International Conference on Bosnia-Herzegovina
CCSDD
December 10, 2012

On Thursday, November 22, 2012, in the Auditorium of the Johns Hopkins University SAIS Bologna Center, the Center for Constitutional Studies and Democratic Development (CCSDD) hosted an international conference on Bosnia-Herzegovina. Entitled, "Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Balkans: 20 Years Later, Memory, Reconciliation, Politics. The Challenges for Old and New Generations," the conference brought together experts from across Europe.

The opening remarks for the conference were given by Kenneth Keller, Director of the SAIS Bologna Center, Carla Salvaterra, Vice Rector for International Affairs at the University of Bologna, and Matteo Lepore, Deputy-Mayor for International Relations for the City of Bologna. The slate of speakers for the conference's opening showcase the joint effort from the University of Bologna, the Johns Hopkins University and the City of Bologna to host the academic summit. The Istituto per L'Europa Centro-Orientale e Balcanica was another co-sponsor for the event.

Intern Chiara Monti was instrumental in planning and organizing the conference for the CCSDD. A second-year intern for the CCSDD, Monti stated, "the conference has been extremely interesting, and with a great participation of SAIS and Bologna students, especially during the morning session." Many students were encouraged to come to learn more about the topics that they could explore with the CCSDD's Sarajevo Study Trip and CCSDD Director Justin Frosini's spring class on Constitutional Development and Democratization. As one Bologna Center student put it, "I think it has been a great conference, especially for the Balkan community at SAIS."

For Monti, the most interesting and inspiring speech came from Norman Farrell on The Role and Limits of Transitional Justice: Local Tribunals and International Courts. In Monti's opinion, "his account of his experience as former Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia offered an insightful analysis." Another highlight during the afternoon session for Monti was Mr. Grubisa (the Ambassador of Croatia to Italy) who "spoke about his experience in the Croatian government before the war."

In summation, Monti was thoroughly pleased by the conference's execution and the level of discourse that it provided to students and professionals in Bologna. As Monti said, "I believe it has been nice to hear the perspective of Bosnians, Serbians, and Croats, especially because each of the speakers told about personal memories and experiences. Moreover, the Conference has covered many relevant issues from both the recent past and the future of the region."