Kosovo, the poorest province of Serbia, is the stage for one of the most important international situations in the news today. Kosovo is the home of 1.7 million ethnic Albanians ("The Economist", 1/11/97, pg. 53), who are fighting for their independence from Serbia. Every day, more and more of Kosovo's ethnic Albanians are fleeing Serbia, to neighboring Albania, to escape deadly fighting.

The conflict in Kosovo is not exactly recent, as it is said to have started over 600 years ago, in 1389. Peace talks are currently under way, but negotiation is not coming easy. The ethnic Albanians, led by the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), feel that the working and living conditions in Kosovo are not tolerable. The Serbs feel that Yugoslavia cannot exist without Kosovo, and refuse to grant it autonomy.

In 1389, the Serbs fought a battle against the Turks in Kosovo, "which the Serbs conside

CNN Interactive. Kosovo talks yield partial accord on autonomy [WWW document]. http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9902/23/kosovo.05/. [Accessed 2/24/99]

region is populated by many different national communities: Serbs, Montenegrins,

The real trouble in Kosovo began in 1981, when a large group of Albanian students demonstrated against the working and living conditions in Kosovo. At the time, "only 12 percent of the Albanians in Kosovo are employed" (CNN). This demonstration turned violent, causing Serbs to flee from the province. Problems escalated in 1987, when Slobodan Milosevic rose to power in Yugoslavia. Milosevic promoted Serbian nationalism, and chipped away at Albanian civil rights.

Both sides seem to be adamant on their standpoint. The Serbian leaders do not want to seem weak, causing a loss of nationalism. The ethnic Albanians are tired of diminished civil rights, and the genocide against their people. The proposed solution "calls for a "self-governing Kosovo" and would "protect the integrity of the federal republic of Yugoslavia and the rights of the Serb community in Kosovo" (CNN, 2/24/99). Under the proposal, the ethnic Albanians would be able to have their own assemblies and courts and there would be a multiethnic police force. The Serb leaders feel that this idea is a failure.

"Time". A Fundamentally Flawed Policy; Where the U.S. and its allies have gone wrong in dealing with Kosovo. Pg. 34. October 19, 1998.

In doing this research, I feel that I have gained a stronger understanding of the conflict in not only Kosovo,

Some common words found in the essay are:
French Russian, Kosovo Serbs, Albanians Economist, Yugoslavia Milosevic, Slobodan Milosevic, Kosovo CNN, Army KLA, Interactive Kosovo, United NATO, Slovenes Eleven, ethnic albanians, slobodan milosevic, world war, cnn interactive, 2/23/99 cnn interactive, civil rights, accessed 2/23/99, 2/23/99 cnn, pg 32, cnn 2/23/99, interactive kosovo, cnn interactive kosovo, accessed 2/23/99 cnn, albanians 90 percent, kosovo liberation army,
Approximate Word count = 1055
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)