Peticija za Pojedinacno Potpisivanje
Obavjesti
Information
Novosti
News
Bosnian Days on the Capitol Hill
Linkovi
Links
American Bosnian Association
P.O. Box 48
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
E-mail:
abausa@gmail.com
POLITICAL MISSION STATEMENT
We, citizens of the United States of America of all ethnic and religious groups descending from Bosnia & Herzegovina (B&H), have established a political-humanitarian and policy guidance organization that will portray a true and objective picture of the events experienced during the most recent tragic history of our homeland of Bosnia & Herzegovina. We envision Bosnia & Herzegovina as a modern state that will follow the path of the civilized, peaceful, and democratic modern world - a nation that will fight for a justice and equality for all its citizens. Our Association devotes its efforts towards healing the wounds and easing off hatred and painful division caused by the most recent wars in B&H. Furthermore, our Association emphasizes the importance of creating a safe and stable environment in Bosnia & Herzegovina, where all human rights and freedoms will be guaranteed to all people, where people will be enabled through their own work and political participation to shape their own destiny, and where the citizens of B&H will have a functional say in their future.
We have brought this decision under the following conditions:
- There are no relevant Bosnian and Herzegovinian political-humanitarian and policy development organizations in the United States of America that will contribute to a truthful and objective interpretation of events of the recent tragic war.
- Currently existing Bosnian organizations in the United States of America deal with the issues of a little importance, or they solely represent interests of one single ethnicity or a single religion. Their prevalent chauvinistic views and misunderstanding of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multicultural society are the same views that were the main cause of the unfortunate war and its incomprehensively tragic violence.
- Post-war recovery efforts in Bosnia & Herzegovina have not shown significant positive results nor created much optimism for a better life and future for the citizens of B&H.
- Democratic transition in B&H has been very slow, and this important transition has experienced continued sabotage by ethnic and religious division and intolerance.
- B&H judicial systems have not proven wholly functional and have been unable to provide for all citizens satisfactory standards of fairness and justice
- International participation in the region has been crucial in stopping the war, but it has been ineffective during the post-war recovery period in regard to fostering economic restructuring and progressive nation-state building efforts.
- Ethnic and religious intolerance and hatred are still the main motivating factors in the B&H political system. Nationalist parties utilize these divisive emotions in securing political support among their own ethnic groups. There is a continued lack of effective national effort towards the promotion of reconciliation and tolerance among ethnic groups in B&H.
- Recent social, economic, educational, and demographic dynamics have continued to contribute to the insecure status of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a functional and independent nation-state in an area of South Central Europe which remains potentially quite volatile today.
We, as members of the American Bosnian Association, have decided to help our homeland of Bosnia and Herzegovina by doing our citizens’ duty of helping to strengthen the country, rebuild the economy and spread peace, tolerance, and political stability in the region.
Our duty to our prior homeland, we believe, will significantly contribute to the wellbeing and eventual security of our new homeland - the United States of America. By advocating freedom and human rights and promoting representative democracy in B&H, we will help to secure for the United States a permanent friend and ally in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its people. Achieving this goal is of great general importance, even more so in the era of the global war on terrorism.
This statement calls on all people of good will to join and help us to accomplish following:
- Disseminate the truth of the recent war events and support reconciliation as the only way out of the vicious hatred circle - a main impediment to the proper functioning of the state and an economic recovery in B&H.
- Support a free and indivisible Bosnia & Herzegovina as a united country of three equal and constitutive ethnic groups: Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs.
- Establish Bosnia & Herzegovina as a democratic country with operational and functional executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government based on the tested democratic principals of separation of state and religion.
- Emphasize economic restructuring and economic revival as a fundamental condition in bringing prosperity, stability, and economic viability to all citizens of B&H.
- Admission of Bosnia & Herzegovina into international organizations and its full participation in the region’s economic and political negotiations as the necessary step to greater political stability in the Balkans, in particular, and in greater Europe.
We strongly believe that our Association’s Mission Statement is just, right, noble, and in alignment with the traditional and current policy goals of the United States. The seriousness and gravity of the present political situation in B&H makes us strongly determined to persevere. We will pursue these laudable goals for B&H using established, legal, and democratic means of political participation, including lobbying activities with the U.S Congress. We will pursue additional direct appeals with influential American politicians and decision makers, including those at the State Department, the White House, and at local levels as well.
We believe that we possess necessary knowledge and recent relevant experience to help facilitate the accomplishment of these goals for B&H. We believe that success for Bosnia and Herzegovina will require - and be the result of – our hard work and strong beliefs in our cause. Thus, current citizens of United States of America that have emigrated from Bosnia and Herzegovina – and all people of good will – please join us in our efforts in bringing peace, stability, and democracy to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkans while serving our new homeland – the United States of America – with pride and dignity.
National Board of the American Bosnian Association