Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Quest for Change

Mirsad knew the three days of the March were going to be physically and emotionally demanding; a true test of his fortitude and strength. Mirsad participated in the March of Peace, which has been held every year since 2005 in memory of the victims of the Srebrenica genocide that occurred during the Bosnian War.  On July 11th, 1995,  Serbian troops overran Srebrenica’s safe zone, which had been established by the UN and occupied by over 450 Dutch UN peacekeepers. Despite these numbers, the Serbian troops took the city.  In the ensuing days, an estimated 10,000-15,000 men and boys fled to Tuzla, the nearest Muslim safe haven, located over 60 miles from Srebrenica.  It was during that attempted escape that the Bosnian Serb troops would massacre over 8,000 men and boys, their bodies unceremoniously dumped in mass graves in the surrounding woods and countryside.  The March of Peace traverses “Death Road,” that same winding, mountainous dirt road between Srebrenica and Tuzla.

The three-day march begins in Tuzla and ends in the small village of Potocari, a suburb of Srebrenica, where the memorial center is located.  Mass graves of the remains of those who have been found and identified dot the hillside.  In the center of town, a stone wall etched with the names of those who have been identified over the years.  On July 11th, the final day of the march, a service is held to honor those who lost their lives.  Funerals are held for discovered remains that have been identified through DNA testing over the course of the previous year.

On July 8, 2018, Mirsad joined six to eight thousand other participants as they began their three day trek to Potocari.  The crowd included survivors of the genocide and family members of those who lost their lives. Others came from small villages, towns and cities from across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Europe and around the world to honor and pay their respects to those who lost their lives during their flight from the Bosnian Serb army some 23 years ago.  This was not a time for campaigning, but rather a time to coalesce with survivors and learn their stories, meet family members of those who lost their lives, and speak with people from around the world who had traveled so many miles to be a part of this. 

Day one was a mixed day of sun and rain as the participants made their way over the rugged hills and the mountainous road where thousands had fled for their lives.  At the end of each day, participants had the option of staying in a makeshift camp along the road or in the homes of those along the march route.  Mirsad elected to stay in the homes of the locals, so he could listen to their stories and recollections of those fateful days in 1995. He met a 72-year-old widow who had lost her husband and two sons.  He was struck by how positive and upbeat she remains to this day despite her horrific losses.  Another elder, experiencing the onslaught of dementia, has virtually lost her short-term memory but can paint a vivid picture of those days in 1995.  Mirsad said the stories were endless and immensely touching throughout the journey.

Day two proved to be the hardest physically pushing the participants to their limits as torrential rains released their fury throughout the day.  There were steep inclines to negotiate across the hilly terrain.  To better accommodate the thousands of marchers, the government had widened the road by cutting trees alongside its edges.  Unfortunately, removing the trees also opened the road to flooding.  The steep inclines had been transformed into a river of knee deep mud.  Many lost their footing, sliding backward into the arms of others, unable to regain their balance and needing assistance to get to the top. The feeling of togetherness and community was palpable as strangers—Mirsad included— leaned on each other, both needing and providing the assistance necessary for completing the treacherous 20-mile pilgrimage.

On day three,

Mirsad knew the three days of the March were going to be physically and emotionally demanding; a true test of his fortitude and strength. Mirsad participated in the March of Peace, which has been held every year since 2005 in memory of the victims of the Srebrenica genocide that occurred during the Bosnian War.  On July 11th, 1995,  Serbian troops overran Srebrenica’s safe zone, which had been established by the UN and occupied by over 450 Dutch UN peacekeepers. Despite these numbers, the Serbian troops took the city.  In the ensuing days, an estimated 10,000-15,000 men and boys fled to Tuzla, the nearest Muslim safe haven, located over 60 miles from Srebrenica.  It was during that attempted escape that the Bosnian Serb troops would massacre over 8,000 men and boys, their bodies unceremoniously dumped in mass graves in the surrounding woods and countryside.  The March of Peace traverses “Death Road,” that same winding, mountainous dirt road between Srebrenica and Tuzla.

