Kosovo and Two Dimensions of the Contemporary Serb-Albanian Conflict

What is it about?

Recent policies and proposals for dealing with the Kosovo conflict largely ignore its complexity. They fail to recognise its two, equally important dimensions, that is, polarisation and conflict between Albanians and Serbs within Kosovo, and broader Serb-Albanian nationalist conflict centred on relations between Belgrade and Pristina. The policy of integration, conducted under the UNMIK auspices, did not simply fail to achieve its widely proclaimed goal of an ‘integrated multi-ethnic society’ in Kosovo, but also increased the insecurity and suffering of non-Albanian communities, especially Serbs. A modified, now implicit version of the same project from Ahtisaari’s proposal is only slightly less inadequate with regard to addressing the internal dimension of the Kosovo conflict. Simultaneously, it threatens to create further instability in the wider region because the secession of Kosovo and minor concessions to Kosovo Serbs fail to address both their concerns and the interests of Serbia’s government. In contrast, alternative proposals briefly outlined above would arguably address both the internal and external dimensions of the Kosovo conflict. The partition of Kosovo between Albanians and Serbs, and the package of Kosovo’s secession and ‘soft’ partition, coupled with self-rule for, and power-sharing between Albanian and Serb ‘entities’, and confederal links with Serbia, seem to deserve serious consideration. This especially applies to partition, which probably stands more chance of putting an end to the conflict as a simpler and largely self-enforcing option.

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