Kosovo

USIP has worked in the Balkans since 1996, and is committed to peacebuilding in the region in cooperation with its newest state.

Personal Stories from the Frontlines of War and Peace

Tue, 04/28/2015 - 14:00

Tue, 04/28/2015 - 15:30

From Iraq to Burma, from Peru to Yemen, from Nicaragua to Nepal, the personal stories of widows, children, workers, and soldiers often are lost in the cacophony of war. The U.S. Institute of Peace hosted a discussion and launch of "Speaking Their Peace: Personal Stories from the Frontlines of War and Peace," a book that tells the extraordinary stories of "ordinary" people from eleven conflict zones. This event included a moderated discussion with the book's author, Colette Rausch, and two members of the team that captured these memorable interviews, followed by a reception and book-signing session.

Experts:

Colette Rausch

Khitam Al-Khaykanee

With a foreword by the Dalai Lama, the book collects interviews with 80 ordinary citizens – a taxi driver, a nun, a machinery worker, a mother -- from conflict zones all over the world. Their accounts illuminate the intensely personal experience of war, the uncertain transition to peace, and the aspirations that survive despite it all.

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General Election 2014 and the Protests in Bosnia: Is Change Possible?

Wed, 04/02/2014 - 10:00

Wed, 04/02/2014 - 11:30

The U.S. Institute of Peace and Emerging Democracies Institute co-hosted a public discussion with experts examining whether the ongoing protests in Bosnia and Herzegovina cause concern for the upcoming elections.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is in the deepest political crisis since the Dayton Peace Agreement ended the war in 1995. Years of political deadlock, dire economic conditions including an unemployment rate hovering above 44 percent, and growing impatience by citizens with their political leaders, fueled violent protests across the country and led a number of government officials to resign.

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Security Sector Governance

Violent Extremists Find Traction Among Kosovo’s Youth

Narratives of religious militancy resonate profoundly with vulnerable youth across the world, but especially in already politically and economically fragile environments such as some parts of the Western Balkans. Kosovo now is home to one of the highest rates, per capita, of individuals who have traveled to Iraq and Syria to support ISIS and Jabhat Fate al Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front. In addition to those who seek to join these terrorist organizations, many more have found affinity with the ideas of extremism and support actions that are fracturing already fragile societies.

Dynamics of Radicalization and Violent Extremism in Kosovo

Relying in large part on primary empirical evidence, this report explores the dynamics of violent extremism in Kosovo and the disproportionately high number of radicalized fighters from the region in Syria and Iraq. Examining the historic, cultural, geopolitical, and socioeconomic factors behind the phenomenon, it focuses on the flow as a symptom of a larger religious militancy problem within the country and offers recommendations on countering that challenge.

Adrian Shtuni

Summary

Kosovo, a country with no prior history of religious militancy, has become a prime source of foreign fighters in the Iraqi and Syrian conflict theater relative to population size.
About three in four Kosovan adults known to have traveled to Syria and Iraq since 2012 were between seventeen and thirty years old at the time of their departure. By mid-2016, about 37 percent had returned.

Mon, 12/19/2016 - 09:08

Issue Areas:

Countering Violent Extremism

Countries:

Kosovo

Key Links:

Partners (HTML):

Featured (HTML):

Sofía Sebastián

Sofía

Sebastián

Former Fritz Thyssen TAPIR Visiting Fellow

Please submit all media inquiries to interviews@usip.org or call 202.429.3869.

For all other inquiries, please call 202.457.1700.

Note: This is an archived profile of a former U.S. Institute of Peace expert. The information is current as of the dates of tenure.

Issue Areas:

Post Conflict Reconstruction

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Philippe Leroux-Martin

Philippe

Leroux-Martin

Director, Rule of Law, Justice and Security

Please submit all media inquiries to interviews@usip.org or call 202.429.3869.

For all other inquiries, please call 202.457.1700.

Philippe Leroux-Martin is the director rule of law, justice and security at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Issue Areas:

Post Conflict Reconstruction

Rule of Law

Role:

Governance, Law & Society

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The Future of USG Advising Missions

Thu, 01/15/2015 - 09:00

Thu, 01/15/2015 - 11:30

From Afghanistan to Iraq, Ukraine to Honduras, advising is a key U.S. strategy to address weak government capacity in sectors including finance, policing, education, agriculture, transportation, justice, and many others. Yet advising missions too often are hindered by challenges common across all U.S. government agencies. Please join us for a policy-level discussion about mission mandates for long-term, locally-owned solutions, the first in a series of conversations on advising as a means to provide foreign assistance and capacity building to partner countries.

