The Case for Kosova

This book makes the case for the independence of Kosova the former province of ls"old-Yugoslaviars" and now temporarily a United Nations-led International protectorate at a time in which international diplomacy is deeply involved in solving the contested issue of its 'Final Status'. Negotiations began in January 2006 under the auspices of a United Nations Special Envoy, and have been given renewed impetus by the international communityrs"s determination to arrive at a solution.The Case for Kosovaaims to contribute to these negotiations, by providing informed arguments for a different approach to the issue of Kosovars"s status beyond the limitations of current debates. Its aim is to counteract the anti-Albanian propaganda waged by some parties, but never to propose a counter-propaganda hostile to others or to the goals of a democratic Kosova. Debates on Kosova have largely concentrated on a specific aspect of the issue: either on ideology and myth construction (ignoring translations into practice); on geo-politics (missing the deep implications for stability and security); or on policy (lacking a conceptual understanding of both ideologies and processes). Until now, no book has linked these different fields in a persuasive manner.The Case for Kosovafills this gap with an intellectually challenging and politically relevant commentary from key players in the debate.

Anna Di Lellio is a sociologist and a journalist. She obtained her Ph.D. from Columbia University, New York. Ivo Banac is Bradford Durfee Professor of History, Yale University. Isa Blumi is Assistant Professor of History at Georgia State University. Janusz Bugajski is Director of the New European Democracies Project and Senior Fellow, Europe Program, Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS), Washington, D.C. Howard Clark is Honorary Research Fellow with the Forgiveness and Reconciliation Center of the University of Coventry, where his main concern since 1991 has been peace in Kosova. Catherine Croft is a Senior Research Associate for the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG). Alain Ducellier is Professor Emeritus of Medieval History with a focus on Byzantium and the Balkans at the University of Toulouse II, Le Mirail. Vjosa Dobruna is President of the Board of Radio Television of Kosova. Andrew Herscher is Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan with joint appointments to the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, and the International Institute. Bernd Fischer is Professor of Balkan History and chair of the Department of History at Indiana University, Fort Wayne. Dom Lush Gjergji is a Catholic priest in the parish of Binqa, Kosova, in the Dioceses of Skopje-Prizren. Ismail Kadare, Albania's best known poet and novelist, was the 2005 recipient of the Man Booker International Prize. Machiel Kiel is Director of the Netherlands Historical and Archeological Institute in Istanbul. Muhammedin Kullashi is Professor of Philosophy at the UniversitF de Paris VIII since 1992. Paulin Kola is a BBC analyst. Dr. Kola earned his Ph.D. at the London School of Economics. Albin Kurti is one of the founders of the movement 'Self-determination', which started in 2005. Noel Malcolm has a doctorate in History from Cambridge University; he is a Senior Research Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and a Fellow of the British Academy. Julie Mertus is an Associate Professor and Co-Director of the MA program in Ethics, Peace and Global Affairs at American University. Jennifer Ober is Peace Fellow with the Public International Law & Policy Group. Owen Pearson taught Latin and Greek for 40 years to senior forms of preparatory schools. Henry H. Perritt, Jr. directs Chicago-Kent's Program in Financial Services Law. Besnik Pula is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Department of Sociology of the University of Michigan. Stacy Sullivan is a senior editor at the London-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting and former Balkans correspondent for Newsweek. Paul R. Williams is Rebecca Grazier Professor of Law & International Relations, American University.