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Statement By Former U.S. Ambassador Swanee Hunt on the 10th Anniversary of Dayton Accords
Tuesday November 1, 11:54 am ET

Warns of Repeating Mistakes In Iraq

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Swanee Hunt, U.S. Ambassador to Austria from 1993-1997, was one of the first American diplomats on the ground in Bosnia before the NATO intervention. During the war, her work included organizing symposia to focus efforts on securing peace. She also hosted negotiations that led to the creation of the Bosnian-Croat Federation -- the foundation for later peacemaking efforts, including one year later at Dayton.

"The ten years since Dayton have exposed three key public policy lessons that must inform our current peace-building in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and elsewhere.

"First, we subscribed to a flawed traditional paradigm at Dayton and still do: that those who engineer war are the only ones who can engineer peace. Military leaders and other policy-makers must practice 'inclusive security,' whereby all stakeholders -- including women and civilians -- participate fully in peace building. War makers are rarely adept at peacemaking.

"Second, ethnic labels used by war criminals to justify the land grab known as 'ethnic cleansing' were written into Dayton's political structure. Almost half of Bosnia was named 'Republika Srpska,' although Serbs had comprised only 30% of pre-war Bosnia. The other half became the 'Muslim Croat Federation,' though it was home to many Serbs. In a country as diverse and integrated as Bosnia, such divisions are not only artificial but also have hindered reconciliation and the return of refugees.

"Finally, Dayton was only partially enforced. The international community looked the other way as local authorities ignored their directive to apprehend indicted war criminals for trial at The Hague, and NATO made no effort of its own to capture them. A culture of impunity prevented Bosnians from truly recovering.

"There is still work to be done. Today, we must work to apprehend indicted Serb war criminals Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic and ensure they are brought to justice at the International War Crimes Tribunal. The women and innocent civilians raped and killed deserve that much.

"The US can learn from our mistakes in Bosnia. Despite the new Iraqi constitution, widening divisions between ethnic groups threaten to drive the country into civil war. But Shiia, Sunni, and Kurdish women insist they have more commonality than difference. Our policies and practice in Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other conflict should be to elevate moderating voices, not give in to hard-liners' demands.

Swanee Hunt directs the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. An internationally recognized expert on foreign affairs and diplomacy, Hunt is heralded for her work as Chair of The Initiative for Inclusive Security (formerly Women Waging Peace), which advocates for the full participation of women in formal and informal peace processes. Hunt also teaches a course at the Kennedy School that explores the subject.

Ambassador Hunt is available for interviews in Bosnia, Nov. 1-2, 2005 and by phone throughout the month of November.

Croatian American Association
National Treasurer
Daniella Sumera
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Chicago, IL 60638