Balkan Lessons
November 22, 2023 - Lessons from the Dayton Peace Accords
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is my mama’s favorite holiday. As you all know, she’s an immigrant from Turkey, arriving in this country in 1969 (the year the Mets won the World Series!). She spoke no English and had no friends or family. It was only after I started school and brought home homework that she sat down to work with me each day. Only when I became an adult did I realize it was how she learned to speak English.
I don’t remember Thanksgiving when I was very young. That’s probably because my mama didn’t know what it was — or understand it. The day only starts to come into view as a teenager. We’d get a turkey and my mama would make Turkish fixins. It wasn’t a big deal. Sometime after college, it was. My brother and I were in our 20s and out of the house. Thanksgiving was a celebration that brought all of us together. Togetherness is my mama’s love language.
Thanksgiving is not religious. It doesn’t require dressing up or exchanging gifts. It doesn’t even require a turkey, to be honest. It’s about sitting around a table overflowing with food — with family and friends. That’s something truly to be grateful for. I’m grateful I can do that not only with my family on a regular basis — but with the most amazing friends in the world.
And I’m grateful to put out this newsletter each week. It’s a lot of work to do. Some weeks it seems impossible to get done. In the nearly 10 years of doing it, however, it has made me a better thinker, a better writer, and more determined to make a difference for women and anyone who has been pushed to the side. Thank you for reading it. — Elmira
Balkan Lessons
Twenty-eight years ago this week, the warring factions in the former Yugoslavia — the Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs — concluded a peace agreement that put an end to several years of brutality and bloodshed in the early 1990s. The Dayton Peace Accords, named after the locale where the talks took place, were hailed a victory. Following the death of more than 100,000 with more than 2 million displaced, it was certainly welcome. It would be a mistake to believe that it ended the divisions or delivered justice.
Richard Holbrooke, Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs at the State Department under Bill Clinton, brought the leaders of the three ethnic groups together — Serb President Slobodan Milošević, Croat President Franjo Tudjman, Bosniak President Alija Izetbegović — after years of American resistance to intervening. Yet, following the massacre at Srebrenica in July 1995, where Serb forces murdered more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys — as Dutch peacekeepers stood by, Washington’s navel-gazing became untenable. Madeleine Albright, the US Ambassador to the UN at the time, played a key role in moving the Clinton White House into taking action.
Peace negotiations happen against the backdrop of violence and death. The stakes are high, so getting to a resolution is never straightforward and seldom fair. They should try to be. Peace is not merely the end of war. It is moving towards prosperity and healing. That must involve accountability and justice, for all.
Dayton partitioned Bosnia into two “entities,” the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (for the Bosniaks and Croats) and the Republika Srpska (for the Serbs). For Bosniak Muslims, the creation of the Republika Srpska legitimized the ethnic cleansing campaign that the Serbs undertook.
The agreement also created the Office of the High Representative (OHR). As Emina Muzaferija tells Jacobin, OHR is “an internationally appointed official overseeing the implementation of the peace agreement” The OHR is the colonial power governing the Bosnian people. It continues to exist. As I wrote back in 2010, this office has prevented Bosnia from becoming a strong state and, worse, allowed ethnic hatred to fester and fuel virulent nationalism, particularly among the Serbs.
Another key provision outlined in Dayton was the right of return, in Bosnia. Refugees and displaced people who fled their homes during the hostilities, regardless of ethnicity and location, had the right to reclaim their property rights. This right was not extended to the Serbs that fled the Krajina, a region in present day Croatia. The Croats drove out the Serbs who lived there. As I wrote back in 2011, 30,000 Serbs have never been able to return or reclaim their property.
During these Balkan wars in the 1990s, Serb leaders, including Slobodan Milošević, Radovan Karadžić, and Ratko Mladić, ordered unspeakable, vicious atrocities. All have been rightly brought up on war crimes charges and, with the exception of Milošević who died in custody, found guilty.
Croatian Serbs from the Krajina deserve justice too. That they have not received it is not only indefensible, it has contributed to intense Serb nationalism and anti-Westernism. That’s something to keep in mind as we look to resolving the wars in Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza. It is important to hold those responsible and who have committed crimes to account. It is an injustice to punish and blame an entire people for wrongdoing. It prevents healing and guarantees vengeance. This is what is happening in Bosnia, where the pro-Putin RS leadership is talking about breaking away and declaring independence. That can be traced back to the the flaws in the Dayton Accords and the failure of its architects to think ahead. — Elmira
Elsewhere in the World.....
On our radar...
Argentine elections
Sigh. In Argentina, chainsaw wielding far-right “anarcho capitalist” Javier Milei won in Sunday’s election. With a decisive victory, more than an 11 point margin, Milei wasted no time in saying he would privatize public media and the state oil company and trim down government. He had previously said he would shut down the ministry of gender and diversity, health, and science and the environment. He had also previously said that he would abolish Argentina’s central bank and dollarize the country’s economy. That will likely take a longer time, if it can happen at all.
