Pursuing World Peace

This UGA student seeks answers for international conflicts.

For Alma Bajramović, world peace isn’t just an ideal, it’s a global challenge she’s determined to help solve and one that’s deeply personal to her.

Her interest in global politics was instilled in her early. Bajramović’s parents fled Bosnia during the Yugoslav Wars, arriving in the U.S. after surviving one of the most devastating conflicts in modern Europe. That history shaped her academic path and her commitment to understanding the dynamics that lead to war.

“I grew up with that being a huge part of my story. The only reason we live in the U.S. is because of the war, and my parents got lucky enough to get out of it,” she says. “That doesn’t mean that’s the same case for everyone else who had to stay or couldn’t leave, so I’m lucky. That’s why I want to give back.”

Bajramović holds degrees in economics, international affairs, and international policy, plus an upcoming doctorate in political science and international affairs.

Alma Bajramović, a female student at UGA, from the waist up. She is outside and wearing a black long-sleeve shirt. — Portrait of graduate student Alma Bajramović near Candler Hall.

The cognitive and behavioral science behind war is ripe for understanding, she says. Her dissertation focuses on the modern human motivations behind war and how the rest of the population perceives it.

Another aspect of her dissertation is how social media, misinformation, and AI-generated content can immensely fuel recent conflict. The role of state-owned media, for example, may say everything is fine (when it isn’t), which could alter the truth for the average news consumer.

“You can’t necessarily believe everything you see and shouldn’t believe the first thing you see,” she says.

Bajramović has worked with both the Smithsonian and Bureau of African Affairs in the Department of State to study a few of these possible issues, such as cultural sites, land and various transitions of power.

Cultivating understanding during conflict

Bajramović believes after you understand motivations behind the conflict, educating yourself on the involved parts of the world is also key. She does that learning in her own time, through the absorption of culture.

In addition to playing piano, guitar, and being a certified Bosnian Folkloric and ballroom dancer, she speaks six languages: Bosnian, German, Spanish, French, Arabic, and English.

She thinks the arts are a gateway to any country and can be a defining element in peacetime and wartime.

Two ballroom dancers move across a shiny floor. They are in formal dance clothing and holding each other. — Bajramović rehearses with another member of the UGA Ballroom Performance Group before their annual showcase.

Two ballroom dancers from the waist up. They pose dramatically against a blurred, foggy background. — Bajramović and a fellow member of the UGA Ballroom Performance Group rehearse.

Multiple pairs of ballroom dancers, including men in light shirts and dark pants and women in black shirts and red pants. — Members of the UGA Ballroom Performance Group dance together.

Politics can propel us to peace

Once you have this background and understanding, Bajramović says it’s feasible to map out concrete answers.

She wants to be the bridge connecting solutions, which is what she learned with the Carter Center’s Conflict Resolution Program on peace mediation. Through her work on Syrian conflict mapping, Bajramović now better understands the progression of conflict and resolution, as well as the role aid from a third party can play.

There’s also something to be gained in conflict studies just for everyday life. Although it’s likely a disagreement on a smaller scale, applying things like negotiation tactics and thoughtful communication can make a big difference for individuals.

“So much of this can be utilized in interpersonal situations that I don’t think people necessarily connect at first. It’s nice to have these pieces of information and know I can use this on my own,” Bajramović says.

Keeping an eye on the conclusion of conflict

Throughout her studies at the School of Public and International Affairs, Bajramović maintained special attention to her home country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although widespread violence has stopped, the Bosnian war left years of political and economic disarray she wanted to help work through.

Her internship with the Post-Conflict Research Center in Sarajevo offered a firsthand look at that ongoing recovery. There she received training in policy creation and learned best practices for reporting on news post-wartime.

Alma Bajramović, a female student at UGA, looks off-camera and smiles. The flags of Bosnia & Herzegovina and Germany are draped on the bench behind her. — Portrait of graduate student Alma Bajramović sitting in front of the flags of Germany and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

“Just because a war is over doesn’t mean it’s really over,” Bajramović says. “It doesn’t mean that policies are fixed and it doesn’t mean that the country is thriving. The door of war may look shut, but the door could still be cracked.”

Bajramović is also studying the role public justice plays in how citizens reconcile a past conflict. She took that idea to the United Nations this past summer, working with the UN’s International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.

Her experiences have taught her that peace requires dedicated, ongoing efforts, including from scholars.

Written by: Savannah Peat

Photography by: Dorothy Kozlowski & Submitted

Design by: Andrea Piazza