Letter from Washington: Buying Friends and Finding Common Foes - Balkan Insight
Milorad Dodik, the Bosnian Serb leader, visited Washington and received a warm reception from U.S. figures including members of Congress and former officials, following the lifting of sanctions against him. His efforts appear to focus on regaining legitimacy for his secessionist agenda, with his lobbying campaign supported by figures such as Michael Flynn and Rod Blagojevich, emphasizing the role of financial influence in his diplomacy. The visit coincided with ongoing U.S. political tensions and international crises.
Greetings from Washington DC, where one crisis is simply eclipsed by the next. First, there were the two US citizens killed by federal immigration agents in Minnesota, then the release of the Epstein files, followed by tensions over Iran and a Supreme Court snub for Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs.
But what united both Balkan and US audiences in shock was the Washington “crusade tour” of Milorad Dodik, the Bosnian Serb leader who arrived seeking renewed legitimacy for himself and his secessionist agenda, basking in the glow of a US decision in October 2025 to lift sanctions on him.
To many, the scenes were surreal. But Dodik seems to have grasped a key Washington rule: money matters.
Grinning ear to ear, Dodik received a warm welcome from Donald Trump’s MAGA circle. He met Republican members of Congress, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, all the time accompanied by Michael Flynn, Trump’s former National Security Adviser and now Dodik’s $100,000-a-month lobbyist. Another celebrity figure lobbying on Dodik’s behalf is former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.
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