About the Project
For four years, Bosnia and Herzegovina was torn by the bloodiest and most ruthless European conflict since World War II. Its capital, Sarajevo, was the focus of an epic siege. Its territory was riven into ethnic enclaves, and accounts of mass killing and rape shook the world's conscience.
With the signing of the Dayton accords last December, Bosnia is emerging from that torment. Now it faces the challenge of reconstruction and reconciliation, of carrying out free elections and of bringing accused war criminals to justice.
"Bosnia: Uncertain Paths to Peace" is both a photographic chronicle and a worldwide discussion of this crucial passage in Bosnia's struggle.
An interactive photo essay by the French photojournalist Gilles Peress, with the photographer's narrative, documents the last weeks of the siege of Sarajevo in February and March, including the exodus of Serbs from the suburbs from which the siege had been mounted.
A collection of forums for discussion, led by scholars, diplomats, artists, humanitarian leaders and other experts, will be active for one month, starting June 10, and open to contributions from the entire Internet community. Connections have been established in Sarajevo, at the war crimes tribunal in The Hague and at the United Nations to encourage participation by those closest to the Bosnian conflict and its resolution.
And resources for context are available, including chronologies, maps, links to other Internet sites, a glossary and who's who, a reading list and recent coverage of the Bosnian events from The New York Times.
We welcome your feedback about this project.