25 Years Since the End of the War in Kosovo

The events of and preceding the war in Kosovo in 1998 and 1999, and the ensuing NATO campaign, are being continuously misused and instrumentalized in the Serbian public. Even after 25 years, Serbian official and public discourse, education programs, memorialization, and media renderings of these events remain devoid of any serious, state-driven will to deal with the events of 1999 in a self-reflective manner.

On the contrary, a self-victimizing narrative surrounding the Kosovo War has being increasingly mythologized and rendered official. This is especially true of events preceding the intervention, and the role of the Serbian police, military, and paramilitary apparatus therein.

Kosovar official policies of remembrance are also dominated by a monolithic official narrative, leaving little room for constructive debate. Both these contexts are clear manifestations of (and they also manifest themselves into) the ongoing stalled normalisation negotiations between the two states.

A Quarter Century since the NATO Bombing Began: Twenty-five Years Devoured by Villains

The current state of affairs best suits the stabilocratic despot Aleksandar Vučić, who, against the backdrop of a gaping vacuum, creates narratives that suit his ongoing need for capital enlargement. In spite of the fact that the current President of the Serbiatrics department is an honored guest and friend of the very people who were leading NATO countries during the bombing (Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Gerhard Schröder), he doesn’t shy away from presenting himself to his voters and the public at large as a man who will stand up for the fatherland and bare his teeth to the enemy, just like he did before (he didn’t!).

By Nikola Krstić

Serbia – 25 years after war

The process of regional and internal consolidation of Western Balkan (WB) countries remains incomplete, with the legacy of conflict still exerting significant influence. Since the beginning of Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2022, the European Union and the US have shifted their focus towards security issues. The Western Balkans exemplify how post-conflict societal transformation is as crucial as war prevention.

By Izabela Kisić

The Ruins of the General Staff Building: A Stake for Gambling Away the Past and the Future

Comment

Due to its imposing design, function, as well as central location directly across the street from the Government of Serbia, the General Staff building has become a symbol of the 1999 bombing, and everything consciously or subconsciously connected to that event - the undeniable trauma from those times, the self-righteous indignation at the “unprovoked” illegal NATO aggression and violation of Serbia’s territorial integrity, as well as the all-consuming stagnation and inability to recover from the defeat and create a functional society.

By Nemanja Georgijević

Lessons from the Kosovo war: no time for European Complacency

The Kosovo war of 25 years ago serves as a reminder that frozen conflicts and bilateral disputes cannot be swept under the rug for long. In the current geopolitical environment, they will blow up in Europe’s face

By Agon Maliqi

Perspectives SEE: Political Upcycling

In reassessing hbs’ previous efforts in providing a meaningful space for discussion on the memorialization and general public discourse of the events of 1999, we have come to the realization that our 2019 publication Perspectives SEE on the 20th anniversary of the war is, unfortunately, still very much pertinent and topical, thus:

Perspectives - Kosovo 1999-2019: A Hostage Crisis

Twenty years on from the Kosovo War, the collective memory of both parties in the conflict remains burdened by myths and incontestable truths about what actually took place. The process of reconciliation and building longstanding peace is being undermined, primarily, by political elites in both countries, whose populist policies amplify the prejudices between Kosovar Albanians and Serbs. In this issue of Perspectives we aim to highlight the fact that Kosovo is not just a toponym, but a country burdened by its recent violent history, where common people are struggling to rebuild the broken societies that the conflict has left behind.

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A Lesson in History

From Perspectives SEE 2019

The prewar political history of the former Yugoslav autonomous province of Kosovo was shaped by its educational system. Both Albanians and Serbs have omitted the other community’s language and history from their curricula. Today, twenty years after the armed conflict, Albanian and Serbian students are using textbooks with different versions of history. Some of the controversial phrases from Kosovar textbooks describing activities by Serbs include: “violence and chauvinist terror”, “terror and genocide”, and “horrific barbaric scenes of bloody squadrons”. Serbian textbooks use phrases such as “attacks by Albanian gangs” and “Albanian terror over the Serbs”. Such language in school textbooks amplifies prejudice, inter-ethnic intolerance, and nationalist ideas.

By Jelena Krstić

The Kosovo Myth in Modern Serbia: Its functions, problems, and critiques

Ivan Čolović reflects on his contribution to Perspectives SEE from five years ago, with context on additional developments in two footnotes. The myth of the Battle of Kosovo Field on June 28th 1389, in which the armies of the Ottoman Sultan Murat I and Serbian Prince Lazar clashed, has, since the early 19th century to this day, served the purpose of legitimizing various political and military projects: From the breakup of communist Yugoslavia and the policies of Slobodan Milosevic, through the “Kosovo is Serbia” motto, as part of the Serbian “European agenda”, to the dialogue –both internal and with Brussels– led by Aleksandar Vučić. The “Kosovo Covenant” in modern Serbian history is used to accommodate various political ideas and actions.

By Ivan Čolović