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Vebi Kosumi
to meet basic human and cultural rights, many Albanians believed there
was nothing to bargain for or with, so the conflict lasted for a century.
In 1999 when NATO intervened to prevent continued ethnic cleansing,
the MPws again played a significant role in the conflict between Serbs
and Albanians. Five MPws (United States of America (US), United Kingdom (UK), France, Germany and Italy) divided Kosovo into five military
sectors (Kozaryn 1999) and Kosovo was placed under a United Nations
administration (UNMIK). The division of sectors is not accidental as
it demonstrates the capacity of the MPws. Russia opposed the military
intervention in Kosovo and wanted its own military sector which it was
ultimately denied. The other MPws such as the USA, the UK, France,
Germany and Italy immediately recognised Kosovo in 2008. However,
Russia fiercely opposed its independence and, to this day, continues to
support Serbia.
Looking at the cycle of conflict we can conclude that Russia has remained an age-old supporter of Serbia as it continues its one hundred
year policy, and Russia opposes Kosovo’s independence. Interestingly,
France has shifted from supporting Serbia in 1912 to supporting NATO
intervention (1999) and Kosovo’s independence. This change in attitudes can be explained by the grave human rights abuses and war crimes
committed against Albanians in Kosovo by the Serbian Government in
the 1990s. Notably, in 1912 the UK held a position of neutrality; whereas
in 1999 its support was a significant factor in the intervention against
Serbia and it has been a major supporter of Kosovo’s independence. The
USA was the leading actor in the NATO intervention against Serbia,
and continues to support Kosovo’s independence, remaining intensely
involved in managing conflict in the area since 1999.
Since the end of the war in 1999, Kosovo’s conflict has entered a ‘de-escalatory’ scale (Vrbetic 2013: 308), which means that there has not been
a major incidence of violence of the sort used in the war. There have