The Kosovo Disaster: A strive for democracy and recognition
The world has dealt so much with the Kosovo Crisis yet it seems like the territory of Kosovo will be fought over for years and years. Kosovo is a landlocked territory in the disputed area of the Balkans. Most of this territory is governed by the Republic of Kosovo, that, without taking into account the Serb Enclaves – which are areas where Serbs live. Those wishing to understand the background of the fight will need to look back many years in Kosovo's history. Some may say the entire conflict began in the 7th century, when ethnic Serbs migrated to the territories of modern Kosovo, while some say the problems began during the First Balkan War, when Serbia reacquired control over Kosovo from the Ottoman Empire, making Kosovo an autonomous province of Serbia.
As the years passed, tension grew because of the bad treatment from the Serbian government, hate spread and Kosovo's military was created. Soon after that, starting in 1998, Serbian military, police and paramilitary forces began a campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians. International attempt to stop the massacres failed, thus leading to a three-month NATO bombing against Serbia in 1999.
Resolutions were passed, conferences took place, hours of debating passed by and finally, on 17th February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared Kosovo independent. Further more, Kosovo and Macedonia completed demarcation of their boundary in September 2008. While over 50 countries recognized Kosovo's independence, Serbia with several other states protest the U.S and other states' recognition of "Kosovo's declaring itself as a sovereign and independent state" in February 2008.
As the bombing ended and "peace" was negotiated, it emerged that all sides had lost more than what was expected. There are now numerous issues needing attention to, in order to help rebuild the area and creating stability in the region. It is clear that in order for Kosovo to have democracy and recognition, all countries, especially Serbia need to recognize it. Much effort has been put into taking care of the Kosovo Crisis but it seems like there is nothing else to do.
Download Preambulatory Clauses here.
(To download, right-click on "here" and select "Save link as...")