9:00 | Welcome
Ambassador William B. Taylor
Acting President, United States Institute of Peace

9:10 | Keynote Address
What is the strategic value of advising programs and what is the role of policy in ensuring their effectiveness?
James Schear
Public Policy Scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Partnership Strategy and Stability Operations

9:25 | Panel Discussion (I): How can USG advising missions best contribute to host nation capacity?
Discussant: Nadia Gerspacher, Director, Security Sector Education, United States Institute of Peace
Respondents: representatives of:

Office of Technical Assistance, US Department of the Treasury
International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), US Department of Justice
Bureau of Counterterrorism, US Department of State
Center for Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG Center), US Agency for International Development (USAID)
Ministry of Defense Advisors (MoDA) Program, OSD Policy

10:15 | BREAK

10:30 | Panel Discussion (II): What changes are needed to maximize the sustainability of USG advising missions?
Discussant: Nadia Gerspacher, Director, Security Sector Education, United States Institute of Peace
Respondents: representatives of:

International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), US Department of Justice
Center for Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG Center), US Agency for International Development (USAID)
Ministry of Defense Advisors (MoDA) Program, Defense Security Cooperation Agency

11:15 | Summary, conclusions, and next steps

Advising is increasingly understood to be the prevalent instrument for building long-term peace and stability. As U.S. government agencies deploy advisors to help build institutions and solve problems, mission plans become the foundation for effective capacity building.

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A Post-War Transition That Works: A Lesson for Afghanistan... from Kosovo

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the United Nations-NATO intervention in Kosovo that began the hard work of successfully transitioning from major combat operations to peacekeeping. It’s one of the few examples of an international intervention that actually worked by responding to a complex humanitarian disaster, while also reducing the level of overt violence and building – or rebuilding governing institutions.

Dominik Tolksdorf

Dominik

Tolksdorf

Former Transatlantic Post-Doctoral Fellow for International Relations and Security (TAPIR)

Please submit all media inquiries to interviews@usip.org or call 202.429.3869.

For all other inquiries, please call 202.457.1700.

Note: This is an archived profile of a former U.S. Institute of Peace expert. The information is current as of the dates of tenure.

Role:

Countries:

Leanne McKay

Leanne

McKay

Former Senior Program Officer, Rule of Law, Justice and Security

Please submit all media inquiries to interviews@usip.org or call 202.429.3869.

For all other inquiries, please call 202.457.1700.

Note: This is an archived profile of a former U.S. Institute of Peace expert. The information is current as of the dates of tenure.

Leanne McKay is a senior program officer for Rule of Law, Justice and Security at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Her work focuses on engaging government and civil society representatives on the promotion of the rule of law in countries transitioning from conflict.

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Articles & Analysis

Violent Extremists Find Traction Among Kosovo’s Youth

Last month, police arrested 25 people for allegedly planning synchronized terrorist attacks in Kosovo and Albania, including against the Israeli national soccer team and its fans during a match....

By:

Georgia Holmer

A Post-War Transition That Works: A Lesson for Afghanistan... from Kosovo

A case study hashed out at West Point recently focused on a conflict 15 years past to demonstrate that a post-war transition has a better chance of success with three key elements. The formula...

By:

Paul Hughes and Linwood Ham

USIP, Partners Release Report on Realizing ‘Responsibility to Protect’

Despite the war-weariness of Americans and political and institutional obstacles, the United States should take the global lead in fulfilling the "Responsibility to Protect," an international norm...

By:

Thomas Omestad

Videos & Webcasts

Personal Stories from the Frontlines of War and Peace

From Iraq to Burma, from Peru to Yemen, from Nicaragua to Nepal, the personal stories of widows, children, workers, and soldiers often are lost in the cacophony of war. The U.S. Institute of...

General Election 2014 and the Protests in Bosnia: Is Change Possible?

The U.S. Institute of Peace and Emerging Democracies Institute co-hosted a public discussion with experts examining whether the ongoing protests in Bosnia and Herzegovina cause concern for the...

Bringing Peace Through Facilitated Dialogue: A Book Launch

Today’s international conflicts typically involve multiple actors, interests, and drivers that have sparked long, violent histories. Ending these conflicts relies more and more on facilitated...

Learn More

Publications

Dynamics of Radicalization and Violent Extremism in Kosovo

By:

Adrian Shtuni

NATO’s Balancing Act

By:

USIP Staff

NATO's Balancing Act evaluates the alliance’s performance of its three core tasks—collective defense, crisis management, and cooperative security—and reviews its members’ efforts to achieve the right...