial service in Bratunac shows that the new U.S. administration is paying attention and paying respect to victims. According to him, this is a continuation of a policy shift in the U.S. administration regarding the situation in BiH, visible since Donald Trump came to power. "This is only a continuation of a policy aimed at changing the approach and the way victims are treated," Kaluža said. He added that spiritual advisers do not make decisions within the administration, but they play an important role in shaping the president’s foreign policy decisions in the Trump administration. According to him, spiritual advisers have a certain influence within the U.S. administration, and Burns serves as a bridge between the voter base, the public, and the U.S. administration. "His role is very important in conveying public attitudes to the U.S. President," Kaluža said.