June 19, 2023 - 3:05pm
Whether or not Ukraine’s attempts to kick Russian forces out of its territory are successful, it seems certain the war will end with a negotiated settlement. The West will want negotiations to favour its ally while stopping further violations of its sovereignty. There’s a precedent for such aspirations elsewhere in Europe — but it’s far from promising.
Recent days have seen a dramatic turnaround in Kosovo, as the West appears to reconsider its staunch support for Pristina as Kosovo takes actions that threaten the region’s fragile peace. Instability and simmering violence in the breakaway state have tended to be blamed solely on aggressive Serb nationalism stoked by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, but there is now growing recognition that violent Kosovan nationalism is also responsible for rising tensions.
The latest in a litany of incidents pushing relations to breaking point was the arrest of three Kosovan police officers in combat gear inside Serbian territory. Pristina insists the officers were abducted by Serbia from within Kosovo, but Vučić rejects this and warns that “you cannot invade the territory of a sovereign country with such weapons.”
Fearful of any further escalation, Washington is calling for the officers to be released without conditions, but Serbia ignored this demand and a court on Friday ordered an investigation. In response, Kosovo announced a ban on the entry of all Serbian vehicles and goods.
Many have been tempted to see the Kosovo question as a struggle between good and evil, with Kosovo held up as a bastion of democracy and human rights defying revanchist Serb nationalism. But just before the arrests were made, the EU put paid to this straightforward narrative by announcing sanctions on Kosovo. The bloc will cut diplomatic and economic cooperation in response to inflammatory recent actions by Kosovo authorities in Serb-majority northern regions following disputed local elections earlier this year.
Despite its queasiness over the treatment of the arrested police officers, Washington has taken similar steps, issuing a statement condemning the use of force by Kosovan police that “sharply and unnecessarily escalated tensions.” Western allies are also frustrated by Kosovo’s refusal to implement previous agreements, particularly the creation of an association allowing Serb municipalities a limited degree of self-governance.
This may all seem like just another chapter in the never-ending saga of violence and bad blood between Serbia and Kosovo. But the West’s inability to find a solution in the Balkans may be telling for Ukraine.
Join the discussion
Join like minded readers that support our journalism by becoming a paid subscriber
To join the discussion in the comments, become a paid subscriber.
Join like minded readers that support our journalism, read unlimited articles and enjoy other subscriber-only benefits.
SubscribeWhy, when Kosovo was established on the back of Western intervention, were its boundaries drawn to include 95% Serbian peopled territory in the North? A clean break would have offered less scope for trouble.
Borders aside, I would argue that Kosovo never should have been established. Should we create a Mexican satellite state in Southern California or a Pakistani homeland in Bradford while we’re at it?
Borders aside, I would argue that Kosovo never should have been established. Should we create a Mexican satellite state in Southern California or a Pakistani homeland in Bradford while we’re at it?
Why, when Kosovo was established on the back of Western intervention, were its boundaries drawn to include 95% Serbian peopled territory in the North? A clean break would have offered less scope for trouble.
Oh what tangled web we weave / when first we practice to deceive!
The Kosovo mess is entirely of NATO’s making – NATO started the illegal war on Serbia, illegally broke Kosovo out of Serbia, it was NATO who installed a regime in Kosovo that had its roots in terrorism.
Until Putin drew a line under NATO’s incessant provocations and meddling, NATO thought it could get away with anything. Now NATO is out of weapons, out of ammunition, out of friends, out of money, and out of ideas – and the last thing NATO now needs is the attack dog it raised to actually bite.
Quite so. As I remember, Spain was the only western government to connect the dots and warn against this terrible precedent.
Quite so. As I remember, Spain was the only western government to connect the dots and warn against this terrible precedent.
Oh what tangled web we weave / when first we practice to deceive!
The Kosovo mess is entirely of NATO’s making – NATO started the illegal war on Serbia, illegally broke Kosovo out of Serbia, it was NATO who installed a regime in Kosovo that had its roots in terrorism.
Until Putin drew a line under NATO’s incessant provocations and meddling, NATO thought it could get away with anything. Now NATO is out of weapons, out of ammunition, out of friends, out of money, and out of ideas – and the last thing NATO now needs is the attack dog it raised to actually bite.
Having lived and worked in Kosovo I can tell you that withdrawal of the UN Mission was a huge mistake. The West needs the non West to pitch in to keep peace in this troubled region.
Having lived and worked in Kosovo I can tell you that withdrawal of the UN Mission was a huge mistake. The West needs the non West to pitch in to keep peace in this troubled region.
the commenters below must’ve been sleeping through the whole crisis in the early 21st century. That crisis was hundreds of years in the making and the last of the wars of the Yugoslav succession. NATO was shamed into intervening by its cowardly behavior during the Srebrenica massacre. https://howlinginfinite.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/the-kosovar-volcano2.pdf
the commenters below must’ve been sleeping through the whole crisis in the early 21st century. That crisis was hundreds of years in the making and the last of the wars of the Yugoslav succession. NATO was shamed into intervening by its cowardly behavior during the Srebrenica massacre. https://howlinginfinite.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/the-kosovar-volcano2.pdf