How Dayton stopped the Bosnian War

The 20th anniversary of Dayton Peace Accords commemorated locally this week

Credit: Matej Divizna/Getty Images

Credit: Matej Divizna/Getty Images


The following list of events commemorating the Dayton Peace Accords was compiled by the Dayton Daily News:

In the Dayton area 

Wednesday, Nov. 18

4 p.m.: Dedication of the Ambassador Richard Holbrooke Plaza, near the intersection of Salem Avenue and Edwin C. Moses Boulevard.

Thursday, Nov. 19

8 a.m.: Conference registration at the University of Dayton River Campus, 1700 S. Patterson Blvd.

9:25 a.m.: Opening remarks from leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.

Noon: Lunch and conference keynote address by President Bill Clinton, founder of the Clinton Foundation and 42nd president of the United States. It is sold out.

1:30 p.m.: Lessons learned from the Dayton negotiations and applications to other conflicts.

3 p.m.: Dayton implementation: Why has the transition from Dayton been so difficult?

4:15 p.m.: Closing remarks.

6-10 p.m.: David Holbrooke, son of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and filmmaker of "The Diplomat," which chronicles the 50-year diplomatic career of his father, will lead a screening and discussion of the film at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

Friday, Nov. 20

9:30 a.m.: Looking forward: Bosnia and Herzegovina's political, social and economic future: predictions for the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords.

10:45 a.m.: What is the U.S. role in Bosnia and Herzegovina today and how can the U.S. be more effective?

6 p.m.: The Dayton Peace Accords at 20 committee will host a reception for the distinguished visitors at the Dayton Art Institute. A music video presentation by Dayton musicians Michael and Sandy Bashaw.

Saturday, Nov. 21

10 a.m.-noon: The commemorations end with a 20th anniversary brunch, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base's Hope Hotel and Richard C. Holbrooke Conference Center. The event is open to the public, but seating is limited.

At Miami University

Monday, Nov. 16

4 p.m.: Cartoon journalist Joe Sacco, with graphic artist Zeina Abirached, presents "Drawing The Middle East," in the Wilks Theater, Armstrong Student Center.

5:30 p.m.: Photojournalist Ron Haviv presents "Propaganda, Media, & Genocide: Former Yugoslavia & Rwanda," in Benton Hall 102.

Tuesday, Nov. 17

11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Student forum, "For Humanitarian Reasons: How should we help countries in crisis?"

DPA@20 panelists and guests to join students in moderated, small-group discussions in the John E. Dolibois Room, Shriver Center.

Wednesday, Nov. 18

A day of events at the Pavilion Rooms of the Armstrong Student Center, with the evening keynote event in the Wilks Theater. For more information, go to dpa20miamiuniversity.com/conference/

7:30 p.m.: Keynote speaker, former U.S. Ambassador to Croatia Kenneth Merten, Miami class of 1983, presents "Dayton, Croatia and A Possible Way Forward for Southeastern Europe."

"Dayton" is much more than the name of the city in Ohio to Bosnia-Herzegovina and its people.

When it is said, thoughts do not turn to current innovation or even our city’s famed sons, the Wright brothers.

It's been twenty years after heated talks here ended a bloody war nearly 5,000 miles a way in Bosnia.

The word "Dayton" still sparks emotion and debates in Sarajevo and other parts of the nation.

Scholars say the Dayton Peace Accords is not a perfect document, but it is credited with saving lives and ending genocide, shelling and mass rapes.                 racy

Photos taken during a 2012 Dayton Sister City Committe visit to Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Members of the Dayton Sister City Committee placed a wreath from Dayton near a monument to children killed during the siege of the city by Bosnian Serb forces. (Staff photo by Amelia Robinson)

“At the time, I think the people of Bosnia were very thankful for the Dayton Peace Accords," said Hunt Brown, chair of the Dayton Sister City Committee. "It brought an end to the killing and it offered the possibility of a brighter future.”

More than 200,000 people were killed during the war. Another 2 million people were displaced during the conflict.

Numerous dignitaries, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Gen. Wesley Clark, will be in town this week to commemorate the Accords.

Local events are planned, including the 20th anniversary brunch from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Hope Hotel and Richard C. Holbrooke Conference Center. The event is open to the public, but seating is limited.

Here are a few things you should know about the Peace Accords and how Dayton played a role:

  • Signed in Paris on Dec. 14, 1995, the Accords were negotiated at the Hope Hotel at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base between Nov. 1 and 21.
  • Then Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, the chief U.S. peace negotiator, picked Wright-Patterson for the talks and sought to avoid posturing in the media.
  • Sarajevo, the capital largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been Dayton's Sister City since 1999. Its multifaceted story began with the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. The 1984 host of the Winter Olympics, the city was under siege during the Bosnian War.
  • Key players in talks included Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic, Serbian President Slobodan Milohostsevic and Croatian President Franjo Tudjman.
  • The Accords signify peace in America, but their meaning is more complicated in Bosnia, a country which still has separate primary schools and opportunities for many members of its three major ethnic groups — Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Muslims.

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