BALKAN WITNESS
Articles on the Kosovo Conflict
Kosova Independence, February 17, 2008
For regular updates on events and issues in the former Yugoslavia, see also
Balkan Insight by Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN)See also Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia
Note: Each article shown below represents the opinion of the author, and not necessarily of anyone else.
Kosovo Declares its Independence from SerbiaCountries that have recognized Kosova as an independent state
Book Review of Marc Weller, "Contested Statehood: Kosovo’s Struggle for Independence" By Sean D.Murphy, George Washington International Law Review, 2011
Accordance with International Law of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in Respect of Kosovo International Court of Justice, Advisory Opinion, July 22, 2010
Collapse of the Kosovo Myth By Sonja Biserko, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, March 5, 2008
Time for Serbia to Wake Up By Gordana Knezevic, RFE/RL, February 29, 2008
Belgrade: an old script, replayed By Dragan Klaic, OpenDemocracy, February 27, 2008
Is Kosovo Serbia? By Noel Malcolm, February 26, 2008
Revival of Hate Speech in Serbia Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, February 23, 2008
On Kosovo Independence By Peter Lippman, February 20, 2008
A New Kosovo By Ian Williams, February 20, 2008
Vetevendosje Kosovo pro-independence group
Kosovo Declares Its Independence from Serbia The New York Times, February 18, 2008
Letter from Independent Kosova By Erëblir Kadriu, February 17, 2008Kosovo's Independence is Legal Under International Law By Shkelzën Maliqi, Danas, February 16, 2008
UN Resolution "Permits Kosovo’s Independence" Gjeraqina Tuhina, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, December 17, 2007
Kosovo Countdown: A Blueprint for Transition International Crisis Group, December 6, 2007
The Countdown William Finnegan, The New Yorker, October 15, 2007
Women from the Balkans Demand a UN Meeting and a Say in Kosovo's Future The Advocacy Project, April 25, 2007
Time To Decide About Kosovo Morton Abramowitz, Newsweek International, March 12, 2007
Women In Black Criticizes Serbian Politicians and Rejects a Nationalist Solution To the Kosovo Crisis The Advocacy Project, February 7, 2007
Kosovo’s Status: Difficult Months Ahead International Crisis Group, December 20, 2006
New Regional Women's Peace Lobby Calls for Speedy Vote in Kosovo The Advocacy Project, August 4, 2006
Winking at a Blind Man Miroslav Filipovic, Helsinki Charter (Belgrade), April-July 2006
Churches and Mosques The Advocacy Project, June 6, 2006
Kosovo: Countdown to Independence? Tim Judah, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, February 16, 2006
Comment: Getting Real on Kosovo Nicholas Whyte, IWPR, January 21, 2005
A Poisoned Chalice Veton Surroi, Koha Ditore, June 24, 2004
Balkan Insight Balkan Investigative Reporting Network
Summaries of articles listed above
Book Review of Marc Weller, "Contested Statehood: Kosovo’s Struggle for Independence"
How an area measuring no more than about 11,000 square kilometers could become arguably “ground zero” for the formation of post-Cold War international law is a bit of a mystery, but the province (and now country) of Kosovo, in the late twentieth/early twenty-first centuries, somehow managed to pull off that feat. In Contested Statehood: Kosovo’s Struggle for Independence Marc Weller provides the best history to date of the Kosovo crisis from the end of the Cold War up to the point that Kosovo’s independence was declared in February 2008. By Sean D.Murphy, George Washington International Law Review, 2011Accordance with International Law of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in Respect of Kosovo World Court declares that Kosovo's unilateral declaration does not violate international law. International Court of Justice, Advisory Opinion, July 22, 2010
Separate opinions by individual judges
Commentary: Open Democracy Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia International Crisis GroupCollapse of the Kosovo Myth The loss of Kosovo serves for staging an "internal aggression" and showdown with the liberal-minded camp in Serbia. In parallel Vojislav Koštunica uses the Kosovo issue to ensure his own political future and to obstruct the pro-European current in Serbia. By Sonja Biserko, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, March 5, 2008
Time for Serbia to Wake Up The terrible crimes committed by Serbs in Kosovo before the NATO intervention were hardly an invitation for Albanians to remain inside the borders of Serbia. Breakup was imminent, and it was not a question of whether it would happen, but when the separation would take place. Even as Serbian officials extended the talks about Kosovo's future, they continued to advance only legal arguments, and never expressed any desire to share a country with Albanians. They wanted only a piece of paper that would give them ownership of Kosovo. A Serbian historian from the beginning of the last century once said that the Serbs would "grow up" as a nation only once they realize that Albanians are human. It is time for Serbs to grow up. By Gordana Knezevic, RFE/RL, February 29, 2008
Belgrade: an old script, replayed Serbia's official demonstration against Kosovo's independence reveals a political class still trapped in a complex of regressive, self-defeating nationalism. Belgrade was experiencing a rerun of the same hate-inducing dramaturgy, the same performed defiance, the same orchestration of nationalist fury, and the same outpouring of ranting rhetoric from politicians, Orthodox bishops, academics, and artists, as in the Milosevic years. By Dragan Klaic, Open Democracy, February 27, 2008
Is Kosovo Serbia? Historical background of Kosovo's relationship to Serbia. By Noel Malcolm, February 26, 2008
Revival of Hate Speech in Serbia Frustration due to proclamation of independence of Kosovo engendered a strong revival of hate speech in public discourse, notably in the print media. Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, February 23, 2008
On Kosovo Independence Euphoria reigned in Kosovo on Sunday, when the UN protectorate's Albanian leaders declared independence from Serbia. It was a day to celebrate, but the independence declaration will not spirit away Kosovo's problems. Difficult times lie ahead, and the international community must exert itself to keep the peace and bring Kosovo out of its desperate economic situation. By Peter Lippman, February 20, 2008
A New Kosovo Amid the joy of long-delayed self-determination, Kosovars face serious obstacles. Serbia and its Russian ally continue to oppose independence. There are some lingering doubts in certain European capitals and the new state has some persistent political and economic dysfunctions. But Kosovar independence is now a reality, and the international community will soon get used to it. By Ian Williams, February 20, 2008
Vetevendosje is a group of young people in Kosovo who organize demonstrations for self-determination. They were against negotiations because they saw their representatives as selling out Kosovo, allowing extraterritoriality, compromising Kosovo's sovereignty, and perpetuating occupation by the international community.
