Republic of Kosovo: Difference between revisions

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	{{redirect5\|Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija\|the ] entity of the same name between 1946 and 1974\|Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (1946-1974)\|an account of the period between 1990 and 1999\|Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (1990–1999)}}
	{{redirect6\|Republic of Kosovo\|the state proclaimed in 1991\|Republic of Kosova\|\|Kosovo (disambiguation)}}

	{{Infobox Country
	\|conventional_long_name = Kosovo
	\|common_name = Kosovo
	\| image_map = Location Kosovo Europe.png
	\| map_caption = Location of '''Kosovo''' (dark green) - ''']''' (darker grey)<br />
	on the ]an continent (green + dark grey)
	\|ethnic_groups = 92% ]<br />{{spaces\|2}}5.3% ]<br />{{spaces\|2}}2.7% others<ref>{{citation \| url = http://www.ks-gov.net/ESK/eng/ \| title = Statistical Office \| publisher = Republic of Kosovo}}</ref>
	\|ethnic_groups_year = 2007
	\|capital = {{nowrap\|] (Prishtina or Priština)}}
	\|latd = 42
	\|latm = 40
	\|latNS = N
	\|longd = 21
	\|longm = 10
	\|longEW = E
	\|area_magnitude = 1 E10
	\|area_km2 = 10,908
	\|area_sq_mi = 4,212
	\|percent_water = n/a
	\|population_estimate = 2,100,000<ref>See {{Dead link\|date=July 2009}}
	, Kosovo’s population estimates range from 1.9 to 2.4 million. The last two population census conducted in 1981 and 1991 estimated Kosovo’s population at 1.6 and 1.9 million respectively, but the 1991 census probably undercounted Albanians. The latest estimate in 2001 by OSCE puts the number at 2.4 Million. The World Factbook gives an estimate of 2,126,708 for the year 2007 (see {{CIA World Factbook link\|kv\|Kosovo}}).</ref>
	\|population_estimate_year = 2007
	\|population_census = 1,956,196{{smallsup\|1}}
	\|population_census_year = 1991
	\|population_density_km2 = 220
	\|population_density_sq_mi = 500
	\|GDP_PPP_year = 2007
	\|GDP_PPP = $5 billion<ref name="CIAKosovo">{{cite web\|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kv.html\|title=The World Factbook - Kosovo\|work=CIA.gov\|date=March 20, 2008\|accessdate=2008-04-05}}</ref>
	\|GDP_PPP_rank = n/a
	\|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $2,300<ref name="CIAKosovo"/>
	\|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 151st
	\|GDP_nominal_year = 2008
	\|GDP_nominal = €3.804 billion<ref name="imfaidememoire2009">{{cite web \|url=http://www.unmikonline.org/AideMemoireFebruary25_2009.pdf \|format=PDF\|title=IMF Staff Visit to Kosovo \|work=IMF.org \|author=International Monetary Fund \|date=February 11-17, 2009 \|accessdate=2009-03-13}}</ref>
	\|GDP_nominal_rank = n/a
	\|GDP_nominal_per_capita = €1.759<ref name="imfaidememoire2009"/>
	\|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = n/a
	\|currency = ] (])
	\|currency_code = EUR
	\|time_zone = ]
	\|utc_offset = +1
	\|time_zone_DST = ]
	\|utc_offset_DST = +2
	\|drives_on = right
	\|cctld = ] {{smallsup\|3}}
	\|calling_code = +381{{smallsup\|2}}
	\|footnote1 = The census is a reconstruction; most of the ethnic Albanian majority boycotted.
	\|footnote2 = Officially ]; some mobile phone providers use ] (Monaco) or ] (Slovenia) instead.
	\|footnote3 = ] has not given Kosova its own ], ] it the ccTLD of Serbia
	}}
	{{Republic of Kosovo}}
	{{Infobox Country
	\|conventional_long_name = Kosovo, UN administration
	\|image_map = Map of Serbia (Kosovo and Metohija).PNG
	\|map_caption = Kosovo as defined by UNSCR 1244
	\|common_name = Kosovo
	\|continent = Europe
	\|region = Balkans
	\|capital = Pristina
	\|image_flag = Flag of the United Nations.svg
	\|image_coat =
	\|sovereignty_type = UN administration
	\|sovereignty_note = ] of Kosovo
	\|leader_title1 = ]
	\|leader_name1 = ] (])
	\|leader_title2 = ]
	\|leader_name2 = ] (])
	\|leader_title3 = ]
	\|leader_name3 = ] (])
	\|established_event1 = ]
	\|established_date1 = 10 June 1999
	\|established_event2 = ]
	\|established_date2 = 16 February 2008
	}}
	{{History of Kosovo}}
	'''Kosovo''' ({{lang-sq\|Kosova, Kosovë}}; {{lang-sr\|Косово or Косово и Метохија, ''Kosovo'' or ''Kosovo i Metohija''}}<ref name="parlament.sr.gov.yu"></ref>) is a disputed territory in the ]. Its majority is governed by the ] '''Republic of Kosovo''' ({{lang-sq\|Republika e Kosovës}}; {{lang-sr\|Република Косово, ''Republika Kosovo''}}), a self-declared independent state which has '']'' control over the territory; the exceptions are some ]. ] does not recognise the secession of Kosovo and considers it a ]-governed entity within its ], the '''Autonomous Province of Kosovo and ]''' ({{lang-sr\|Аутономна Покрајина Косово и Метохија, ''Autonomna Pokrajina Kosovo i Metohija''}}), according to the Constitution of ] (2006).<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.venice.coe.int/site/dynamics/N_Opinion_ef.asp?L=E&OID=405 \|title=Documents by Opinion and Study \|publisher=Venice.coe.int \|date= \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>
	<!-- Note: Below, the exact sentence with alternative city names was first discussed on the talk page, proposed, then inserted here as consensus. Please do not alter it without discussing it first on the talk page. Thank you. -->

	Kosovo is a landlocked territory. Apart from being disputed by Serbia with which if forms a continuous land north and eastward, the remainder is bordered by the ] to the south, ] to the west and ] to the northwest (all of which recognise Kosovo as independent). The largest city and the capital of Kosovo is ] (alternatively spelled ''Prishtina'' or ''Priština''), while other cities include ] (''Peja''), ], ] (''Gjakova''), and ] (''Mitrovica'').

	In ], Kosovo formed the central part of the Kingdom of ]a,<ref>Conquest and empire: the reign of ] By A. B. Bosworth Edition: reissue, illustrated, reprint Published by ], 1993ISBN 052140679X, 9780521406796 link </ref> Kosovo was then a part of the ], ], ] and ] empires. Following the ] in 1389, it became part of the ]; this brought the region into close contact with the ] and subsequently introduced ] to the population. During the late 19th century, Kosovo was the centre of the Albanian national ]. In 1912, the Ottoman ] was divided between ] and ], both of which became part of ] in 1918. During ], the majority of Kosovo was part of the ] before becoming an ] under the ].