Jordana Timerman sums up Milei’s win in Argentina. (Latin America Daily Briefing)
Javier Milei will take up his duties on December 10 (which is, incidentally, Human Rights Day). Constanza Lambertucci on how Argentina’s new president plans to tackle the country’s enormous problems. (El Pais)
Israel-Palestine
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Since this is still a developing story, we don’t cover it in this edition.
China hosted the foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority this week, in an effort to find a solution to the Israel-Hamas war. As Simone McCarthy and Wayne Chang note, “China has been attempting to play an active role in finding a solution to the conflict as it seeks to expand its position as a major global power.” (CNN)
The Biden administration was eager to get out of the Middle East. If it really wants to see a scaled back US role, it can no longer neglect the Palestinian issue, write Maria Fantappie and Vali Nasr. (Foreign Affairs)
Censorship has increased since the horrific Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7. Shilpa Jinda notes that efforts to silence pro-Palestinian voices has existed long before that date. (Slate)
Diplomacy between Israel and Latin America is heavily influenced by domestic politics. Ramona Wadi dives deep into the history of Latin American leaders cutting ties with Israel. (Inkstick Media)
Cop28
The UN Climate Summit, Cop28, opens next week in Dubai. Clara Fong on what you need to know. (CFR)
Cop28 will consider how countries are progressing on the Paris Agreement. Zia Weise and Chelsea Harvey note that there has been some progress, but not nearly enough. (Scientific American)
US
Where do things stand between the US and China after last week’s summit? Francesca Chambers fills us in on their meeting. (USA Today)
Joe Biden and Xi Jinping see the benefit of cooperation, says Yu Jie. The two leaders’ recent meeting in San Francisco was seen as “warm,” a term that hasn’t been used to describe US and China relations in recent years. (Nikkei Asia)
Africa
The Paramount Group is Africa’s biggest arms trader, supplying arms to Congo, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, and Israel. Activists blockaded the organization’s doors in South Africa last Friday, responding to the International Call to Stop Arming Israel. In response, instead of ending its relationship, Paramount Group has worked hard to scrub press coverage of the contention, explains Maya Bhardwaj. (Africa is a Country)
Earlier this month, the Kenyan and Rwandan governments decided to extend visa-free travel to all African visitors to both countries. FPI Fellow Nanjala Nyabola explains how this move is a step in the right direction, but there are more hurdles than just visas in the move toward pan-Africanism. (WPR)
Asia
As its relations with China worsen, the Philippines is strengthening its ties with the US – launching joint sea and air patrols with the US military. Karen Lema and Mikhail Flores explain. (Reuters)
It’s been a year since China scaled back its strict zero-Covid policy. Yet, the country’s economic growth has not bounced back. Younger generations are confronting a disconcerting new reality, writes Nancy Qian. (Project Syndicate)
The Americas
Ecuadorian President-elect Daniel Noboa is facing high rates of violence and a rising homicide rate that his predecessor neglected to solve. Is his plan to use the military to fight drug traffickers a good idea? Daniela Chacón Arias, Adam Isacson, John Polga-Hecimovich, Diego Andrés Almeida, Santiago Mosquera, and Luis Barrios aren’t sure. (The Dialogue)
Europe
The EU is moving towards adopting a comprehensive law on artificial intelligence. Talks are set to begin on December 6, if the European Parliament and the European Commission can agree on the details. France, Germany, and Italy have made that more difficult this week with objections to some provisions. Daphné Leprince-Ringuet, Zosia Wanat and Cristina Gallardo discuss. (Sifter)
Vladimir Putin comes after a Crimean Tatar, again. Russia has put Eurovision winner Jamala on a wanted list. Veronika Melkozerova has more. (Politico)
In the UK, Rishi Sunak shuffled his cabinet last week. That won’t help him solve the Tories problems, says Ellen Ioanes. (Vox)
Icelanders are preparing for a volcano eruption. Alda Sigmundsdottir on the psychological challenge of accepting it. (Washington Post)
Science and Climate Change
Climate change threatens Morocco’s Indigenous traditions and cultures, says Kira Walker. Ecosystems linked with local communities are diminishing under harsh climates, while communities suffer from a lack of support. (New Lines Magazine)
The newest immigration crisis has set in and this one concerns people displaced by climate change. The Climate Displaced Persons Act has been revealed in the US Congress but Jocelyn Perry and Yael Schacher think we need to keep the momentum going to address the growing number of crises. (Just Security)
Technology
Social media platforms in China, such as Weibo, are no longer allowing influencers to stay anonymous. Forcing them to reveal their identities will put many critical voices in danger, argues Caiwei Chen. (Rest of World)
Links We Loved....
You can’t go wrong with pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving – check out this fluffy pumpkin pie recipe
Are you a tea lover? Listen to this podcast on different tea leaves and how they are grown.
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter past away this week. Azadeh Moaveni reflects on her legacy and questions why she’s so underrated.
Opportunities
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is seeking applicants for its 2024–25 Stanton Nuclear Security Fellowship.
In DC, Georgetown University is hiring for an Assistant Director, Admissions and Alumni Engagement
Editorial Team
Elmira Bayrasli - Editor-in-Chief
Editors:
Pin-Shan Lai
Catherine Lovizio
Maya Scott
Emily Smith