As Kosovo marks the 15th anniversary of its declaration of independence from Serbia, tensions remain high between the sides. While the diplomatic battle over recognition continues on the international stage, there have been a number of serious confrontations in northern Kosovo that have seemingly threatened to reignite conflict in the Western Balkans. To this end, in early 2023, officials from the EU, France, Germany, Italy and the United States travelled to Belgrade and Pristina to present the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo with their proposals for a new agreement between the sides. But can this really end the dispute between Kosovo and Serbia?

Kosovo has emerged as one of the most interesting and significant secessionist disputes in modern international relations. Highly controversial at the time it declared independence, its significance has been underscored by the fact that it has been cited by Russia as a justification for many of its own actions in the former Soviet Union, including its attempts to annex Crimea and part of eastern Ukraine. In many ways, it highlights to the tensions and apparent contradictions between the concepts of self-determination of peoples and the territorial integrity of states.

This would have a major impact when, on 17 February 2008, it declared independence. Having been an autonomous part of Serbia within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), the fact that it was not a republic meant that it was not granted the right of independence enjoyed by the other parts of the state. As a result, in the late 1990s, it took up arms to fight for statehood, leading to a brutal guerrilla war with Serbian forces and, eventually, NATO's decision to intervene and launch a 78-day bombing campaign against Serbia. Following on from this, it came under UN administration according to the terms of UN security Council Resolution 1244, which affirmed its place as a part of Yugoslavia. However, following deadlocked UN-led final status talks, it chose to declare independence, supported by much of the West, but opposed by Russia, China and half the United Nations. As a result, 15 years later, the issue still remains unresolved.

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*VIDEO CHAPTERS*
00:00 Introduction and Titles
00:44 Kosovo-Serbia: Self-Determination vs Territorial Integrity
03:14 Kosovo before Socialist Yugoslavia
03:50 Kosovo, Serbia and Yugoslavia, 1945-1999
05:34 Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence
06:42 Kosovo-Serbian Relations After 2008
09:37 The New EU-US Settlement Proposals
11:33 Understanding the Kosovo Dispute
14:00 A Final Kosovo Settlement?

*SOURCES AND FURTHER READING*
Badinter Arbitration Commission Opinions
http://www.ejil.org/pdfs/3/1/1175.pdf
ICJ Advisory Opinion on Kosovo’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence
https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/case-related/141/141-20100722-ADV-01-00-EN.pdf
Kosovo Constitutional Court Ruling on the Association
https://gjk-ks.org/wp-content/uploads/vendimet/gjk_ko_130_15_ang.pdf
Kosovo: The Path to Contested Statehood in the Balkans
https://amzn.to/3RFBF20

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Secession and State Creation: What Everyone Needs to Know
https://amzn.to/2MPY3W2

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#Kosovo #Serbia #Balkans