Why Kosovo Wasn’t Worth It

The recent return of former KLA leader Ramush Haradinaj to political life may further roil the new state. Haradinaj was acquitted in April by The Hague tribunal on charges of complicity in the murder of Serb civilians during the war. This decision, following the intimidation and deaths of witnesses, further unnerved the local Serb community, and Haradinaj's return may also threaten Thaci's leadership.

Internationally, the outlook isn't much brighter. Only 45 countries have recognized Kosovo's independence. It will never be admitted to the United Nations while veto-wielding Russia opposes it, though it can join the World Bank, where no vetoes can be cast. Among its European neighbors, Bosnia, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Slovakia—and, notably, Georgia—have all refused to grant recognition. Kosovo's newly issued passports may go unrecognized at international airports, leaving Kosovar travelers stranded.

Although the United States pushed for Kosovo's independence earlier this year, at least one former U.S. secretary of State, Lawrence Eagleburger, warned against it, saying that the creation of new microstates would needlessly provoke Russia and other multiethnic countries. The irony is that Kosovo could have achieved almost as much through an international guarantee of autonomy within Serbia. Yet Washington never permitted that alternative to be discussed. Now, given Russia's misuse of the Kosovo precedent in Georgia, it's worth reviewing this option should similar cases arise in the future.

Wedgwood is a professor of international law and diplomacy at Johns Hopkins University.

© 2008