The three-day march begins in Tuzla and ends in the small village of Potocari, a suburb of Srebrenica, where the memorial center is located.  Mass graves of the remains of those who have been found and identified dot the hillside.  In the center of town, a stone wall etched with the names of those who have been identified over the years.  On July 11th, the final day of the march, a service is held to honor those who lost their lives.  Funerals are held for discovered remains that have been identified through DNA testing over the course of the previous year.

On July 8, 2018, Mirsad joined six to eight thousand other participants as they began their three day trek to Potocari.  The crowd included survivors of the genocide and family members of those who lost their lives. Others came from small villages, towns and cities from across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Europe and around the world to honor and pay their respects to those who lost their lives during their flight from the Bosnian Serb army some 23 years ago.  This was not a time for campaigning, but rather a time to coalesce with survivors and learn their stories, meet family members of those who lost their lives, and speak with people from around the world who had traveled so many miles to be a part of this. 

Day one was a mixed day of sun and rain as the participants made their way over the rugged hills and the mountainous road where thousands had fled for their lives.  At the end of each day, participants had the option of staying in a makeshift camp along the road or in the homes of those along the march route.  Mirsad elected to stay in the homes of the locals, so he could listen to their stories and recollections of those fateful days in 1995. He met a 72-year-old widow who had lost her husband and two sons.  He was struck by how positive and upbeat she remains to this day despite her horrific losses.  Another elder, experiencing the onslaught of dementia, has virtually lost her short-term memory but can paint a vivid picture of those days in 1995.  Mirsad said the stories were endless and immensely touching throughout the journey.

Day two proved to be the hardest physically pushing the participants to their limits as torrential rains released their fury throughout the day.  There were steep inclines to negotiate across the hilly terrain.  To better accommodate the thousands of marchers, the government had widened the road by cutting trees alongside its edges.  Unfortunately, removing the trees also opened the road to flooding.  The steep inclines had been transformed into a river of knee deep mud.  Many lost their footing, sliding backward into the arms of others, unable to regain their balance and needing assistance to get to the top. The feeling of togetherness and community was palpable as strangers—Mirsad included— leaned on each other, both needing and providing the assistance necessary for completing the treacherous 20-mile pilgrimage.

On day three,

From the very beginning Mirsad has talked about his want to invoke change in his native land as he runs for president of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Change he feels that is imperative in order for the country to move forward and not back to the ways of the past.  He carries this message  and the inner drive to instill hope in the electorate that they, not just him, can and must be the catalyst of that change as he canvasses the country.  We spoke about his vision and how his message is being received on the campaign trail.

For Mirsad the reality of what he was about to embark upon truly took hold as is set foot in Bosnia and Herzegovina in May.  The thoughts of family that he had left behind in the U.S., why he had decided to run, why he was there and what he wanted to accomplish, and waking each morning knowing this trip would be like none other that he experienced before in his homeland would never leave.  However the “mechanics” as he described them of what he was about to embark upon immediately set in.  Logistics, a campaign team, strategies, challenges, messaging, hitting the campaign trail were now immediately confronting him.  We talked shortly after his arrival as he reflected on those first two to three weeks in his native land and what needed to be done to facilitate his hope of bringing change to Bosnia and Herzegovina and becoming the next president.

For Mirsad the inherent realities associated with running for president of Bosnia and Herzegovina come with no surprises for him.  They include the inevitable dangers faced when running for an office of this magnitude.  Dangers that he has personally accepted and will not let deter him from his ultimate goal of bringing change to his native land and becoming the next president.

The decision to run for president of Bosnia and Herzegovina did not come easily for Mirsad.  After consulting with many, which included family, friends and associates in the United States and well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, the overall consensus was that it could not be done.  But never one to be deterred, he still decided to run for office.  This meant leaving a wife of nearly 42 years along with two grown children and grandchildren behind in Charlotte, North Carolina as well as his many colleagues and business associates.  In addition he is taking a sabbatical from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he has been a professor for over 30 years. 

We spoke about his decision and his realistic ambitions going into this latest chapter of his illustrious career and the ongoing evolution of those ambitions.