Vučić is also aware of the 'red lines', the only question is to what extent he will restrain Dodik

The verdict against the president of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian entity of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, as expected, provoked a reaction from the Serbian state leadership, some media outlets, and that would be, let's say - everything. The order of condemnation of the verdict, the order of calls for unity, the order of the threat to Serbs, but in the end - a call for dialogue and conversation with everyone for the sake of peace. Interestingly, the news about the verdict against Dodik in some media outlets did not even deserve to be the first, because a kind of pilgrimage of freedom is underway in Serbia in which students from all over are walking to Niš, where a large rally is scheduled for March 1st.

The authorities, who are struggling with all means to survive where they are, welcome this situation in order to once again call for unity, which is now, as the state leadership says, most needed. We heard the first reaction only in the late afternoon hours, after the session of the National Security Council. After that session, the Minister of Police Ivica Dačić addressed the public, and the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić once again stepped into the role of the president of all Serbs and flew to Banja Luka to "be with the people when it is difficult."

“The verdict of the Court of BiH against the President of the RS, Milorad Dodik, represents the biggest crisis since the end of the war and is the result of a general attack by Sarajevo and some Western powers on Republika Srpska,” Dačić said, adding that the Council adopted seven conclusions. Vučić sent a message from the plane that the verdict was “shameful, unlawful, anti-democratic and directed against the Republika Srpska and the entire Serbian people.” It was his first address regarding the verdict.

The second followed the people gathered in Banja Luka, and the third at a press conference with Dodik. In addition to repeating for the third time what he said the first time and putting himself first - how he knew what would happen and experienced lynching and insults, Vučić had two requests for Dodik that, it seems, largely cooled the boiling heads. He called on Dodik and the entire leadership to do their best and to talk to the elected representatives of Bosniaks and Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as representatives of the international community, in order to let everyone know that the Serbs are committed to peace. The second request concerned the already prominent unity of the Serbian people.

Vučić is proud to stand with Dodik

It is interesting that Vučić has understanding for Dodik and that, as only the father of a nation can, he worried about how Dodik's mother, children and grandchildren are coping with all this. For some reason, he did not mention Dodik's wife, because it is certainly not easy for her either. Regardless, Vučić is proud to stand by Dodik and is not ashamed of him, with another reminder that Serbia will stand by Republika Srpska. It must also be noted that Dodik lowered his rhetoric a bit after the meeting with Vučić, and that not a single word about the independence of Republika Srpska and a confederation with Serbia was uttered.

If we exclude another reaction from the Senator of Republika Srpska and Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vulin, who is in Moscow, and who claims that the verdict against Dodik is another attempt to destabilize Serbia, where a color revolution is underway, that would be all. Perhaps the most serious consequence of this verdict is that the second semi-final night for the selection of Serbia's Eurovision candidate was delayed by 11 minutes due to the speeches of the two presidents in Banja Luka.

Dodik's behavior towards the part of Serbia that has been protesting on the streets of almost all cities for months, his unequivocal support for Vučić, his disparaging of students and sending buses to local elections and Vučić's party rallies, has led to the fact that few people in Serbia are interested in his fate. Even on social media, his daughter Gorica has no one to argue with much, because people are quite indifferent. Social media has been flooded with faded footage of the young president of Republika Srpska criticizing Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić for "hiding like some old women" and not allowing the progress of Republika Srpska and Serbia, or his admission that genocide occurred in Srebrenica. Only here and there, one comes across some comments in support of Dodik.

The worried 'father of the nation'

It is clear that the government will use this “crisis” for its own purposes in order to further try to “disgust” the citizens of the student protests, which were otherwise declared a color revolution. Even one metropolitan, David Kruševac, compared the students to the Ustashas. Vučić will try with another national cycle to present himself as a concerned father of the nation and to ask that everyone be together in these difficult times. These times, interestingly, are always difficult, regardless of the fact that Serbia, as he claims, is experiencing a period of economic development.

Vučić simply has no room for error, especially now that he is faced with 24-hour protests. He would love to put on that old, faded radical overcoat and reheat the old dreams of a “greater Serbia” like a stew, but he cannot, because he knows what kind of reaction he could expect from the international community. He is aware of the existence of red lines and the only question is to what extent, and if, he will be able to restrain his brother Milorad, with whom he speaks daily.

If we can talk about normal reactions from Serbia, then it is worth mentioning that this is an opportunity for all the hot heads to cool down a bit and sit down at the negotiating table and finally find a way and consensus for the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina to sail into somewhat calmer waters.

When it comes to Milorad Dodik, it is worth keeping students in mind, especially if he sincerely believes what he said about himself, that he is not important, because someone on social media nicely noted - Dodik will lose a year too.

(balkans.aljazeera.net)