Sarajevo is certainly not the only Bosnian city to endure the agony of war. But, in the eyes of its people and the world, its suffering symbolizes the madness that has been let loose in that country. Before the war, Sarajevans, even more than other Bosnians, were known for their tolerance, their love of peace, and their horror of violence. Almost 50 percent of Sarajevans were married to someone from a different ethnic group. Journalist Anna Husarska found that some would not even speak of their ethnic origins. "They all identify themselves as 'Bosnian,'" she explained.

Sarajevans saw themselves as highly civilized people, who solved problems through discussion and compromise, rather than force. For them, war was as immoral as it was incomprehensible. Bosnian Aziz Hadzihasanovic, an official of the former Republic of Yugoslavia, wrote:

I am ashamed of being present at a time...