	After the ] and the 1999 ],<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">{{cite web\|author=Michael Montgomery \|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7990984.stm \|title=Europe \| Horrors of KLA prison camps revealed \|publisher=BBC News \|date=2009-04-10 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref> the territory came under the interim administration of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (]), most of whose roles were assumed by the European Union ] Mission in Kosovo (]) in December 2008.<ref>"", BBC, 9 December 2008. – Retrieved on 19 May 2009.</ref> In February 2008, the ] declared Kosovo's independence as the ''Republic of Kosovo''. Its independence is ] {{Kosovorecognition\|by\|UN member states}} and the ] (]). On 8 October 2008, upon request of Serbia, the ] ] adopted a resolution asking the ] for an ] on the issue of Kosovo's ].<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE49780C20081008 \|title=U.N. backs Serbia in judicial move on Kosovo \| International \|publisher=Reuters \|date=2008-10-08 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	==Name==
	{{Main\|Names of Kosovo}}
	''Kosovo'' ({{lang-sr\|Косово}}, {{IPA-sr\|ˈkɔsɔvɔ\|pron}}<!--PLEASE VERIFY VOWELS-->) is the Serbian neuter ] of ''kos'' (кос) "]",<ref>''Ibid''.</ref><ref>. Dr John-Peter Maher, ] of Linguistics, ]</ref> an ] for ''Kosovo Polje'' "field of the blackbirds", the ] of the 1389 ]. The name of the field was applied to ] created in 1864.

	The region currently known as "Kosovo" became an ] in 1946, as the ]. In 1974, the compositional "Kosovo and ]" was reduced to simple "Kosovo" in the name of the ], but in 1990 was renamed back to ].{{Citation needed\|date=July 2009}}

	The entire region is commonly referred to in ] simply as ''Kosovo'' and in ] as ''{{lang\|sq\|Kosova}}'' (], {{IPA-all\|kɔˈsova\|}}) or ''{{lang\|sq\|Kosovë}}'' (], {{IPA-all\|kɔˈsoːv\|}}). In ], a distinction is made between the eastern and western areas; the term ''{{lang\|sr-Latn\|Kosovo}}'' ({{lang\|sr\|Косово}}) is used for the eastern part, while the western part is called '']'' ({{lang\|sr\|Метохија}}).<ref name="parlament.sr.gov.yu"/>

	Since Kosovo declared independence, it can now also be referred to as "The Republic of Kosovo" in English, though "Kosovo" is still the most common name used.
	==History==
	{{Main\|History of Kosovo\|20th century history of Kosovo}}

	Kosovo's current status is the result of the turmoil of the ], particularly the ] of 1998 to 1999, but it is suffused with issues dating back to the ] during the last part of ] in the ], ] nationalism (centered around the claim that Kosovo was historically theirs due to ] with the ]) vs. ] (notably surrounding the ] eponymous with the Kosovo region) in particular.

	===Early history (before 1455)===
	{{Main\|Dardani\|Illyrians\|Battle of Kosovo\|History of Medieval Serbia}}

	From the 4th to 1st centuries BC, the ] inhabited the region which roughly corresponds to modern Kosovo.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.fanaticus.org/DBA/armies/I47/index.html \|title=I/47 Illyrians (700 BC - 10 AD) \|publisher=Fanaticus.org \|date=2003-06-13 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref> The area was then conquered by Rome in the ], and incorporated into the ] of ] in 59 BC. Subsequently, it became part of ] in AD 87. The ] reached the Balkans in the 6th to ], whereby autochthonous peoples merged with the northern newcomers.<ref>The Illyrians. A Stipcevic. Noyes Press. Pg 76 ''the Slavs merged with these people (the Illyrians), thus preserving in their own identity remains of ancient Illyrians''</ref> Kosovo was absorbed into the ] in the 850s, where Christianity and a Byzantine-Slavic culture was cemented in the region. It was re-taken by the Byzantines after 1018, and became part of the newly established Theme of Bulgaria. As the centre of Slavic resistance to Constantinople in the region, the region often switched between Serbian and Bulgarian rule on one hand and Byzantine on the other until the Serb principality of ] conquered it definitively by the end of the ].<ref>John Fine. ''The Early Medieval Balkans. A Critial Survey from the late 12th Century to the Ottoman Conquest. Page 7.''the Hungarian attack launched in 1183 with which Nemanja was allied...was able to conquer Kosovo and Metohija, including Prizren ''</ref> Such takeovers had little impact on the local populace, since it merely represented a changing of one Balkan Christian dynasty by another. The zenith of Serbian power was reached in 1346, with the formation of the ]. During the 13th and 14th centuries, Kosovo became a political and spiritual centre of the Serbian Kingdom. In the late 1200s, the seat of the Serbian Archbishopric wasmoved to Pec, and rulers centred themselves between Prizren and Skopje.<ref>Cirkovic. ''The Serbs''. Page 50-51 "The shift was more apparent to the south at first, symbolized by the transfer of the Serbian archbishporic from Zica to Pec. Ras lost its role as state capitcal and was neglected. The rulers attached themselves to a complex of castles .. around a lake in Kosovo, Orizren and Skipje"</ref><ref>Denis P Hupchik. The Balkans. From Constantinople to Commnism. Page 93 "Dusan.. established his new state primate's seat at Pec (Ipek), in Kosovo"</ref> When the Serbian Empire fragmented into a conglomeration of principalities in 1371, Kosovo became the hereditary land of the ].

	In the ] ], Ottoman forces defeated a coalition of Serbs, Albanians, and Bosnians <ref name="prospect-magazine.co.uk">{{cite web\|url=http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=4173 \|title=Essays: 'The battle of Kosovo' by Noel Malcolm \| Prospect Magazine May 1998 issue 30 \|publisher=Prospect-magazine.co.uk \|date= \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref> led by the Prince ]. Soon after parts of Serbia accepted Turkish vassalage and Lazar's daughter was married to the Sultan to seal peace.
	By 1455, it was finally and fully conquered by the Ottoman Empire.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/v/vickers-serb.html</ref>

	===Ottoman Kosovo (1455–1912)===
	{{Main\|History of Ottoman Kosovo}}
	{{See\|Vilayet of Kosovo\|History of Ottoman Serbia}}

	Kosovo was part of the ] from 1455 to 1912, at first as part of the '']'' of ], and from 1864 as a separate ] ('']''). During this time, ] was introduced to the population. The ] was an area much larger than today's Kosovo; it included all today's Kosovo territory, sections of the ] region cutting into present-day ] and ] along with the ] municipality, the surrounding region in present-day northern ] and also parts of north-western ] with the city of ] (then Üsküp), as its capital. Between 1881 and 1912 (its final phase), it was internally expanded to include other regions of present-day ], including larger urban settlements such as ] (''İştip''), ] (''Kumanova'') and ] (''Kratova'') ().

	Ottoman occupation left a lasting demographic effect on Kosovo — with full-scale dislocation of Chistian groups (especially Serbs and Orthodox ]). The Serb population never accepted Ottoman rule and often rose against the foreign regimen. According to Banac, "Ottoman raids, plunder, slaving forays, as well as the general devastation caused by constant wars uprooted large numbers of Serbs even before the 'Great Serb Migration' ".<ref name="harvtxt\|Banac\|p=42">{{harvtxt\|Banac\|p=42}}</ref>. Kosovo, like Serbia, was occupied by Austrian forces during the Great War of 1683–1699,<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/17cen/habsbott16831699.html \|title=WHKMLA : Habsburg-Ottoman War, 1683-1699 \|publisher=Zum.de \|date= \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref> but the Ottomans re-established their rule of the region. Such acts of assistance by the Austrian Empire (then arch-rivals of the Ottoman Empire), or Russia, were always abortive or temporary at best.<ref name="harvtxt\|Banac\|p=42"/><ref>Cirkovic. Pg 115 '' Prior to the final conquest, the Turks often took inhabitants as slaves, frequently to Asia Minor</ref>. In 1690, the ] ] apparently led some 30,000 to 40,000 predominantly ] out of Kosovo and other areas into ].<ref>The Serbs. Sima Cirkovic. ]. Pg 144 ''Patriarch Arsenije III claimed that 30,000 people followed him (on another occasion the figure was 40, 000)''</ref> More migrations of ] from the Kosovo area preceded and followed throughout the 18th century during the ].<ref>Cirkovic. Pg 115 ''The great migrations that had begun earlier continued after the establishment of Ottoman rule in territories that had formerly been part of the Serbian state''</ref> In 1766, the Ottomans abolished the ] and the position of Christians in Kosovo further deteriorated, including full imposition of ] (taxation of non-Muslims).

