Alija Izetbegović (8 August 1925 – 19 October 2003) was a Bosnian politician, Islamic philosopher, and author, who in 1992 became the first president of the newly independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He later served as the first chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Shortly after his term began, the country's Serb community revolted, creating the Republika Srpska and sparking the Bosnian War. Izetbegović led the Bosniak forces, initially alongside Croat forces, until a separate war erupted between them. Relations were resolved in the Washington Agreement, which he signed with Croatian president Franjo Tuđman.

The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina continued, marked by widespread ethnic cleansing and war crimes committed mostly by Serb forces against Bosniak and Croat populations, culminating in the genocide at Srebrenica. Izetbegović was a signatory of the Dayton Agreement, which ended the war following NATO bombings and recognized Republika Srpska as an autonomous entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served in various leadership roles until 2000, including as a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Izetbegović was the founder and first president of the Party of Democratic Action and authored several books, with Islam Between East and West and the Islamic Declaration being his most notable.