Kosovo: Ethnic Tensions and Nationalism
The Conflict
In 1999, NATO and the United Nations occupied Kosovo, a province in the former Yugoslavia, in order to protect the Muslim Albanian population from the Serbian military.
Political
- Serbia regards Kosovo as an integral part of Serbia.
- Albanians in Kosovo are worried they will be oppressed if Kosovo remains with Christian Serbia.
- NATO and the United Nations believe that it would show lack of moral resolve and strength if they did not prevent violence in Europe.
Ethnic and Religious
• Albanians (Muslims) feel that they would be suppressed by Serbians (Christians) and fear ethnic cleansing (the use of terror—including murder and rape—to drive an entire community from an area).
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops and the United Nations (U.N.) peace-keeping mission in Kosovo occupied Kosovo in the summer of 1999 with the intention of stopping interethnic conflict and promoting a peaceful multi-ethnic society in the province. Hardly a week has gone by since then without newspaper and television coverage of continued hostility between Serbs and Albanians—and of open conflict with peace-keepers by both groups. Clearly, restoring mutual trust after the NATO air war and Belgrade's attempts at ethnic cleansing will not be a short process.
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