Diplomats from the US and Europe have been unable to resolve their differences and agree on a new top international envoy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in a standoff which has become a transatlantic test of wills over influence in the Balkans.

(…) In recent months, US policy has prioritised the pursuit of advantage for US firms, and in particular a company run by associates of Donald Trump, while European powers have so far refused to yield to US demands, despite threats from Washington to cut off funding and participation in the international presence in Bosnia if its wishes are not fulfilled. The Balkan country has consequently become a testing ground for Europe’s capacity to unite and stand up to US Maga foreign policy in its own back yard.(…)