Kosovo War and Changing Ethnic Boundaries: 1980-2015

Abstract

The Kosovo War and the resulting humanitarian crisis of 1990s, gained international attention from the nature of massacres and war crimes, as well as the Serbian government’s systematic ethnic cleansing campaign against Kosovar-majority ethnic group in Kosovo. Since the military humanitarian intervention in 1999, reconciliation process initiated by the European Union, U.S., and other members in the international community, began almost immediately after the war, in attempt to bring peace to the former Yugoslav republic and territory. However, little effort has been made in attempt to dissect and analyze the causes of the ethnic conflict, such as patterns of ethnic boundaries, given that ethnic tensions continue to challenge the peace-building process. This thesis research, therefore, investigates ethnic relations and changing ethnic boundaries in Kosovo between the years of 1980 and 2015. It focuses on three main periods: post-Tito years, Milosevic era and the rise of ethno-nationalism, as well as post-conflict period. The research concludes that the ethnic conflict was due to boundary-enforcements at the institutional level, and later by members of ethnic group, which eventually led to the inter-ethnic war.