Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence of 17 February 2008 has made visible the deep divisions between the United States and its European allies on the one hand, and Russia on the other; divisions that shaped the political dynamics of the Kosovo crisis nine years ago as they do today. The failure to settle the status question through diplomacy has thrown the UN into crisis, leaving the Security Council deadlocked and the international community in Kosovo without direction and momentum. It has led to the de facto partition of Kosovo and control by Belgrade of the Serb-inhabited northern municipalities, and left the international community struggling to define the nature of its engagement. The political divisions that have heightened the problem in Kosovo over the last nine years are unlikely to be resolved soon and, if anything, recent developments have accentuated them. New and creative approaches to stabilising Kosovo and promoting its economic and institutional development are necessary. Current European Union projects in support of the peace process in Northern Ireland might offer a model for such engagement.
展开▼
