In July 1999, in the wake of victory in Kosovo, more than 40 leaders from across Europe and North America met to reaffirm their shared commitment to the reconstruction, development, democratization, stabilization and integration of southeast Europe. The conference formally launched the Stability Pact for Eastern Europe, signed by more than 27 democracies, including the United States.

The event presented a complex logistical and diplomatic challenge - to seize the moment and unite Europe behind the rebuilding of the Balkans by holding a world-class summit in Sarajevo, a city that held symbolic meaning for the participants but suffered from a war-torn infrastructure.

We led a team tasked by the National Security Council and the U.S. Department of State to support the planning and implementation of the conference, working directly with ambassadors, senior policy advisors and military officers. Faced with a severe lack of resources, we used creative problem-solving to manage such issues as security, credentialing, staging and interpretation to help produce a conference that conveyed a spirit of cooperation and democracy.