Prologue

The Dayton Peace Accords, signed in 1995, is a living process that can be observed as (1) a complex political and legal document whose implementation is subject to various interpretations and (geo)political influences; and (2) as an art of negotiations that ended a war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In that context, FAMA Methodology has focused on the Art of Negotiations by mapping out the intricate matrix of the 'U.S. Shuttle Diplomacy' and 'Proximity Peace Talks' at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH. In our view, this is how a window of insight can be opened into the topic to help contemporary and future generations make sense of the causes and consequences of the Peace Accords.

Amidst a world often clouded by distorted information and skewed narratives, an imperative emerges to delineate facts concerning complex historical events. FAMA's work in this domain since 1992 reaffirms our commitment to preserving and communicating the factual chronicles leading to the end of the devastating war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Addressing this need, the FAMA Methodology presents the "Knowledge Transfer Module / The Dayton Peace Accords / The Art of Negotiations - How to End a War."

Our approach to this topic began in 1997 and gradually developed through individual projects dealing with Dayton from different perspectives and in various multimedia formats. Each of these projects was presented as a standalone education model in a production format suited to its time. When we started, we couldn't know in advance the direction and sequencing our work on 'Dayton' would develop. Still, we knew each project would stand the test of time and be finalized in the Knowledge Transfer Module format.

Today, we are not just opening a chronological window of our methodology but also launching new education and communication models that are adaptable and responsive to 21^st-century challenges. We hope that this Module contributes to a more nuanced understanding of conflict resolution, offering insights that resonate beyond the boundaries of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Dayton Peace Accords is not just a peace agreement that ended a war in Bosnia and Herzegovina; it is an opportunity to learn why and how the peace agreement came to fruition by focusing on the Art of Negotiations and How to End a War. We hope this 'Knowledge Transfer Module' will enable you to contextualize and visualize the events that marked the end of the 20^th century and continue to shape Bosnia's future.

THE BLUEPRINT

The Module is organized into eight contextual categories with supporting references, allowing the user to follow the story in chronological order by engaging with multimedia content that was customized for each section:

• BACKGROUND: Providing context for the Fall of Yugoslavia (1991-99) and the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-95).
• A TURNING POINT: Highlighting a chain of events (Summer 1995: Srebrenica genocide, Igman tragedy, Markale market massacre and NATO air strike) that influenced a shift in the U.S. policy towards BiH and reignited diplomatic efforts to end a war.
• U.S. SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY: Mapping out all the trips and telephone calls made by the U.S. Negotiating team headed by Richard Holbrooke aimed at getting an agreement from all parties to agree on Proximity Peace Talks.
• NEGOTIATIONS IN DAYTON: Focusing on 21 days of Proximity Peace Talks at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH (November 1-21, 1995) and the initialing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (The Dayton Peace Accords).
• IMPLEMENTATION BEGINS: Reflecting on three key events in December 1995 that were necessary to kick-start the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords: (1) The London Peace Implementation Conference; (2) the Paris Signing Ceremony; and (3) the Arrival of IFOR Troops in BiH.
• WORK IN PROGRESS…: Five milestone anniversaries (Dayton@5-10-15-20-25 years) are symbolic opportunities to reflect on the Dayton Peace Accords and its progress. Our approach to decoding priorities and obstacles was to visualize the most mentioned terminology from the OHR bi-annual progress reports for the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council.
• HOW TO MAP OUT THE STORY: Since 1997, FAMA has developed and produced several projects regarding the Dayton Peace Accords. This section presents each project for additional context, experience and information.
• PERCEPTIONS: Here, we explain the research-editorial-creative methodology behind FAMA's projects that were able to map out the Dayton Peace Accords and communicate the Art of Negotiations to a broader audience.
• REFERENCES: The final section lists the Impressum, Sources used in the Module, Terms of Content Use for media and public, and FAMA Contact and Social Media details.