About this tour
This week-long Study Tour to Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Belgrade (Serbia), and the surrounding region provides a critical case study on the function, application, and compliance (or lack thereof) with international humanitarian law in the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s. Together we will see how the current lack of transitional justice in Bosnia and Serbia impacts societal development, inter-ethnic reconciliation, and the international standing of both Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.
We will visit key sites and monuments, as well as meet with strategic think tanks and academics, as we gain a fuller understanding of the complexities of the Balkan conflict through an examination of the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia. Throughout the tour, we will engage with NGOs and young activists in Belgrade working on issues related to transitional justice, human rights, and post-conflict dialogue, allowing us to understand how members within a society strive to move forward post-conflict.
Learning outcomes
- Critically apply International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the definitions of genocide and war crimes to both past and current events
- Reflect on the role of IHL in efforts to achieve reconciliation after serious breaches of International Humanitarian Law and War crimes
- Immerse yourself in the rich cultural life of the Balkans, especially in Belgrade, the former Yugoslavia’s capital and the largest city in the region
Possible activities
- Visit the Markale site, where the besieged city of Sarajevo experienced a massacre in February 1995
- Travel to Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the location of the 1995 Srebrenica Massacre, the first legally recognized genocide in Europe since the end of World War II
- Tour the sites of the 1999 NATO bombing of Belgrade, including the TV tower and the Chinese embassy
- Explore the religious and cultural history of the region through tours, site visits, or a Balkan style cooking class