Malcolm disappointed by the West: Co-ordinated strategy for Kosovo

For a few months, February 18th of 2023, Kosovo marks 15 years from the Declaration of Independence. Serbia, not only has not recognised it as a state yet, but beyond some signed and poorly implemented agreements, its entire effort has focused on how not to have a final agreement, how to undo Kosovo's recognitions and how to prevent its membership in international bodies.

Sir Noel Malcolm, one of the most vocal scholars in Balkan history, author of the book ʹ Kosovo has a short history of” and sees the West to blame for this situation where Kosovo is today.

What I would say is that since 1998 the treatment of Kosovo by foreign parties has been largely disappointing. Certainly there were good moments -- the liberation of Kosovo by NATO forces, the final support for the 200308 declaration of independence, something important extremist at the time. But in other ways it was disappointing that the West was never co-ordinated in a strategy for Kosovo. ”

With the declaration of independence, Malcolm marks a lack of even in bringing the countries of our region. A small but not so small example. All countries in the region had to appear in a joint statement saying: we welcome this development and that is a real step, not a threat to stability in the region, but the past was that way. This joint declaration of the countries of the region would have had great impact on world opinion. They did not do so and left other parties like Russia to consider the Kosovo issue as a manipulation of Western countries for their” interests.

The story, from the adoption of the Ahtisaari plan to today, shows according to Mr. Malcolm, that Serbia has never been put under equal pressure with Kosovo, when it comes to reaching and implementing agreements.

“Plan Ahtisaari decided to implement it selectively. That plan had an annex in which files of cultural heritage issues in Belgrade archives were said to be returned to Pristina. Have they ever made an effort to do so? Not at all. It has simply fallen or involved in issues where both countries must reach compromise. But in fact, when they say both sides should reach compromise, my impression is that they exert twice as much pressure on Kosovo as on Serbia. Under the Ahtisaari Kosovo plan, Kosovo has made many concessions regarding the rights of Serbs living on its territory, and towards Pristina continue to seek concessions, allowing Belgrade to make and more requests”.

But if we give the expression that every evil has a good, Malcolm hopes this will be the case of war lessons in Ukraine.

If there's any consolation... a little comfort from the terrible war in Ukraine, it's for the West to be awake; it's already on alert to the Russian strategy in the Balkans. I hope to restore the attention of Americans in Kosovo, a attention put away after 2008. I'm hoping Western countries will be the most concentrated in the region”. Sir Noel Malcolm is a journalist, historian, academic philosopher and political analyst in England. As a journalist stood out in the realistic reflection of the situation in the former Yugoslavia, where bloody conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo took place. Kosovo's “A short history” is the book The New York Times called the best guide for steps to take against a fatal disaster. In addition to this book and three imperial agents, Malcolm has also written a study of the history of Albanians, rebels, believers, survivors. / A2 CNN