O’Brien added that Čović “could be interested in arguing again for a third, Croat-majority entity,” which he said would represent “a major revision” of the Dayton Peace Agreement — the deal that divided the country into two entities, Republica Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the wake of its bloody civil war. The right-leaning Heritage Foundation recently put its weight behind the idea, which critics warn could exacerbate ethnic tensions between the Eastern Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats, and Muslim Bosniaks.

Just one Bosniak politician has hired US lobbyists: Elmedin Konaković of the country-wide Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But it’s unclear if they’ve received any compensation.

Republika Srpska’s lobbying spending represents a decent chunk of its overall budget, which is $4.37 billion this year. More than 1 million people live there.

“How is it possible that millions of dollars in lobbying funds are coming from such a small country with one of the least developed economies in Europe?” asked a person familiar with the situation who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Čović, Republika Srpska, and the Heritage Foundation did not respond to requests for comment.