Kosovo Declares Its Independence from Serbia The province of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on Sunday, sending tens of thousands of ethnic Albanians streaming through the streets to celebrate what they hoped was the end of a long and bloody struggle for national self-determination. The New York Times, February 18, 2008
Letter from Independent Kosova Stateless no more! Welcome to the Republic of Kosova! I have a country now! By Erëblir Kadriu, February 17, 2008
Kosovo's Independence is Legal Under International Law One of Kosova's leading intellectuals makes an overwhelming case for the legitimacy of its independence, in a comment published in the Belgrade independent daily 'Danas' on the eve of the independence proclamation. By Shkelzën Maliqi, Danas, February 16, 2008
UN Resolution "Permits Kosovo’s Independence" Legal experts from some EU member states say Security Council Resolution 1244 not only permits an EU mission in Kosovo, but it opens the path to independence of the disputed territory. Gjeraqina Tuhina, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, December 17, 2007
Kosovo Countdown: A Blueprint for Transition Diplomatic efforts to broker a deal between Belgrade and Pristina on Kosovo’s final status will be fully exhausted with the conclusion of the Troika process on 10 December, and the international community must now coordinate a political process to bring about Kosovo’s conditional, or supervised, independence. The longer status uncertainty lasts, the more agitated the region around Kosovo will become and the more a sense of developing security crisis will grow. To avoid instability filling the vacuum, Western capitals need to set out an orderly path for transition as soon as possible. International Crisis Group, December 6, 2007
The Countdown Eight years after NATO drove out the Serbian forces, Kosovo remains in a quasi-colonial limbo. William Finnegan, The New Yorker, October 15, 2007
Women from the Balkans Demand a UN Meeting and a Say in Kosovo's Future 17 leading members of women’s civil society from six Balkan countries and Kosovo have asked for an urgent meeting with the UN Security Council, and repeated their demand that women must participate directly in talks on the future of Kosovo. The Advocacy Project, April 25, 2007
Time To Decide About Kosovo Abramowitz is from the left end of the leftover Cold War liberal establishment. He's on the board of the International Crisis Group, which criticizes US policy in the Balkans from the left, but from the inside. In this article he promotes goals in harmony with keeping stability in the region, which keeps stability in the expanding EU - the same reasons the West intervened in 1999. The goals also happen to be in the interest of the people of Kosovo. Morton Abramowitz, Newsweek International, March 12, 2007
Women In Black Criticizes Serbian Politicians and Rejects a Nationalist Solution To the Kosovo Crisis The Serbian women’s group has accused Serbian politicians of condemning Serbia to further international isolation and perpetuating the policies of the late Slobodan Milošević by rejecting a UN plan for the independence of Kosovo. The Advocacy Project, February 7, 2007
Kosovo’s Status: Difficult Months Ahead A botched status process that fails to consolidate the prospect of a Kosovo state within its present borders and limits the support the EU and other multilateral bodies can provide would seed new destructive processes. Some officials fear the international community may not be able to focus sufficient energy or will to resolve Kosovo status without a crisis on the ground. International Crisis Group, December 20, 2006
New Regional Women's Peace Lobby Calls for Speedy Vote in Kosovo Thirteen women leaders from six European countries and Kosovo have called on the international community to hold elections in Kosovo and respect the result. The Advocacy Project, August 4, 2006
Winking at a Blind Man Thoughts on the prospective independence of Kosovo. Miroslav Filipovic, Helsinki Charter (Belgrade), April-July 2006
Churches and Mosques Serbian and Kosovar women call for an end to "religious ownership" of Kosovo's churches and mosques. The religious sites are not the property of any one religion and should be managed by independent professionals; otherwise they reisk provoking ethnic confrontation and violence. The Advocacy Project, June 6, 2006
Kosovo: Countdown to Independence? Signs are that talks on the future of Kosovo will almost certainly lead to some form of independence. Tim Judah, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, February 16, 2006
Comment: Getting Real on Kosovo It's time for the international community to get off the fence on Kosovo. Over the past five years, the final status issue has been delayed and ignored while Kosovo's two million inhabitants continue to exist in an international limbo. Nicholas Whyte, IWPR, January 21, 2005
A Poisoned Chalice When Kofi Annan offered the post of Special Representative in Kosovo, the job description might just as well have read, "Doomed to failure." You'll have God-like status in Kosovo, but no real power: no army, central bank, prosecutor, no constitution and no friends. You will wake up feeling you must take us towards democracy and final status and go to sleep feeling you accomplished nothing. Veton Surroi, Koha Ditore, June 24, 2004