The 60,000 troops that once made up the peacekeeping force have been reduced to about 20,000, including roughly 4,000 Americans. With recent changes in Belgrade and Zagreb, there is more hope than ever that the politics of division will give way to the politics of reconciliation. The defeat of Slobodan Milosevic removes the biggest barrier to the Balkan region's becoming part of the new Europe. The peacekeepers' basic role has not changed. Preventing the factions from fighting takes real soldiers, with the credibility necessary to avoid having to fire shots.
Peacekeeping is largely about deterrence.
Unfortunately, violence would still be likely. Five years has not been long enough to heal the wounds from Bosnia's past. For anyone who needs to know how much has been achieved in the five years since the Dayton agreement was signed, a visit to Sarajevo would answer many questions. In 1995, the city had become a symbol of siege and suffering, with images beamed worldwide of a populace under constant threat and historic architecture destroyed or battered by gunfire. Today Sarajevo bustles.