There may be hope yet for the innocent victims of the civil war in Bosnia. On Tuesday the Bosnian Serb and Muslim-Croat entities agreed in theory to a governing structure, with democratic elections held simultaneously in each faction’s entity.

The agreement, prompted by NATO-initiated U.N. air strikes, comes after years of fighting.

But optimism with Bosnia, as always, should come with caution. Cease fires have come and gone, mostly gone, and the people who are suffering the most have had their hopes dashed time and time again.

Precedent says the latest accord will fail, and the odds, too, are not on the side of peace. The agreement is frail and could fall if both sides aren’t truly committed to resolving their differences.

Tuesday’s announcement is, however, a definite step in the right direction. And for civilian residents of Bosnia-Herzegovina, it’s the best news in a decade.

But what’s puzzling is that even though the Serbs and Muslims have made a preliminary agreement about how the former Yugoslavia will be governed, they have not agreed to stop fighting.

With no consensus to stop killing one another, what’s the point of voting on a governing structure? Maybe that’s the next challenge, but it sure seems like the cart may have gone before the horse.