Although the efforts of those who tried to reduce the suffering in Bosnia were not always unified, their philosophy was. It was expressed by Red Cross worker Murray MacDonald, who transported truckloads of humanitarian aid across the beleaguered country.

"I believe that no one should turn their back on aggression," MacDonald explained. "I came simply for that reason. And once I got inside, and saw how desperate it was for people here, I knew it was the right decision."

Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was one of the first, and largest, relief organizations to enter Bosnia after the war began. The Red Cross's first concern was to investigate whether the Geneva Conventions—internationally accepted standards of treatment for prisoners of war and for the protection of civilians during times of war—were being upheld. In Bosnia, the...