Members of Parliaments from Bosnia-Herzegovina Visit Arcadia as Part of Program to Support Progressive Politicians from the Western Balkans
Back row: Abigail Sandala ’26 ’27M, Dr. Warren Haffar, Dr. Jill Pederson, Allyson McCreery
Arcadia’s International Peace and Conflict Resolution program hosted elected officials from Bosnia and Herzegovina for a week of programming that had them on campus, Nov. 3 and 4 The visit is the second in a series supported by a grant from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund as part of a broader dialogue that connects academic discussions on social justice and inclusion with progressive political leadership from each of the six former Yugoslav Republics—Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia.
“This serves as a global check-in on the state of democracy and the foundations that support it—an open and honest exchange about shared challenges and lessons learned within the context of peace and conflict resolution,” said Dr. Warren Haffar, director of the IPCR program. “The visiting delegation expressed how refreshing it was to engage in such candid discussions with faculty and staff at Arcadia.”
“This has been a really amazing experience for the Arcadia community, to both welcome this delegation, and to share dialogue,” Allyson McCreery, associate director of the IPCR program, added. “We have a lot to learn from one another with regards to democracy and social justice. This meeting is very timely and relevant in today’s world and highlights Arcadia’s position as a leader in this space.”
The officials were given the chance to meet with various members of Arcadia’s leadership, as well as faculty experts and students, to learn about democracy, inclusion, and equity, with a particular focus on Arcadia’s Belonging and Flourishing efforts and civic engagement through Arcadia Votes. Alex Roinishvili Grigorev, president of the Council for Inclusive Governance, also led a session on managing progressive politics in challenging times.
After two packed days in Glenside, the Bosnian crew visited Newtown Friends School in Bucks County, Pa. before departing for Washington, D.C. on Amtrak. In Washington, they met with representatives from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Center for American Progress, the Atlantic Council, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Elected officials from Bosnia and Herzegovina included:
- Mr. Igor Crnadak, Member of Parliament, National Assembly, Republika Srpska, BiH; Deputy Chair, Constitutional Committee; Member, Selection and Appointments Committee; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH; Former Deputy Minister of Defense of BiH; PDP, Party of Democratic Progress
- Mr. Saša Magazinović, Chairman of the SDP parliamentary group in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina; chairman of the delegation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; member of the Commission for Foreign Affairs; member of the Joint Commission for European Integration; SDP, Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Mr. Damir Mašić, Member, House of Representatives, Parliament of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Head of the Parliamentary Group of the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Member, Commission for European Integration; Member, Commission for Security; Former Minister of Education and Science of Federation of BiH; SDP, Social Democratic Party of BiH
- Dr. Darja Softić Kadenić, Minister of Justice and Administration in the Government of Sarajevo Canton, and Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Sarajevo; NS, Our Party.
