Overview

The impoverished province of Kosovo is predominately ethnic-Albanian, (about 90%) and Serb (10%). Although the ethnic Albanians are a majority within Kosovo, they were a minority within the Yugoslav Republic. Hence Kosovars were politically dominated by a Serbian government, under the authoritarian control of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. When Milosevic was elected President, opposition parties boycotted the elections, with only slightly more than 56% of citizens voting.

During his tenure, Milosevic purged the government and military of liberals, moderates and dissidents of all types, while promoting a chauvinistic form of Serbian nationalism, strikingly reminiscent of Hitler's Nazi Party programs. Extreme Serbian nationalism was promoted to unify a Serbian-controlled, Yugoslav dederated state, suffering severe economic and political decline, while casting ethnic-Albanians in Kosovo as scapegoats.

Political repression and economic depravation sparked Kosovar dissidence, opposition and revolution, in their struggle for self-determination by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The Serbian response was an aggressive pogrom of genocide, or "ethnic cleansing", designed to purge Serbia of the ethnic-Albanians, terrorizing them to flee to other safe havens in neighboring countries.

The flood of refugees placed an enormous burden on adjacent countries, distorted their diverse ethnic make-ups, and caused additional problems, as KLA rebels continue operations from bases in other states, posing a threat of Serbian incursions and cross-border clashes.

The international community attempted to negotiate a peace accord between Yugoslavia and the KLA, which the Serbs rejected due to provisions calling for a NATO peacekeeping force on Serbian/Yugoslav territory, as had been done to maintain peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina. After President Milosevic rejected the peace proposal and launched new military offenses against Kosovars, NATO forces launched air strikes against Yugoslavia.

Background

The Balkan Peninsula is home to a myriad of ethnic and religious groups, with a long history of conflict. This region has witnessed an ebb and flow Orthodox, Muslim and Christian influences. The Balkans fell under control of the Turkish Ottoman Empire and Muslim influence, following the Battle of Kosovo in 1389. Ottoman control lasted nearly 500 years, through a period of kaleidoscopic conflict, laying the foundation for lasting animosities between Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Bosnians, Muslims, Christians, Orthodox and an array of neighboring nations.

n 1914, Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo to launch World War I. After WWI, and dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the Balkans became known as Yugoslavia, controlled by a Serbian government, until the region was overrun by Nazi Germany in 1941. An estimated 2 million Yugoslavians were killed during WWII and the country was devastated. Anti-German resistance leader Josip Brozxz, known as "Tito" emerged as the post-war leader. A federation was created, comprised of six republics: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia, plus the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Voyvodina.

Under Marshall Tito, Yugoslavia developed and prospered socially and economically, although Communist the state charted a course independent of Moscow, seen by many as a successful, liberal socialist model. Tito was a co-founder of the Non-Aligned Movement of States, striving to remain independent of Cold War polarization. During the 1970's, ethnic conflicts emerged between Croats and Serbs, while a separatist movement began in Kosovo. After, Tito's death in 1980, Kosovar separatist activity increased, as did conflict between Catholics and Muslims.

With the downfall of the USSR in 1989, the Yugoslavian economy disintegrated, provoking rising social pressures. In 1991, Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence, the Serbian military responded and war broke out in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The European Community recognized Croatia and Slovenia in January 1992. Bosnia became a killing field in a savage war, while President Milosevic, attempted to distance himself from the actions of Serbian military leaders, eventually agreeing to the Dayton Accords in 1995 and accepting a NATO peacekeeping force. However, the Dayton Agreement ignored the situation in Kosovo, leaving the Kosovars isolated and at the mercy of the authoritarian Yugoslavian Serb government.

n 1996, Milosevic was re-elected in a disputed election and accepted the use of the Albanian language in Kosovo's schools, however repressive actions continued against ethnic Albanians and the Kosovo Liberation Army launched a terrorist campaign with the goal of creating an independent state, free of Serbian control. The Serb military retaliated with savage attacks, using air power and heavy armor, against Kosovar villages, slaughtering hundreds of civilians and sending tens of thousands of refugees into flight for safety. The KLA grew rapidly; recruits flocked to their ranks and gained access to thousands of weapons, allegedly stolen from Albania. The KLA's goal of unification with Albania, combined with Serb suspicions of Albania's cooperation and support for the KLA raised the prospect of Yugoslavian attacks on Albania and the danger that the conflict would escalate across this, and other national borders.

Given the diverse ethnic and religious make-up of surrounding states and the prospect that these states would become involved to protect various ethnic groups in the zone of conflict. Hence, there is distinct potential for the Kosovo conflict to expose and exacerbate a myriad of underlying international and ethnic and religious fractures and could embroil the region in yet another war.

The NATO War: After repeated failures to reach an accord to protect Kosovars, NATO forces began a sustained bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in the spring of 1999. After 79 days of bombing, and after sustaining substantial damage, the Serbs agreed to the NATO cease-fire plan, that would allow Kosovars to return to their homes, under protection of a joint NATO-Russian peacekeeping force (KFOR). United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 authorized a multinational post-war recovery and peacekeeping program (UNMIK). Kosovo was plagued by continuing revenge killings and many Srbs fled the country for Serbia and neighboring states.

Since 2000, international efforts have attempted to maintain the uneasy peace, build institutions and organize elections withing Kosovo. For Albanian Kosovars the goal is to eventualy declare an independent state, an outcome feared by Serbs. Kosovo is home to historical and religious sites of importance to Serbs. To lose Kosovo would be seen as a loss of essential Serbian national history, culture and religion. Extremist Serbian elements have refused to accept the notion of an independent Kosovo, but have also been umwilling to agree to compromise conditions that would enable Kosovars to accpet continued domination as a minority within Serbia. With backing of the US and Euroean states, Kosovo declared plans for independence in February 2008. This declaration sparked massive demonstrations and rioting in Belgrade. Concerns exist that violence could once again erupt and spread throughout the diverse, fractured and restive Balkan states.

Related Resources:

Kosova Helsinki Committee
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe
Provisional Government of Kosovo
Serbian Ministry of Information
Serbian Orthodox Church
UNHCHR
UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo -UNMIK
Albanian News and Information Network
Amnesty International
Brookings Institute
Human Rights Watch
Independent International Commission on
Kosovo
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia
http://www.gov.yu/terrorism/index.html