Newswise — Eight years after the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords, the international community has spent tens of billions of dollars on peacekeeping, war, economic and physical reconstruction, and reconciliation efforts in the former Yugoslavia. While some of these efforts have been a successful, some have not.
Bruce Hitchner, professor and chairman of the Dayton Peace Accords Project at Tufts University, will bring together a group of colleagues—diplomats, scholars, military strategists, non-governmental officials, regional experts, relief-organization representatives and others—for a two-day conference October 16 & 17 on the campus of Boston College: http://www.balkandevelopment.org/LessonsLearned/index.html "Lessons Learned from the Balkan Conflicts" will look back at what was learned from the wars in the Balkans and look forward at viable solutions for reconstruction, reconciliation, and lasting security— both from the perspective of the former Yugoslavia and as a laboratory for those doing similar work in other parts of the world, specifically Afghanistan and Iraq.
Outcomes of the event, which is sponsored by Tufts University, Boston College and the Center for Balkan Development (formerly Friends of Bosnia), will be a report to help Bosnia and Kosovo with their respective constitutions. "We're seeking to produce a report, based on lessons learned, to help the Bosnians move beyond the Dayton agreement," says Bruce Hitchner, "and to address the future status of Kosovo." Event co-organizer Glenn Ruga, director of the Center for Balkan Development, points out many notable successes in creating a secure and prosperous future for the region. There have also been notable failures along the way that can be learned from, he says, both for the future of reconstruction in the Balkans and for other post-conflict and nation-building situations world-wide.
According to Professor Hitchner, ethnic divisions in Bosnia, and a weak constitution, have hampered that country's progress toward economic and political stability. "Without some progress on their constitution," he says, "Bosnia's future in Europe and the NATO alliance is in doubt." The lessons of rebuilding a war-torn nation such as Bosnia, which still faces ethnic and religious divisions, are particularly valuable when considering the tasks ahead in reconstructing Iraq.
RSS