Intervention in Kosovo

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses the sources of the conflict in Kosovo and the efforts taken by the international community, specifically the United States and NATO, to stem the violence. Furthermore, this work addresses changes that could have been undertaken or what might have been done differently and what steps could be taken in the present or in the future to improve the country and its stability. The writer concludes that while agreements have been apparently reached between the Serb and ethnic-Albanians who both desire to remain in the region, even if it means compromise on each side, it is yet to be seen whether peace in the Kosovo region will result from NATO and U.S. involvement in Kosovo.

Outline:
Objective
Introduction
Report of Secretary of State Albright
Seven Weeks into U.S./NATO Intervention
Startling Serbs to the Reality of Violence with Bombs
Kosovo Talks Enter Final Phase
Both Albanians and Serbs Desire to Remain in Kosovo
Debate on Possibility of 'Setting Precedent'
Summary and Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Kosovo is a province of Serbia and is the central area of the old Yugoslavia in which 90% of those in the region are Albanian in their origin with the remainder being Serbs. Under the former government, that of the old Yugoslavia this region was characterized by a great deal of autonomy. However, this autonomy was taken away by President Slobodan Milosevic in 1989 who was seeking what he called a 'Greater Serbia' seeking to secure it through a nationalist campaign. The Kosovo region was the site of a historic and emotionally charged defeat by the Ottoman Empire in 1389 and therefore has great significance to Serbian nationalists residing in the Kosovo region. Upon this region, losing its autonomy at the hands of Milosevic a conflict ensued due to the ethnic-Albanian people striving to have their cultural rights restored. The Kosovo Liberation Army, also known as the KLA drove the conflict toward the radical edge through entering violent conflicts with arms and their demand of full independence while simultaneously the Serbs were fiercely determined to keep the province. The United States and NATO entered the situation when hundreds of thousands of ethnic-Albanians were forced from their homes in what was destined to be a humanitarian disaster resulting in refugees strewn across an entire continent."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Albright, Madeleine K. (1999) Secretary of State - Statement before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee 20 Apr 1999. U.S. Department of State "U.S. and NATO Policy Toward the Crisis in Kosovo" Online available at: http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/Kosovo/Kosovo-Documents2.htm,
• Lituchy, Barry (2000) KFOR and the Crime of Genocide 10 June 2000 International Tribunal for U.S./NATO Warcrimes in Yugoslavia. online available at: http://www.iacenter.org/warcrime/blituchy.htm
• Paul Starr (1999) "The Choice in Kosovo," The American Prospect, July-August 1999. Online available at: http://www.princeton.edu/~starr/articles/articles99/Starr-Choice-in-Kosovo-7-99.htm
• Crawley, Vince (2007) U.S. Believes an Independent Kosovo Would Not Set Precedent. USINFO.STATE.GOV Current Issues 21 Mar 2007. Online available at: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=March&x=20070321142711MVyelwarC0.6473047
• Crawley, Vince (2007) Kosovo Talks Enter Final Phase; March Deadline Set 21 Feb 2007. USINFO.STATE.GOV Current Issues. Online available at: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=February&x=20070221143123MVyelwarC0.1968347

More papers on Intervention in Kosovo:

• Research Paper # 64671 : "NATO Intervention in Kosovo"
• Analytical Essay # 105911 : "International Intervention into Kosovo"
• Essay # 4644 : "Humanitarian Intervention: Rumping Sovereignty in Kosovo"

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