	Although initially stout opponents of the advancing Turks, Albanian chiefs ultimately came to accept the Ottomans as sovereigns. The resulting alliance facilitated the mass conversion of Albanians to Islam. Given that the Ottoman Empire's subjects were divided along religious (rather than ethnic) lines, Islamicisation greatly elevated the status of Albanian chiefs. Prior to this, they were organized along simple tribal lines, living in the mountainous areas of modern Albania (from Kruje to the Sar range). Soon, they expanded into a depopulated Kosovo, as well as northwestern Macedonia, although some might have been autochthonous to the region.<ref>{{harvtxt\|Banac\|p=46}}</ref><ref>Cirkovic. Pg 244 ''In Kosovo there were visible signs of ethnic change which had accumulated since ] with the immigration of Albanian cattle farmers. In addition to the continual flow of settlers and the Islamisation of urban centres, changes in the population were also caused by political events ... Serbs left territories still under the Sultan's control.</ref><ref>John Fine. ''The Early Medieval Balkans. A Critial Survey from the late 12th Century to the Ottoman Conquest. Page 51. ''The Albanians were not to create any structure resembling a state until the fifteenth century. However, organized in tribes under their own chieftans, the ALbanians dominated the mountains of most of what we today think of as Albania''</ref> Many Albanians gained prominent positions in the Ottoman government, no fewer than 42 ]s of the Empire were Albanian in origin, including ] (1873–1936) an Albanian from ] who composed the ] in 1921, "İstiklâl Marşı" (The Independence March).<ref>Kosovo (Bradt ]), by Gail Warrander (Author), Verena Knaus (Author), ISBN 1841621994; ISBN 978-1841621999, Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides; 1st edition (January 1, 2008)</ref> As Hupchik states, "Albanians had little cause of unrest" and "if anything, grew important in Ottoman internal affairs",<ref name="hupchik">The Balkans. From Constantinople to Communism. Dennis Hupchik</ref> and sometimes persecuted Christians harshly on behalf of their Turkish masters.<ref name="prospect-magazine.co.uk"/>

	In the 19th century, there was an ] of ] throughout the Balkans. This systematised the underlying ethnic tensions into a broader struggle of Christian Serbs against Muslim Albanians.<ref name="prospect-magazine.co.uk"/> The ethnic ] movement was centred in Kosovo. In 1878 the '''League of Prizren''' ({{lang-sq\|Lidhja e Prizrenit}}) was formed. This was a ] which aimed to unify all the ] of the Ottoman Empire in a common struggle for autonomy and greater ],<ref>Kosovo What Everyone Needs to Know by Tim Judah Publisher ] US, 2008 ISBN 0195376730, 9780195376739 page 36</ref> although they generally desired the continuation of the Ottoman Empire, given their position as favoured subjects.<ref>Cirkovic. Pg 244 ''since Islamicised Albanians represented a significant portion of the Ottoman armed forces and administration, they did not give up the Empire easily''</ref> The League was dis-established in 1881 but nevertheless enabled the awakening of a ] amongst Albanians.<ref>George Gawlrych, The Crescent and the Eagle, (Palgrave/Macmilan, London, 2006), ISBN 1845112873</ref> It would be clear that Albanian ambitions were at odds with Serbian aims. The Kingdom of Serbia wished to incorporate this land formerly within its empire.

	===20th century===
	{{Main\|20th century history of Kosovo}}
	{{Very long\|date=July 2009}}
	====Balkan Wars====
	{{Main\|Balkan Wars}}
	The ] movement took control of the Ottoman Empire after coup in 1912 which disposed of Sultan ]. The movement supported a centralised form of government and opposed any sort of autonomy desired by the various nationalities of the Ottoman Empire. An allegiance to '''Ottomanism''' was promoted instead.<ref>Erik Zurcher, Ottoman sources of Kemalist thought, (New York, Routledge, 2004), Page. 19.</ref> An Albanian uprising in 1912 exposed the Empires Northern territories in Kosovo and ] which led to an invasion by the ]. ] suffered a serious defeat at the hands of Albanians in 1912, culminating in the Ottoman loss of most of its Albanian inhabited lands. The Albanians threatened to march all the way to ] and reimpose ].<ref>Noel Malcolm, A short history of Kosovo, (London, 1998), Page. 248. </ref> A wave of Albanians in the ] ranks also deserted during this period, refusing to fight their own kin. Two months later in September of the same year, a joint Balkan force made up of Serbian, Montenegrin, Bulgarian and Greek forces drove the Ottomans out of most its European possessions. The ] Audrey Hebert sums up the impact of the Albanian revolt in brining an end to Ottoman rule in Europe; ‘In the end, like Samson in the Temple of Gaza, they pulled down the columns of the Ottoman Empire upon their own head. It was the Albanians and not the Serbs or Bulgars or Greeks who defeated the Turks’.<ref>Ibid, Page. 249. </ref>
	The rise of Nationalism unfortunately hampered relations between Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo, due to influence from ], ] and ].<ref>See: Isa Blumi, ''Rethinking the Late Ottoman Empire: A Comparative Social and Political History of Albania and Yemen, 1878-1918''
	(Istanbul: The Isis Press, 2003)</ref> Kosovo's status within Serbia was finalised the following year at the ].<ref>.</ref> Soon, there were concerted Serbian colonisation efforts in Kosovo during various periods between Serbia's 1912 takeover of the province and ]. So the population of Serbs in Kosovo fell after World War II, but it had increased considerably before then.<ref>Noel Malcolm, ''A short history of Kosovo'', (London, 1995)</ref> An exodus of the local Albanian population occurred. Serbian authorities promoted creating new Serb settlements in Kosovo as well as the assimilation of Albanians into Serbian society.<ref name = "Schabnel 2001 20">Schabnel, Albrecht; Thakur, Ramesh (eds). Kosovo and the Challenge of Humanitarian Intervention: Selective Indignation, ], and International Citizenship. New York: The United Nations University, 2001. Pp. 20.</ref> Numerous colonist Serb families moved into Kosovo, equalising the demographic balance between Albanians and Serbs.

	====First World War and birth of Kingdom of Yugoslavia====
	In the winter of 1915–16, during ], Kosovo saw the retreat of the Serbian army as Kosovo was occupied by ] and ].
	In 1918, the Serbian Army pushed the ] out of Kosovo. After World War I ended, the Monarchy was then transformed into the ] on 1 December 1918.

	Kosovo was split into four counties, three being a part of Serbia (Zvečan, Kosovo and southern Metohija) and one of Montenegro (northern Metohija). However, the new administration system since 26 April 1922 split Kosovo among three Areas of the Kingdom: Kosovo, ] and ]. In 1929, the Kingdom was transformed into the ] and the territories of Kosovo were reorganised among the ], the ] and the ].

