Conflict in Kosovo: Failure of Prevention?
Publisher: ECMI Volume: 106 pages, pdf Description: The fact that the South-western corner of the Republic of Serbia within today’s Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is inhabited predominantly by ethnic Albanians became a pressing political problem immediately after the death of Tito in May 1980: Kosovo Albanians demanded an upgrade of their autonomous province to the seventh Yugoslav republic. Not only was this demand rejected, but in 1989 Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic sacked what was left of Kosovo’s political autonomy. Since then, the Albanian majority of the region has been under virtual siege by Serbian security forces.