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Vebi Kosumi
Introduction
The disintegration of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia
(SFRY), spurred by the independence desires of federal entities, resulted
in several violent wars. Kosovo was the last federal unit to become independent after the breakup of SFRY and is the newest country in Europe,
yet it is not a member of United Nations (UN). The country has not been
universally recognised and Russia’s veto at the UN Security Council
(SC) is likely to maintain the status quo. The Parliament of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008 and so far Kosovo
is recognised by 107 States (Kty 2014) out of 193 UN members. Kosovo’s independence has been supported by the Major Powers (MPws) but
opposed by Russia.
The ethnic conflict in Kosovo is at least a century long and has principally involved two conflicting groups, Albanians and Serbs. To begin
to understand the continuing conflict between these two groups, a brief
consideration of Kosovo’s past one hundred years is necessary (See Malcom 1999). The lifecycle of the conflict - involving the Great Powers
in 1912, and the MPws from 1999 to the present - will be analysed. A
short comparison of the conflict’s evolution involving third party actors
as well as the quantitative and qualitative asymmetry between the conflicting parties will be presented. The article proposes that the aspiration
of both countries to join the European Union (EU) will contribute to
resolving the conflict.
Historical Background of the Conflict in Kosovo
Subsequent to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Kosovo was annexed
by Serbia and Montenegro in 1913 (Leurdijk, Zandee 2001: 9). It was integrated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1918), which
was named Yugoslavia in 1919. Kosovo’s majority population was Albanian in 1913 (Leurdijk, Zandee 2001: 9) and presently 90% of Kosovo’s
population is Albanian. The conflict continued for a century as Albanians