15 - Kosova

Summary

This history of Kosova since 1989 can be divided into three periods: the period of Serbian rule and Albanian resistance leading to war in 1998–1999; the nine-year period under the United Nations Interim Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK); and the period since Kosova declared its independence in March 2008. In this chapter I focus on institutional transformations of the three periods, economic issues, and interethnic relations of Kosovar Albanians and Serbs. I also contextualize major events and present initiatives of international mediators such as Kai Eide and Martti Ahtisaari. Kosova is the youngest country in Europe. It suffers from high unemployment, poverty, and corruption, as well as isolation due to the European Union’s continued refusal to accord its citizens visa-free travel with the rest of Europe. At the same time it has a committed diaspora population and was able to pull together at crucial times in its history. I present several of its recent leaders, including Ibrahim Rugova, Shpend Ahmeti, Albin Kurti, and Atifeta Jahjaga.