Postings mit Schlagwort "Kosovo" (6)
Kosovo - one year after...
The accounts of Kosovo's celebration of "1 year of independence" are a good occasion to publish reports on every-day life in Kosovo (cf. an easy-reading article by the TAZ/in German or an (mp3) audio-report by D. Auer/Deutschlandfunk/also in German)... or to recall that most "promises" by the Kosovo government or the international community are still not realised:
EULEX between hopes and fears
The new EULEX mission should be operational in a few days. Its legal basis is a report by the Secretary General on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo which was adopted by the UN Security Council last week:
"I expect EULEX to move forward with its deployment in the coming period and to assume responsibilities in the areas of policing, justice and customs, under the overall authority of the United Nations, under a United Nations umbrella headed by my Special Representative, and in accordance with resolution 1244 (1999). UNMIK has been working closely with EULEX on technical arrangements designed to facilitate its deployment under resolution 1244 (1999)." (Ban Ki Moon in the Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo from 24 November 2008) (click on "MORE" to read on)
"Alternative Nobel" for Monika Hauser
Monika Hauser, the founder of the NGO medica mondiale, has dedicated her life to supporting women who are victims of psychological, physical, and sexual violence in crisis regions. Medica mondiale has started its activities during the war in Bosnia and is still active in the Balkan region (as in many other crisis regions in the world). Monika Hauser will be awarded the "Alternative Nobel" prize next Monday (8 Dec). Here is an interview with her (in German).
Caucasus - Balkans ?
Drawing parallels and simplification helps us to understand the world. However, it can also lead to misunderstandings when parallels are drawn between very distinct situations and issues. The Caucasus crisis has often been compared to the Balkans and to the Cyprus issue. I do not have any problems with comparisons as long as they are balanced and take into account the differences. A lot of recent press comments lacked this balance and were based on simplistic equations such as Russia+Serbia vs. Kosovo+US+EU and Russia+South Ossetia+Abkhazia vs. Georgia+US+EU. Those same analysts were asking: "How come Russia is first against independence in the Kosovo-case and then pro-independence?" - acknowledging thereby the limits of their own system of analysis.
State-building and EU integration
Tonight I just want to share a quote with you from an ECFR article by U. Guérot on EU and state building (the article is from February, but still remains of interest):
(Minority) education in Kosovo
Education is one of the key words on Kosovo politician's lips, but the reality is far from the goals of the Ministry of Education which are summarised in the catch phrase "curriculum reform". Some progress has been achieved: recently, as a consequence of a new accreditation process, all private "universities" and colleges in Kosovo had to close their doors to new students - except the American University of Kosovo which is a branch of a US university. Nevertheless, the situation remains very difficult for youth belonging to a minority group (cf. this "NODE" report on minority rights in the Balkans (pdf), p. 66ff.). (more below)
SEE-EU