	In order to change the ethnic composition of Kosovo, between 1912 and 1941 a large-scale Serbian re-colonisation of Kosovo was undertaken by the Belgrade government. Meanwhile, Kosovar Albanians' right to receive education in their own language was denied alongside other non-Slavic or unrecognised ] of Yugoslavia, as the kingdom only recognised the Slavic Croat, Serb, and Slovene nations as ] of Yugoslavia, while other Slavs had to identify as one of the three official Slavic nations while non-Slav nations were only deemed as minorities.<ref name = "Schabnel 2001 20" /> Albanians and other Muslims were forced to emigrate, mainly with the ] which struck Albanian landowners in 1919, but also with direct violent measures.<ref name="daskalovski">Daskalovski, Židas. Claims to Kosovo: Nationalism and ]. In: Florian Bieber & Zidas Daskalovski (eds.), ''Understanding the War in Kosovo''. L.: Frank Cass, 2003. ISBN 0714653918. P. 13-30.</ref><ref name="malcolm">]. ''Kosovo: A Short History''. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1998. ISBN 0333666127.</ref> In 1935 and 1938 two agreements between the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and ] were signed on the expatriation of 240,000 Albanians to Turkey, which was not completed because of the outbreak of ].<ref>Ramet, Sabrina P. The Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Ends: Kosovo in Serbian Perception. In Mary Buckley & Sally N. Cummings (eds.), ''Kosovo: Perceptions of War and Its Aftermath''. L. – N.Y.: Continuum Press, 2002. ISBN 0826456707. P. 30-46.</ref>
	====Second World War====
	In 1941, Kosovo and Yugoslavia became involved in ] after the ] invaded Yugoslavia in 1941. Large parts of Kosovo became a part of ], other parts went to ] and ]-occupied ]. The Italian Fascist regime of ] with its expansionist and ] aims on both Albania and Yugoslavia exploited the nationalist sentiment amongst Albanians to gain favour of the Albanian population for the Italian-run protectorate which ruled Albania, and thus encouraged the establishment of a ] which included large portions of Kosovo which was achieved in the Second World War.<ref>Schabnel, Albrecht; Thakur (ed), Ramesh (ed), 2001. Pp. 20.</ref>

	According to some sources, tens of thousands of Serbs were driven out of Kosovo during the Second World War;<ref>Schabnel, Albrecht(ed); Thakur, Ramesh (ed), 2001. Pp. 20.</ref> other sources claim that around 10,000 Serbs were killed and between 80,000 and 100,000 Serbs were expelled, while roughly the same number of Albanians from Albania were brought to settle in these lands.<ref>Krizman, Serge. Massacre of the innocent Serbian population, committed in Yugoslavia by the Axis and its Satellite from April 1941 to August 1941. Map. Maps of Yugoslavia at War, Washington, 1943</ref> ], the Prime Minister of Albania, was in Kosovo in June 1942, and at a meeting with the Albanian leaders of Kosovo, he said: "''We should endeavour to ensure that the Serb population of Kosovo be – the area be cleansed of them and all Serbs who had been living there for centuries should be termed colonialists and sent to concentration camps in Albania. The Serb settlers should be killed.''"<ref>Bogdanovic, Dimitrije. The Book on Kosovo. 1990. Belgrade: ], 1985. page 2428.</ref><ref>Genfer, Der Kosovo-Konflikt, Munich: Wieser, 2000. page 158.</ref>

	At the 1944 wartime ] conference the Kosovar communist resistance leaders passed a resolution on the postwar assignment of Kosovo to Albania, but their opinion was later disregarded.<ref name="malcolm"/> After numerous uprisings of ] led by ], Kosovo was liberated after 1944 with the help of the Albanian partisans of the ] and became a province of ] within the ].

	====Kosovo in Communist Yugoslavia====
	{{Main\|Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (1946-1974)\|Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo}}

	The province as in its outline today first took shape in 1945 as the ''Autonomous Kosovo-Metohian Area''. Prior to world War II, the only entity baring the name of Kosovo had been a political unit carved from the former vilayet which bore no special significance to its internal population. In the ] (which previously controlled the territory), it had been a '']'' with its borders having been revised on several occasions. When the ] had last existed, it included areas which were by now either ceded to ], or found themselves within the newly created Yugoslav republics of ], or ] (including its previous capital, ]) with another part in the ] region of ].

	The violent oppression and forced expatriation of Albanians resumed, particularly after 1953, when ] reached an agreement with Turkish ] ] to push Yugoslavian Albanians to declare themselves Turks and leave for Turkey.<ref name="daskalovski"/>

	The harsh repressions and expatriations came to an end when the 4th Plenum of the ] of the ] held at ] (the ''Brioni Plenum'') in July 1966 ousted Yugoslavian ] and Vice President ],<ref name="hdk">]. ''Historical Dictionary of Kosova''. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2004. ISBN 0810853094.</ref> who was instrumental in the brutal treatment of Kosovar Albanians.<ref name="daskalovski"/> In the late 1960s Kosovo gained limited internal autonomy. In February 1970 the ] was opened, providing ] in Albanian.<ref name="hdk"/> In the 1974 constitution, the ]'s government received more powers, including the highest governmental titles – President and Prime Minister and a seat in the Federal Presidency which made it a ''de facto'' Republic within the Federation, but remaining a Socialist Autonomous Province within the Socialist Republic of Serbia (similar rights were extended to ]). In Kosovo ], ] and ] were defined as ]s on the provincial level. Due to very high ]s, the number of Albanians increased from 75% to over 90%. In contrast, the number of Serbs barely increased, and in fact dropped from 15% to 8% of the total population, since many Serbs departed from Kosovo as a response to the tight economic climate and increased incidents of alleged harassment from their Albanian neighbours. While there was tension, charges of "genocide" and planned harassments have been debunked as an excuse to revoke Kosovo's autonomy. For example in 1986 the ] published an official claim that Kosovo Serbs were being subjected to an Albanian program of 'Genocide'<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite web\|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ap8wa_YmT2QC&pg=PA215&dq=genocide+false+kosovo&sig=kmSTVjt9oW2TpXi7kUVw81mjN7o \|title=Religion and the creation of race ... - Google Books \|publisher=Books.google.com \|date= \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref> Even though they were disproved by police statistics,<ref name="books.google.com"/> they received wide play in the Serbian press and that led to further ethnic problems and eventual removal of Kosovo's status. Beginning in March 1981, Kosovar Albanian students of the University of Pristina organised protests seeking that Kosovo become a republic within Yugoslavia along with ].<ref name="nyt19810419">New York Times 1981-04-19, "One Storm has Passed but Others are Gathering in Yugoslavia"</ref> The protests were brutally suppressed by the police and army, with many protesters arrested.<ref name="hdk"/> During the 1980s, ethnic tensions continued with frequent violent outbreaks against Yugoslav state authorities resulting in a further increase in emigration of Kosovo Serbs and other ]s.<ref name="reuters19860527">Reuters 1986-05-27, "Kosovo Province Revives Yugoslavia's Ethnic Nightmare"</ref><ref name="csm19860728">Christian Science Monitor 1986-07-28, "Tensions among ethnic groups in Yugoslavia begin to boil over"</ref> The Yugoslav leadership tried to suppress protests of Kosovo Serbs seeking protection from ] and violence.<ref name="nyt19870627">New York Times 1987-06-27, "Belgrade Battles Kosovo Serbs"</ref>

	====Disintegration of Yugoslavia====
	{{Main\|Kosovo War\|Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (1990–1999)\|Republic of Kosova (1990–2000)}}
	{{See\|Disintegration of Yugoslavia}}
	], connecting the Serbian and Albanian parts of the city of ].]]
	Inter-ethnic tensions continued to worsen in Kosovo throughout the 1980s.
	The 1986 ] warned that Yugoslavia was suffering from ethnic strife and the disintegration of the Yugoslav economy into separate ] and territories, which was transforming the federal state into a loose confederation.<ref>SANU (1986): . GIP Kultura. Belgrade.</ref>

