Word: kosovo
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Although conditions have improved drastically since the Kosovo War in 1998-9, it is clear that the stabilizing force of EU membership is the only way to normalize relations between the two countries. The EU must immediately take a strong stand in favor of admitting the Balkan nations, including eventually Serbia and Kosovo, if the scars from centuries of ethnic and political conflict in the region are ever to be healed...
Last month, ethnic Albanians in Kosovo celebrated the one-year anniversary of their country’s independence from Serbia. This anniversary is, in some ways, a triumph for Kosovo. The United Nations-backed government is slowly taking over some of its own administration, although 15,000 NATO troops are still deployed there to maintain security and internal stability...
...despite this progress, Kosovo is by no means in a secure position regarding its statehood. Serbia continues to claim that Kosovo is still part of Serbia, and the refusal of Russia as well as many other countries, including five European Union member states, to recognize Kosovo’s independence has contributed to international ambiguity regarding Kosovo’s status. The conflict is not limited to the diplomatic sphere; last year, when the United States officially recognized Kosovo’s independence, riots broke out in Belgrade, the Serbian capital, and in Kosovo itself ethnic tensions between Serbians...
...Kosovo also aims to join the EU, and it already uses the euro as its currency. It is, however, far from ready to join. It is still dependent on NATO security forces, and its economy is extremely weak—at least 40 percent of the population is unemployed...
...Read a TIME cover story on Kosovo...