Foggy Bottom’s obsession with a dysfunctional Bosnian condominium ignores reality and creates a dangerous strategic vacuum. History proves that the Western Balkans cannot survive multi-ethnic experiments, which inevitably collapse under internal contradictions. Instead of worshiping dead institutional stability, Washington must forge a realistic diplomatic road map guiding Republika Srpska toward independence.True regional stability requires accepting that ethnic self-determination yields durable order, preventing America’s enemies from exploiting the feckless policies of Western elites.The Dayton Accords did not deliver peace; they merely froze 1995’s front lines, trapping 1.1 million mostly ethnic Serbs inside an artificial state. Forcing this shotgun marriage guarantees permanent friction; however, Western policymakers remain blind to the flaws of their own creation. They ignore the reality of Republika Srpska, which declared independence on Jan. 9, 1992, and commands 49% of Bosnia’s territory — spanning 24,641 square kilometers. This diplomatic inertia has exacted a staggering human cost, driving a demographic collapse that wiped out more than 620,000 residents since 2013. Washington must face a painful truth: rapid population decline and arbitrary geometric borders cannot sustain a failed multi-ethnic experiment.