The Making of Modern Kosovo

This book traces the origins and success of Ibrahim Rugova''s policy of nonviolence in Kosovo between 1989-1998 and how it laid the framework for the creation of Kosovo''s cultural and political identity as an independent state. Ibrahim Rugova has long been neglected in understanding how Kosovo became an independent state, with most observers concentrating on the Kosovo Liberation Army and the armed conflict of 1999 in which NATO was involved. Jakup Azemi seeks to remedy this, arguing that despite the events of 1998/99, local actors and their political organisation mattered more than is widely recognised. Rugova''s movement represented a novelty not only for the Albanians but for the whole Balkan region. He developed a vision that integrated Albanians'' cultural and historical experiences into the non-violent movement and presented the Kosovan conflict to the world with a different political and cultural lens.This is a key text for scholars interested in the history of the Kosovar liberation movement, the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia; and those looking at current issues in the Western Balkans, and the Albanian-Kosovar relationship.>

Auteur
Jakup Azemi is affiliated with the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, UK, where his research focuses on the political history of Kosovo.

Texte du rabat

This book traces the origins and success of Ibrahim Rugova's policy of nonviolence in Kosovo between 1989-1998 and how it laid the framework for the creation of Kosovo's cultural and political identity as an independent state.

Ibrahim Rugova has long been neglected in understanding how Kosovo became an independent state, with most observers concentrating on the Kosovo Liberation Army and the armed conflict of 1999 in which NATO was involved. Jakup Azemi seeks to remedy this, arguing that despite the events of 1998/99, local actors and their political organisation mattered more than is widely recognised. Rugova's movement represented a novelty not only for the Albanians but for the whole Balkan region. He developed a vision that integrated Albanians' cultural and historical experiences into the non-violent movement and presented the Kosovan conflict to the world with a different political and cultural lens.

This is a key text for scholars interested in the history of the Kosovar liberation movement, the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia; and those looking at current issues in the Western Balkans, and the Albanian-Kosovar relationship.

Contenu

Preface
List of Figures
Maps
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Structure of the book
Introduction
Chapter I The Context
Chapter II The Rise of Ibrahim Rugova and the Emergence of his Policy of Non-violence
Chapter III Non-violence and the Albanian Culture
Chapter IV The Institutional Set-Up: the Parallel State of Kosovo
Chapter V How Rugova's Non-Violent Policy Internationalised the Kosovo Conflict
Chapter VI Transformation from a Non-violent to Violent Conflict
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index