SPIEGEL International
"Peacekeeping in Kosovo: The Situation is Still Tense"
interview by: Ulrike Demmer
Published: 22 August 2012 Accessed: 18 March 2012
click here to access article
Brief Summary of the Article:
Major General Erhard Buhler answers questions regarding his observations along the border between Serbia and Kosovo. Buhler, a German, leads NATO's peacekeeping Kosovo Force (KFOR). Even with upcoming pledges from Belgrade that Serbia will dismantle its road blocks at the border with Kosovo, there is still fear that Serbians living within north Kosovo may behave in ways that could complicate attempts at peace. Kosovo has no control in the north and Serbia has minimal influence over its nationals in the region. There are also concerns about the extent to which the European Union can help to oversee the border and customs issues on into the future in that five of the Eu's member countries do not yet recognize the independence of Kosovo from Serbia. One light of potential peace is that Serbians living within southern Kosovo are making efforts to productively work with their Kosovar Albanian neighbors.
Your Thoughts, Comments, and/or Reaction:
It's a wonder that the situation in Kosovo/Serbia is not even more tense than it currently is. The era in which there was genocide targeted at the ethnic Albanians living within Serbian controlled Kosovo has led to mistrust and fear from both sides as to the legitimacy of efforts to pursue peace. There is hope that with Serbia's candidacy for admission into the EU that certain actions might be taken to encourage greater efforts at peace within the region.
Article's Relation to "Politics"
Independence movements within regions of countries are part of the domestic politics which many countries have had to address. Whether or not such efforts are embraced by the mother country can complicate the manner in which a peaceful resolution can occur. Additionally, when such an independence movement occurs within a region of the world in which there is a larger supranational government, like the European Union, at play, the situation of domestic politics because an international political dynamic. Such is the case of Kosovo's attempt to separate from Serbia.