The cost of Kosovo’s independence is the permanent embitterment of its Serb minority. When the tears of joy and despair dry, a fresh diplomatic solution will be needed, says Timothy William Waters.
After a decade of waiting and months of intense manoeuvring, Kosovo’s assembly unilaterally declared independence on the afternoon of 17 February 2008. The capital Pristina lit up with celebratory fireworks, reflecting the mood of the Kosovar Albanians who form 90% of the population. The United States, France and Britain recognised or announced their intention to recognise the new state on the day after the declaration, and a number of European Union countries will follow. But there are forces adamantly against independence: most immediately, the Serbs living in enclaves within Kosovo where they form a majority, notably around the northern town of Mitrovica; Serbia, which to no one’s surprise has declared the assembly’s move null and void; and Russia, which is pressuring the United Nations to reject Kosovo’s statehood (and which will use its Security Council veto to block Kosovo’s membership of the UN).