	On June 28, 1989, ] delivered the ] in front of a large number of Serb citizens at the main celebration marking the 600th anniversary of the ]. Many think that this speech helped Milošević consolidate his authority in Serbia.<ref>''The Economist'', June 05, 1999, U.S. Edition, 1041 words, "What's next for Slobodan Milošević?"</ref>
	In 1989, Milošević, employing a mix of intimidation and political manoeuvring, drastically reduced Kosovo's special autonomous status within Serbia and started cultural oppression of the ethnic Albanian population.<ref name="rogel">Rogel, Carole. . ''International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society'', Vol. 17, No. 1 (September 2003): 167–82.</ref> Kosovo Albanians responded with a ] separatist movement, employing widespread ] and creation of parallel structures in ] care, and taxation, with the ultimate goal of achieving the independence of Kosovo.<ref>Clark, Howard. ''Civil Resistance in Kosovo''. London: ], 2000. ISBN 0-745315690.</ref> On July 2, 1990, the self declared Kosovo parliament declared Kosovo an independent country, the ]. In May 1992, ] was elected president.<ref name="babuna">Babuna, Aydın. . ''Perceptions'' 8(3), September-November 2003: 43-69.</ref> During its lifetime, the Republic of Kosova was only ] by ]; it was formally disbanded in 2000 when its institutions were replaced by the ] established by the ] (UNMIK).

	====Kosovo War====
	{{Main\|Kosovo War}}
	In 1995 the ] ended the ], drawing considerable international attention. However, despite the hopes of Kosovar Albanians, the situation in Kosovo remained largely unaddressed by the ], and by 1996 the ] (KLA), an ethnic ] guerilla group, had prevailed over the ] movement and had started offering armed resistance to ] and ] security forces, resulting in early stages of the ].<ref name="rogel"/><ref>Rama, Shinasi A. . ''The International Journal of Albanian Studies'', 1 (1998), pp. 15-19.</ref> By 1998, as the violence had worsened and displaced scores of Albanians, Western interest had increased. The Serbian authorities were compelled to sign a ] and partial retreat, monitored by ] observers according to an agreement negotiated by ]. However, the ceasefire did not hold and fighting resumed in December 1998. The ] in January 1999 in particular brought new international attention to the conflict.<ref name="rogel"/> Within weeks, a multilateral international conference was convened and by March had prepared a draft agreement known as the ], calling for restoration of Kosovo's autonomy and deployment of ] ]. The ] found the terms unacceptable and refused to sign the draft.

	Between March 24 and June 10, 1999, ] by bombing Yugoslavia<ref>{{citeweb\|url=http://www.nato.int/kosovo/all-frce.htm\|title=Operation Allied Force\|publisher=]}}</ref> aimed to force Milošević to withdraw his forces from Kosovo. This military action was not authorized by the Security Council of the United Nations and was therefore contrary to the provisions of the United Nations Charter. Combined with continued skirmishes between Albanian guerrillas and Yugoslav forces the conflict resulted in a further massive displacement of population in Kosovo.<ref>{{citeweb\|url=http://www.unhcr.org/partners/PARTNERS/3bb051c54.pdf\|title=NATO and Humanitarian Action in the Kosovo Crisis\|author=Larry Minear, Ted van Baarda, Marc Sommers\|year=2000\|publisher=]\|format=PDF}}</ref>
	During the conflict, roughly a million ethnic Albanians fled or were forcefully driven from Kosovo. Altogether, more than 11,000 deaths have been reported to ] by her prosecutors.<ref name="BBC">{{citeweb\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/514828.stm \|title=World: Europe UN gives figure for Kosovo dead }}</ref> Some 3,000 people are still missing, of which 2,500 are Albanian, 400 Serbs and 100 ].<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/781310.stm \|title=3,000 missing in Kosovo \|author=KiM Info-Service \|date= 2000-06-07}}</ref> Ultimately by June Milošević had agreed to a foreign military presence within Kosovo and withdrawal of his troops.

	Since May 1999, the ] has prosecuted crimes committed during the Kosovo War. Nine Serbian and Yugoslavian commanders have been indicted so far for ] and violations of the ] in Kosovo in 1999: Yugoslavian President ], Serbian President ], Yugoslavian ] ], Yugoslavian Chief of the General Staff Gen. ], Serbian Interior Minister ], Gen. ], Gen. ''Vladimir Lazarević'', Deputy Interior Minister of Serbia ] and Chief of the Interior for Kosovo ]. Stojiljković killed himself while at large in 2002 and Milošević died in custody during the trial in 2006. No final judgement concerning the other defendants has been produced so far. The indictment against the nine has alleged that they directed, encouraged or supported a campaign of terror and violence directed at Kosovo Albanian civilians and aimed at the expulsion of a substantial portion of them from Kosovo. It has been alleged that about 800,000 Albanians were expelled as a result. In particular, in the last indictment as of June 2006, the accused were charged with murder of 919 identified Kosovo Albanian civilians aged from one to 93, both male and female.<ref>http://www.icty.org/x/cases/slobodan_milosevic/cis/en/cis_milosevic_slobodan.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.icty.org/x/cases/milutinovic/cis/en/cis_milutinovic_al_en.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.icty.org/x/cases/djordjevic/cis/en/cis_djordjevic_en.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.icty.org/x/cases/djordjevic/ind/en/dor-3rdai070119.pdf</ref> Six KLA commanders were indicted in two cases: ], ] and ],<ref>Another Albanian was indicted together with them, but the charges against him were promptly withdrawn after his arrest, as he turned out not to be the person referred to in the indictment.</ref> as well as ], ''Idriz Balaj'' and ''Lahi Brahimaj''. They were charged with crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war in Kosovo in 1998, consisting in persecutions, cruel treatment, torture, murders and rape of several dozens of the local Serbs, Albanians and other civilians perceived unloyal to the KLA. In particular, Limaj, Musliu and Bala were accused of murder of 22 identified detainees at or near the Llapushnik ]. In 2005 Limaj and Musliu were found not guilty on all charges, Bala was found guilty of persecutions, cruel treatment, murders and rape and sentenced to 13 years. The appeal chamber affirmed the judgements in 2007. In 2008 Ramush Haradinaj and Idriz Balaj were acquitted, whereas Lahi Brahimaj was found guilty of cruel treatment and torture and sentenced to six years. Notices of appeal are currently being considered.<ref>http://www.icty.org/x/cases/limaj/cis/en/cis_limaj_et_al.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.icty.org/x/cases/haradinaj/cis/en/cis_haradinaj_al_en.pdf</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.icty.org/x/cases/limaj/ind/en/lim-2ai040212e.htm \|title=Second Amended Indictment - Limaj et al \|publisher=Icty.org \|date= \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	==UN administration period==
	{{Main\|Kosovo (UNMIK)\|Kosovo status process}}
	] river.]]
	]
	On June 10, 1999, the UN Security Council passed ], which placed Kosovo under transitional UN administration (]) and authorised ], a NATO-led peacekeeping force. Resolution 1244 provided that Kosovo would have autonomy within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and affirmed the ] of Yugoslavia, which has been legally succeeded by the Republic of Serbia.<ref name="autogenerated1999">{{cite news \|title=RESOLUTION 1244 (1999) \|date=1999-06-17 \|publisher=BBC News \|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/371562.stm \|accessdate=2008-02-19 \|language=}}</ref>

