The year was 2001. Ante Jelavić, then leader of the Bosnian Croats and a firm believer in international law, thought that justice was not to be won through military means but through diplomatic channels.
He genuinely believed that if the Bosnian Croats (who are one of the three constitutionally recognized ethnic groups in BiH) followed the rules, remained peaceful, and showed the world they were not the problem – someone in Brussels or Washington would come to their defense.
So, unlike Serbian leaders, who focused on building parallel state institutions, Jelavić disbanded the Croat component of the Bosnian army (HVO), left his people without military strength, and placed all his bets on the international legal system.
The reward for his trust?
Western-backed tanks rolled into the Herzegovinian Bank in Mostar, crushing what little economic sovereignty the Bosnian Croats had left. Jelavić himself was accused of treason and exiled, never to return.
Meanwhile, the Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina?
They are still a “constituent people” – on paper. The same paper where the Herzegovinian Bank also still exists.
Milorad Dodik and the Politics of Power
Milorad Dodik, the current leader of Republika Srpska (the Serb-majority entity within BiH), observed what happened to Jelavić and said: “Not gonna happen to us, folks.”
When the Office of the High Representative (OHR) – an unelected foreign body that still holds supreme power in BiH – imposed laws on Republika Srpska, Dodik responded with:
“Fine. Come and enforce them.”
And guess what?
No one came.
Unlike Jelavić, who was worried about what Brussels or Washington thought of him, Dodik understands that power is not given – it is taken.
When Western diplomats told him that OHR is the “international guardian of the Dayton Peace Agreement” (which ended the Bosnian War in 1995), Dodik shrugged and said:
“That’s great. And I’m the international guardian of Republika Srpska.”
And unlike the Croats, he never disbanded his police force. He never trusted vague Western promises that “justice will be served.”
Because, as the Serbs have learned: If you don’t have power, you don’t have anything.
THE SELECTIVE JUSTICE OF THE WEST
Bosnian Croats assumed that the West would apply the same standards to all parties in Bosnia. They thought that if they played fair, didn’t escalate tensions, and didn’t protest too loudly, the international community would reward them with what rightfully belonged to them – political equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Of course, that’s not how it works.
The West follows one simple rule:
Rules exist for the weak. The strong make their own.
That is why the OHR never tried to dismantle Republika Srpska, why NATO tanks never rolled into Banja Luka, and why no one in the international community has dared to declare Serb politicians as traitors or strip them of their rights.
But when the Croats in BiH tried to preserve their constitutional status in 2001?
Western-backed tanks crushed their institutions.
Why?
Because they could.
THE CROATS OF BOSNIA: A PEOPLE WHO LEARNED NOTHING
And now we arrive at the painful part of the story.
Bosnian Croats have learned nothing. Not in 2001. Not in 2025.
Their strategy is still the same:
✅ Wait for someone else to fix their problems.
✅ Wait for Zagreb to intervene.
✅ Wait for Brussels to act.
✅ Wait for God to help them.
Their political nation has been replaced by a prayer group.
While Serbs are expanding their security forces, Croats are expanding their church choir groups.
While Serbs are securing Russian backing, Croats are attending mass for the homeland.
While Serbs are strengthening their institutions, Croats are erecting more memorial crosses.
So, tell me – who do you think has a better chance of survival?
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE WHO WAIT AND THOSE WHO TAKE
- Croats wait to be granted their rights.
Serbs take their rights. - Croats wait for someone to tell them what they are allowed to do.
Serbs do what they want. - Croats wait to be protected.
Serbs protect themselves.
And that is why the Serbs still have Republika Srpska, while the Croats have nothing.
That is why Milorad Dodik can defy OHR, while Croats are still begging for basic political representation.
And that is why Ante Jelavić is still living in exile, while Dodik runs his own government.
THE WEST’S SHAME: ANTE JELAVIĆ IS STILL UNDER SANCTIONS
The most absurd part of this entire story?
Ante Jelavić, the man who trusted the West, is still under international sanctions.
A man who:
- Did not lead an armed rebellion.
- Did not commit any war crimes.
- Simply tried to ensure his people were treated fairly under the constitution.
Yet, 24 years later, the West still considers him a threat.
To whom?
To an international system that punishes those who play by the rules and rewards those who break them.
THE FINAL LESSON: WESTERN JUSTICE IS A LIE
Jelavić believed in justice.
Dodik believes in power.
And look where they are now:
One is a leader.
The other is a man without a country.
And the Croatian people?
They still respect the very institutions that erased them from Bosnia.
And every Sunday, they go to church and swear they will respect no other god but Him.
Except, of course, for OHR.
Because, as history shows – they still believe in their masters.
Dear Croats, wake up. Or disappear.
/POSKOK/
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