VoA: Breakup of Yugoslavia Should Be Ended where It Started, in Kosovo

NATO, KFOR Kosovo (BETAPHOTO/ARMENIJA ZAJMI BESEVIC/EV)

A strategy of convergence, that is, gradual reconciliation of opposed stands, was a signpost that should be applied in resolving the several-decade long dispute between Serbia and Kosovo, while in the long run, such an approach would contribute to stabilization across the Western Balkans, Voice of America (VoA) reported on Jan. 18.

These are the prepositions contained in a recently published report titled “From Crisis to Convergence – a Strategy for fighting instability in the Balkans in its source,” presented by the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Wilson Center, one of America’s prestigious academic institutions.

“In the essence of the strategy there is a clear argument: the three-decade long breakup of Yugoslavia need to end where it started – in Kosovo. This also refers to the ongoing crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The U.S. sanctions imposed in early January, even if expanded to include a wider specter of corrupt individuals, will not resolve a decade-long and unsustainable paralysis in Bosnia,” it is said in the report.

Instead of exerting pressure on the parties demonstrating unwillingness to recognize Kosovo, the report advocates a strategy of converging the positions of those countries with a majority approach advocated by the EU and NATO. This, according to the report, could be achieved if the West defined a joint position on Kosovo. This thesis is based on the claim that progress in the Balkans depends on whether Serbia accepts the establishment of a system based on western values.