	Some 200,000-280,000, representing the majority of the Serb population, left when the Serbian forces left. There was also some looting of Serb properties and even violence against some of those Serbs and Roma who remained.<ref>" ", report by ], ] Commissioner for Human Rights, Strasbourg, October 16, 2002, p. 30.</ref> The current number of ]s is disputed,<ref>], Critical Appraisal of Responsee Mechanisms Operating in Kosovo for Minority Returns, Pristina, February 2004, p. 14.</ref><ref>U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR), April 2000, Reversal of Fortune: Yugoslavia's Refugees Crisis Since the Ethnic Albanian Return to Kosovo, p. 2–3.</ref><ref>" ", report by ], ] Commissioner for Human Rights, Strasbourg, October 16, 2002.</ref><ref>International Relations and Security Network (ISN): , by Tim Judah, June 7, 2004.</ref> with estimates ranging from 65,000<ref>European Stability Initiative (ESI): , June 7, 2004.</ref> to 250,000.<ref>Coordinating Centre of Serbia for Kosovo-Metohija: .</ref><ref>]: 2002 Annual Statistical Report: ], pg. 9</ref><ref>] (USCRI): .</ref> Many displaced Serbs are afraid to return to their homes, even with UNMIK protection. Around 120,000-150,000 Serbs remain in Kosovo, but are subject to ongoing harassment and discrimination due to physical threats for their safety.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk"/>

	International negotiations began in 2006 to determine the final status of Kosovo, as envisaged under ]. The UN-backed talks, led by UN ] ], began in February 2006. Whilst progress was made on technical matters, both parties remained diametrically opposed on the question of status itself.<ref>" ", ''BBC News'', October 9, 2006.</ref>

	In February 2007, Ahtisaari delivered a draft status settlement proposal to leaders in Belgrade and Pristina, the basis for a draft ] which proposes 'supervised independence' for the province. A draft resolution, backed by the ], the ] and other European members of the ], was presented and rewritten four times to try to accommodate Russian concerns that such a resolution would undermine the principle of state sovereignty.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2007/06/29/nb-07 \|title=Russia reportedly rejects fourth draft resolution on Kosovo status \|author=Southeast European Times \|date=2007-06-29 \|accessdate=2009-07-24}}</ref> Russia, which holds a veto in the Security Council as one of five permanent members, had stated that it would not support any resolution which was not acceptable to both Belgrade and Kosovo Albanians.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2007/07/10/nb-02 \|title=UN Security Council remains divided on Kosovo \|author=Southeast European Times \|date= 2007-07-10 \|accessdate= 2009-07-24}}</ref> Whilst most observers had, at the beginning of the talks, anticipated independence as the most likely outcome, others have suggested that a rapid resolution might not be preferable.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/985caa90-de5a-11db-afa7-000b5df10621.html?nclick_check=1 \|title=A long reconciliation process is required \|author=James Dancer \|date=2007-03-30 \|publisher=Financial Times}}</ref>

	After many weeks of discussions at the UN, the United States, United Kingdom and other European members of the Security Council formally 'discarded' a draft resolution backing Ahtisaari's proposal on 20 July 2007, having failed to secure Russian backing. Beginning in August, a "]" consisting of negotiators from the ] (]), the United States (]) and ] (Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko) launched a new effort to reach a status outcome acceptable to both Belgrade and Pristina. Despite Russian disapproval, the U.S., the United Kingdom, and France appeared likely to recognise Kosovar independence.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2209907,00.html \|title=Bosnian nightmare returns to haunt EU \|author=Simon Tisdall \|date=2007-11-13 \|publisher=The Guardian}}</ref> A declaration of independence by Kosovar Albanian leaders was postponed until the end of the ] (4 February 2008). Most ] and the US had feared that a premature declaration could boost support in Serbia for the ultra-nationalist candidate, ].<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6386467.stm \|title=Europe \| Q&A: Kosovo's future \|publisher=BBC News \|date=2008-07-11 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	====UN administration 1999–2008====
	{{POV\|date=November 2008}}
	{{Main\|United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo\|Provisional Institutions of Self-Government\|}}
	{{Main\|Political status of Kosovo\|Kosovo status process}}
	On June 10, 1999, the UN Security Council passed ], which placed Kosovo under transitional UN administration (]) and authorised ], a NATO-led peacekeeping force. Resolution 1244 provided that Kosovo would have autonomy within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and affirmed the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia, which has been legally succeeded by the Republic of Serbia.<ref name="autogenerated1999"/>

	According to the ], Kosovo shall have a 120-member Kosovo Assembly. The Assembly includes twenty reserved seats: ten for Kosovo Serbs and ten for non-Serb minorities (Bosniaks, Roma, etc). The Kosovo Assembly is responsible for electing a President and Prime Minister of Kosovo.

	====Provisional Institutions of Self-Government====
	In November 2001, the ] supervised the first elections for the Kosovo Assembly.<ref>" ", Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe</ref> After that election, Kosovo's political parties formed an all-party unity coalition and elected ] as President and ] (PDK) as Prime Minister.<ref>" ", ], 21 February 2002</ref> After Kosovo-wide elections in October 2004, the LDK and AAK formed a new governing coalition that did not include PDK and Ora. This coalition agreement resulted in ] (AAK) becoming Prime Minister, while Ibrahim Rugova retained the position of President. PDK and Ora were critical of the coalition agreement and have since frequently accused the current government of corruption.<ref>http://www.publicinternationallaw.org/docs/BW2005/Balkan_Watch.11April_05.pdf</ref>

	] were held on 17 November 2007. After early results, ] who was on course to gain 35 per cent of the vote, claimed victory for PDK, the ], and stated his intention to declare independence. Thaçi formed a coalition with current President ]'s ] which was in second place with 22 percent of the vote.<ref>" ", BBC News, 9 January 2008</ref> The turnout at the election was particularly low. Most members of the Serb minority refused to vote.<ref>. Retrieved 18 November 2007.</ref>

	However, since 1999, the Serb-inhabited areas of Kosovo, such as ] have remained ''de facto'' independent from the Albanian-dominated government in ]. ] in the Serb areas are dominated by the ]. The Serbian List is led by ''Oliver Ivanović'', an engineer from Mitrovica. Within Serbia, Kosovo is the concern of the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija, currently led by ].

	==Declaration of independence==
	]
	].]]
	{{Main\|2008 Kosovo declaration of independence\|International recognition of Kosovo\|2008 Post declaration of independence unrest in Kosovo}}
	The ] approved a declaration of independence on 17 February 2008.<ref name="bbc_proclaim">"", ], 17 February 2008</ref> Over the following days, a number of ] (the ], ], ], ], ], ], ], the ], the ],<ref>{{citenews\|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/02/20/2003402059\|title=Taiwan officially recognizes Kosovo\|publisher=]\|author=Hsu, Jenny W\|date=2008-02-20\|accessdate=2008-05-13}}</ref> ] and others) announced their recognition, despite protests by ] and others in the ].<ref name="bbc=recog1">"", BBC News Online, 18 February 2008</ref> Currently, {{Kosovorecognition\|\|UN states}} recognise the independence of Kosovo and it has become a member country of the ] as the Republic of Kosovo.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.imf.org/external/np/ms/2009/062409.htm \|title=Republic of Kosovo - IMF Staff Visit, Concluding Statement \|publisher=Imf.org \|date=2009-06-24 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	The UN Security Council remains divided on the question ({{As of\|2008\|7\|4\|lc=on}}). Of the five members with ], USA, UK, and France ] the declaration of independence, and the ] has expressed concern, while Russia considers it ]. {{As of\|2008\|10}}, no member-country of ], ] or ] has recognised Kosovo as independent. Kosovo has not made a formal application for ] membership yet in view of a possible veto from Russia and China.

