The dissolution of former Yugoslavia and the case of Kosova/o: political and legal aspects

Abstract

Was former Yugoslavia an artificial creature and what are the reasons behind its creation? Has Kosova/o and its majority population the right to self-determination, meaning independent statehood as the former Yugoslav republics? What was the role of Serbian nationalism in the creation and dissolution of former Yugoslavia? These are some of the core issues we have discussed here which enabled us to fully understand former Yugoslavia’s nightmare. Kosova/o and Albanians living in former Yugoslavia were the most discriminated nation in the State. In the period between the two Wars, they had not even been treated as a minority. Only after 1974 they became, for the first time, players in the balance-of-power game within the Communist Yugoslavia. Yet, they were mostly misused by other Slavic republics in the fight to control the Serbian aggressive nationalism and hegemony. After the dissolution of former Yugoslavia and long before that, the Kosovar Albanians are striving for achievement of the right to independent statehood. Althought the right is asked for the recognition by peacefull means on the part of the Kosovar Albaninas, it has so far been denied by the Belgrade regime. Long time of waiting for the right to be realised produced the clandestine Kosova/o Liberation Army (KLA, or, in Albanian: U(^K) that appeared on the scene after the Dayton Accords (1995). It remains to be seen how the issue will be settled in the time to come.