Kosovo in Crisis: Understanding the Balkans — Helena Ivanov

15. 6. 2023

Recent tensions, in 2023, between Serbia and Kosovo have flared anew following a raid by Kosovo police on Serb-majority areas in the north of the region, including the seizure of local municipal buildings. The operation sparked violent clashes between Kosovo police and NATO-led peacekeepers on one side and local Serbs on the other, leaving dozens injured on both sides. In response, Serbia has raised the combat readiness of its troops stationed near the border. These developments prompt a troubling question: are we witnessing a return to the politics and atmosphere of war?

Helena Ivanov

Dr Helena Ivanov is an Associate Research Fellow at the London-based Henry Jackson Society. She completed her PhD in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Before undertaking her PhD, Helena earned a master’s degree in Political Theory from the University of Oxford, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Politics from the University of Belgrade. She has been the recipient of numerous international awards and is a regular contributor to global media and press outlets.

Dr Ivanov’s research focuses on the relationship between propaganda and violence against civilians.

Publications:

Why Still Pro-Russia? Making Sense of Hungary’s and Serbia’s Pro-Russia Stance

Content

00:00 - Introduction
01:42 - International Status of Kosovo
03:19 - Kosovo’s International Voice
07:41 - EU and Kosovo
10:35 - Negotiations with the EU
14:26 - Impact of Josep Borrell and Miroslav Lajcak
16:35 - Alternative Mediators for Kosovo
18:45 - President Vucic and the EU Negotiations
22:54 - Kosovo’s Crisis Development and Outlook
27:41 - Kosovo’s Demographics
29:22 - Principle of Ethnicity in Kosovo
33:57 - Tenets of the Latest Tensions in Kosovo in 2023
38:50 - Are the Serbs in Kosovo without Representation?
39:55 - Election Boycott by Serbs
41:36 - Impact of Russia and China
44:35 - Kosovo vs Crimea
47:56 - The Impact of the US Military Presence in Kosovo