	The ] has no official position towards Kosovo's status, but has decided to deploy the ] to ensure a continuation of international civil presence in Kosovo. {{As of\|2008\|4}}, most of the member-countries of ], ], ] and ] have recognised Kosovo as independent.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.kosovothanksyou.com/stats.php \|title=Recognition Information and Statistics - Who Recognized Kosova? The Kosovar people thank you - Who Recognized Kosovo and Who Recognizes Kosovo \|publisher=Kosovothanksyou.com \|date=2007-05-01 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	{{As of\|2008\|10\|9}}, all of Kosovo's immediate neighbour states except ] have recognised the declaration of independence. ] and ] announced their recognition of Kosovo on 9 October 2008.<ref>. Retrieved 10 October 2008.</ref> Albania, ], ] and ] have also recognised the independence of Kosovo.<ref>, accessed 12:41 19 March 2008.</ref>

	The Serb minority of Kosovo, which largely opposes the declaration of independence, has formed the ] in response. The creation of the assembly was condemned by Kosovo's president Fatmir Sejdiu, while UNMIK has said the assembly is not a serious issue because it will not have an operative role.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2008/06/30/feature-01 \|title=Kosovo Serbs convene parliament; Pristina, international authorities object (SETimes.com) \|publisher=SETimes.com \|date=2008-06-30 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	On 8 October 2008, the UN agreed to ask the ] for a non-binding advisory opinion on the legality of Kosovo's declaration of Independence from Serbia, by a vote of 77-6-74 (77 in favour, 6 opposed and 74 abstentions).<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28492&Cr=Kosovo&Cr1= \|title=UN World Court to give opinion on legality of Kosovo’s independence \|publisher=Un.org \|date= \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	==EULEX==
	{{Main\|European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo}}
	The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) is the largest civilian mission ever launched under the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). The central aim is to assist and support the Kosovo authorities in the rule of law area, specifically in the police, judiciary and customs areas. The mission is not in Kosovo to govern or rule. It is a technical mission which will monitor, mentor and advise whilst retaining a number of limited executive powers. EULEX works under the general framework of United Nations Security Resolution 1244 and has a unified ] to Brussels. It has around 3,000 staff, (1,900 international, 1,100 local) and a budget of 205 million Euros for the first 16 months. The head of the mission is ].<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.eulex-kosovo.eu/?id=2 \|title=What is EULEX - EULEX Kosovo \|publisher=Eulex-kosovo.eu \|date= \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	Local politics in the Serb areas are dominated by the ]. The Serbian List is led by ], an engineer from Kosovska Mitrovica.

	In February 2007 the Union of Serbian Districts and District Units of Kosovo and Metohija transformed into the Serbian Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija, presided by ], a hardline nationalist residing in the northern part of the divided city of Mitrovica.<ref>{{Dead link\|date=July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L28603646.htm \|title=Reuters AlertNet - Kosovo Serbs convene parliament, rejecting new state \|publisher=Alertnet.org \|date=2008-06-28 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref> It has demanded unity of the Serb people in Kosovo, boycotted ], and announced massive protests in support of Serbia's sovereignty over Kosovo. On 18 February 2008, day after Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, the Assembly declared it "null and void".

	==Constitutional Status and the Republic of Kosovo==
	{{See\|Constitution of Kosovo}}
	The Republic of Kosovo is a ] ]. The ] is exercised by the ] led by the ]. Two or three of the ministers, depending on the size of the government, are required to be from the minorities. The ] is the head of state. The judiciary is independent. The ] is exercised by the single-chamber ] consisting of 120 members, 100 of them directly elected by the people for a four-year term and twenty seats reserved for representatives of the ] only. The assembly elects the president for five years and approves the government.

	A new constitution for the Republic of Kosovo was approved by the Parliament of the Republic of Kosovo, coming to force on June 15, 2008.<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref>; </ref>
	Kosovo is under ''de facto'' governance of the Republic of Kosovo except for ], which remains under ''de facto'' governance of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo is governed by legislative, executive and judicial institutions that derive from, and are set-up in, accordance with the ]. In November 2001, the OSCE supervised the first elections for the Kosovo Assembly.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.osce.org/kosovo/13208.html: \|title=OSCE Mission in Kosovo - Elections \|publisher=Osce.org \|date= \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref> The last parliamentary and local elections were held in ]. ] has undergone a significant reconfiguration, and no longer possesses the capacity, having handed over its few responsibilities to ], to govern in any meaningful fashion. It will, its head claims, function as a facilitator of contact between Kosovo and those states or organisations which do not recognise it yet. <ref>{{cite web\|url=http://bsanna-news.ukrinform.ua/newsitem.php?id=7069&lang=en \|title=Bsanna News - Bsanna News \|publisher=Bsanna-news.ukrinform.ua \|date=2008-12-22 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	====Government and politics====
	{{Main\|Politics of Kosovo}}
	===Parties===
	The largest ] are the ] ] (LDK), which has its origins in the 1990s non-violent resistance movement to Miloševic's rule and was led by ] until his death in 2006,<ref name="ku">" ", European Forum, 18 March 2008</ref> and two parties having their roots in the ] (KLA): the ] ] (PDK) led by former KLA leader ] and the centre-right ] (AAK) led by former KLA commander ].<ref name="ku"/> Kosovo publisher ] in 2004 formed the centre-left ]. Kosovo Serbs formed the ] (SLKM) in 2004 and won several seats, but have boycotted Kosovo's institutions and never taken their seats in the Kosovo Assembly.<ref name="ku"/> In 2006 Swiss-Kosovar businessman ], reputed to be the richest living Albanian, founded the ] (AKR), which came third in the 2007 elections.

	==Foreign relations==
	{{Main\|Foreign relations of Kosovo}}
	Currently 14 countries maintain ]. As of {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}, {{Kosovorecognition}} countries recognise Kosovo as independent. ] is Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kosovo.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/8228 \|title=Kosovo Foreign Ministry 'Soon' \|publisher=BalkanInsight.com \|date= \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	====Military====
	A 2,500-strong ] (KSF) is to be trained by NATO and will be operational toward the end of 2009. The KSF will replace the ] (KPC) which had been made up mainly of former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), the separatist guerrillas who fought Serbian forces during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war.<ref>{{cite web\|author=(AFP) – Jan 21, 2009 \|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hFUhM_dkT5VtQbsmvcICbBGZDF9Q \|title=AFP: New Kosovo security force angers Serbia \|publisher=Google.com \|date=2009-01-21 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	===Rule of law===

	Judicial power in the Kosovo is exercised by the courts.
	The judicial power is unique, independent, fair, apolitical and impartial and ensures equal access to the courts.

