Kosovo: Independence and Tutelage

Issue Date April 2009
Volume 20
Issue 2
Page Numbers 153-166
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Kosovo’s declaration of independence in February 2008 marked a new stage in the political trajectory of the disputed territory, but claims that Kosovo is now a democratic and multi-ethnic state are exaggerated. Nearly ten years of democratic regime-building under UN leadership have left mixed legacies for democracy, and progress has been limited by weak institutions and a deeply divided political society. International efforts have helped lay the foundations for democracy in Kosovo, but further advances will require greater autonomy from international authorities and greater concessions from Kosovo’s divided elites.

About the Author

Oisín Tansey is senior lecturer in international relations in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. His most recent book is The International Politics of Authoritarian Rule (2016).

View all work by Oisín Tansey