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CIAO Focus, Sept 2007:
Kosovo and the Road to Independence
It has been eight years since NATO bombing raids ejected Serbian forces from Kosovo, but independence for this small country, currently administered by the United Nations, remains elusive.
In February 2007, U.N. diplomat Martti Ahtisaari sponsored a resolution for Kosovo’s de facto independence under European Union supervision. Serbia immediately rejected it while Russia, Serbia’s traditional ally, promised to use its veto power on the Security Council to block any attempt to turn Kosovo into a breakaway state. Serbia has said it will only agree to Kosovo’s autonomy under Serbian jurisdiction rather than full sovereignty.
Strong American and EU support for the Ahtisaari plan has ratcheted up the tension between the western powers and Russia, which says it will continue to reject any resolution that is unacceptable to Serbia.
The U.S., the E.U. and Russia are presently trying to mediate a solution to the problem and have set a deadline date of December 10, after which time Kosovo has threatened to declare independence unilaterally even if an agreement hasn’t been reached.
This month CIAO examines Kosovo and the road to independence.
From the CIAO Database:
After the Surge: The Case for U.S. Military Disengagement from Iraq
The Surge in Iraq: An Early Assessment
Civilians Will Make the Difference in Iraq
Resolving Iraq: Progress depends on a short timeline for US troop withdrawal
Outside Sources:
Prospects for Iraq’s Stability: A Challenging Road Ahead (National Intelligence Estimate)
Iraq Report (Institute for the Study of War)
What's Next in Iraq? Juan Cole Interviews Ali A. Allawi
* Outside links are not maintained. For broken outside links, CIAO recommends the Way Back Machine.