Kosovo

Michael Martens reviews Shkëlzen Gashi's book on 83 massacres during the Kosovo War, documenting crimes by Serbian forces and reprisals. The author's merit is to provide new information about the victims, the perpetrators and the search for justice.  

Serbian memory politics obscures the reasons for the NATO intervention, which strengthens Vučić's power. He presents himself as a defender of the fatherland, despite contradictions with reality.

The Kosovo war of 25 years ago serves as a reminder that frozen conflicts and bilateral disputes cannot be swept under the rug for long. In the current geopolitical environment, they will blow up in Europe’s face.

For many years, Western players have been going all out to placate the populistic-nationalist players and their destructive ideologies: yet their questionable methods of appeasement and undemocratic interventions have ended up bolstering the very powers that have come to pose a threat to peace.

Albin Kurti was Prime Minister of Kosovo from February to June 2020, when his government was toppled. Viola von Cramon-Taubadel is the European Parliament's rapporteur for Kosovo. Walter Kaufmann spoke to both of them about the domestic political situation in Kosovo, the rule of law and EU integration.

Simon Ilse, head of our Belgrade office, talks with the future Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, about his future government’s priorities, the dialogue with Serbia, his green agenda, and addresses the issue of ethnicity vs nationality in the Balkans.