President Bill Clinton stood out in his push for peaceful coexistence. “I am begging you not to let this monument to boys and men become only a memory of a tragedy,” he said. But for many Bosnians, the 20th commemoration is as much a memory of the U.S. decision not to intervene. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif competed for Bosnian ears, with “the Islamic Republic of Iran’s commitment” to Muslim martyrs and its “central role in reconstructing the country.” Compelling the crowd to remember that “the UN and international community failed to protect the victims will and should haunt us forever,” he implored Bosnian Muslims to find common ground with Iran because “division will make us weaker.”

Bosnia’s political and economic instability makes this central European country as vulnerable to external interference as it is to internal combustion. While U.S. and European interests press Bosnia to behave like a democracy and develop a transparent economy, other players are pushing for the nation to resist such efforts. Russia is against Bosnia’s two-track pursuit of EU and NATO memberships, and it recently voted against the UN condemnation of Serb genocide in Srebrenica. This, while Moscow aggressively pursues oil and gas contracts with Republika Srpska, a tactic that could be part of a strategy to control Balkan energy supplies.

Diplomats and Bosnia-watchers worry that the country’s most troubling vulnerability may be ISIS. Replete with Bosnian spokesmen, ISIS released a 20-minute recruitment video earlier in the summer, calling on Bosnia’s Muslims to battle enemies at home and to join the ranks of jihadists in Syria. Over 350 Bosnian Muslims have joined the cause in the Middle East. Western diplomats, UN officials, and aid workers expect ISIS to gain a stronger foothold in the country by offering stipends, jobs, and a sense of purpose to Muslims with otherwise poor prospects.

Pessimists, realists, and even optimists are concerned that Bosnia, at best, is a country divided where former combatants live parallel lives. Without common goals, and common ground, its people and future, smack in the middle of central Europe, are standing on the breeding ground for more war.

Bosnian mujahideen (Bosnian: Bosanski mudžahedini), also called El Mudžahid, were foreign Muslim volunteers who fought on the side of Bosniaks during the 1992–95 Bosnian War. They arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the aim of fighting for Islam and on behalf of Muslims.[1]

Some originally went as humanitarian workers,[2] while some of them were considered criminals in their home countries for illegally travelling to Bosnia and becoming soldiers. The number of volunteers throughout the war is still disputed,[3] from around 300[4][5] to 4,000.[6] Precise numbers are still a matter of dispute mainly due to Serb propaganda or political sensitivities. According to Radio Free Europe research there are no precise statistics on the number of foreign volunteers.

Examples of mujahideen from Bosnia who gained "legendary status" are Abdelkader Mokhtari, Fateh Kamel, and Karim Said Atmani, all of North African origin.[7]