	The Supreme Court of Kosovo is the highest judicial authority<ref>http://www.kushtetutakosoves.info/?cid=2,249 /</ref>

	Following the ], due to the many weapons in the hands of civilians, law enforcement inefficiencies, and widespread devastation, both ] and ] surged tremendously. The number of reported murders rose 80% from 136 in 2000 to 245 in 2001. The number of reported arsons rose 140% from 218 to 523 over the same period. UNMIK pointed out that the rise in reported incidents might simply correspond to an increased confidence in the police force (i.e., more reports) rather than more actual crime.<ref name="unmikstat"></ref> According to the ], by 2008, murder rates in Kosovo had dropped by 75% in five years<ref>Retrieved from http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/10585/</ref><ref>, ] report, March 2008. P. 39.</ref>

	Although the number of noted serious crimes increased between 1999 and 2000, since then it has been "starting to resemble the same patterns of other European cities".<ref name="unmikstat"/><ref>, 17 January 2001</ref> According to ], the aftermath of the war resulted in an increase in the ] for sexual exploitation.<ref>, ].</ref><ref>, Amnesty International.</ref><ref>, ].</ref> According to the ] data, in 2000-2004, Kosovo was consistently ranked fourth or fifth among the countries of Southeastern Europe by number of ] victims, after Albania, ], ] and sometimes ].<ref name="iom.int">. Geneva:International Organization for Migration, 2005. P. 31, 247-295.</ref><ref>, ] report, March 2008. P. 79.</ref>

	Residual landmines and other ] remain in Kosovo, although all roads and tracks have been cleared. Caution when travelling in remote areas is advisable. <ref>{{cite web\|url=https://fco-stage.fco.gov.uk/content/en/travel-advice/europe/12793683/FCO_TRV_ca_kosovo \|title=Kosovo travel advice \|publisher=Fco-stage.fco.gov.uk \|date= \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	Kosovo is extremely vulnerable to ] and thus to ]. In 2000, international agencies estimated that Kosovo was supplying up to 40% of the heroin sold in Europe and North America.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2000/mar/13/balkans \|title=Kosovo drug mafia supply heroin to Europe \| World news \|publisher=The Guardian \|date= \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref> Due to the ] and the ] in 1998-1999 ethnic Albanian traffickers enjoyed a competitive advantage, which has been eroding as the region stabilises.<ref>, ] report, March 2008. P. 14.</ref> However, according to a 2008 report by the ], overall, ethnic Albanians, not only from Kosovo, supply 10 to 20% of the heroin in ], and the traffic has been declining.<ref>, ] report, March 2008. P. 14, 74.</ref>

	==Geography==
	{{Main\|Geography of Kosovo}}
	The climate is ], with warm summers and cold and snowy winters. Most of Kosovo's terrain in mountainous, the highest peak is ] ({{convert\|2656\|m\|ft\|0\|abbr=on\|disp=/}}). There are two main plain regions, the ] basin is located in the western part of the Kosovo, and the ] occupies the eastern part. The main rivers of the region are the ], running towards the ], with the ] among its ]), the ], the ] in the ] area, and ] in the north. The biggest lakes are ], ], ] and ].
	39.1% of Kosovo is ], about 52% is classified as agricultural land, 31% of which is covered by pastures and 69% is arable.<ref>. The Regional Environmental Centre for ], Prishtina, July 2000.</ref> ], Kosovo belongs to the Illyrian province of the ] within the ]. According to the ] and Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the ], the territory of Kosovo belongs to the ecoregion of ].Currently, the 39,000 ha Šar Mountains National Park, established in 1986 in the ] along the border with the Republic of Macedonia, is the only ] in Kosovo, although the ] in the ] along the border with Montenegro has been proposed as another one.<ref name="biodiv">. Final Report submitted to the ], ARD-BIOFOR IQC Consortium, May 2003.</ref>

	The largest cities are ], the capital, with an estimated 500,000 inhabitants.<ref>http://www.osce.org/documents/mik/2008/04/1199_en.pdf</ref> The old city of ] is towards the south west, with a population of 110,000. ] in the west has 70,000 inhabitants with ] in the north at around 70,000.

	==Economy==
	{{Main\|Economy of Kosovo}}
	]]]
	] in Pristina.]]
	]
	Kosovo is classified a ] by US intelligence, with a per capita income estimated at ]2,100 (2008).<ref name="cia.gov">{{Dead link\|date=July 2009}}</ref> Kosovo had the largest exporting company (Trepca) in the Federal Republic of ]<ref>{{cite web\|author=Crisis Group \|url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=1585&l=1 \|title=International Crisis Group - Trepca: Making Sense of the La \|publisher=Crisisgroup.org \|date=1999-11-26 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref> Yet Kosovo was the poorest province of Yugoslavia and received substantial development subsidies from all Yugoslav republics.<ref>Christian Science Monitor 1982-01-15, "Why Turbulent Kosovo has Marble Sidewalks but Troubled Industries"</ref> Additionally, over the course of the 1990s a blend of poor economic policies, ], poor external commerce and ] severely damaged the economy.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/ECAEXT/KOSOVOEXTN/0,,menuPK:297775~pagePK:141159~piPK:141110~theSitePK:297770,00.html \|title=World Bank Mission in Kosovo \|author=The World Bank \|date=2006/2007}}</ref>

	After a jump in 2000 and 2001, growth in ] (GDP) was negative in 2002 and 2003 and was expected to be around 3 percent in 2004–2005, with domestic sources of growth unable to compensate for the declining ]. ] is low, while the budget posted a deficit for the first time in 2004. Kosovo has high external deficits. In 2004, the deficit of the balance of ] was close to 70 percent of GDP. Remittances from Kosovars living abroad accounts for an estimated 13 percent of GDP, and foreign assistance for around 34 percent of GDP.

	Most ] since 1999 has taken place in the trade, retail and the construction sectors. The private sector that has emerged since 1999 is mainly small-scale. The ] remains weak and the ] supply remains unreliable, acting as a key constraint. Unemployment remains pervasive, at around 40–50% of the ].<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.eciks.org/english/lajme.php?action=total_news&main_id=386 \|title=May finds Kosovo with 50% unemployed \|author=eciks \|date= 2006-05-04 \|accessdate= 2009-07-24}}</ref>

	UNMIK introduced an ] regime and customs administration on September 3, 1999 when it set customs border controls in Kosovo. All goods imported in Kosovo face a flat 10% ] fee.<ref name="BuyUSA">{{cite web \|url=http://www.buyusa.gov/kosovo/en/doingbusinessinkosovo.html \|title=Doing Business in Kosovo \|author=U.S. Commercial Service \|accessdate=2009-07-24}}</ref> These taxes are collected from all Tax Collection Points installed at the borders of Kosovo, including those between Kosovo and Serbia.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.seerecon.org/kosovo/documents/wb_econ_report/wb-kosovo-econreport-2-2.pdf \|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080226204543/http://www.seerecon.org/kosovo/documents/wb_econ_report/wb-kosovo-econreport-2-2.pdf \|archivedate=2008-02-26 \|format=PDF \|title=External Trade and Customs \|author=Economic Reconstruction and Development in South East Europe}}</ref> UNMIK and Kosovo institutions have signed ] Agreements with ],<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/globe-article.php?yyyy=2006&mm=10&dd=02&nav_category=123&nav_id=37090 \|title=Croatia, Kosovo sign Interim Free Trade Agreement \|author=B92 \|authorlink=B92 \|date= 2006-10-02 \|publisher=mrt.com \|accessdate=2009-07-24}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.euinkosovo.org/upload_press/4.06%20-%20UNMIK%20and%20Bosnia%20and%20Herzegovina%20Initial%20Free%20Trade%20Agreement%2017.2.06.pdf\|format=PDF\|title=UNMIK and Bosnia and Herzegovina Initial Free Trade Agreement\|author=EU in Kosovo\|date=17/02/06\|publisher=UNMIK}}</ref> ] and ].<ref name="BuyUSA"/>

	The ] is the official currency of Kosovo and is used by UNMIK and the government bodies.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.euinkosovo.org/uk/invest/invest.php \|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080214232830/http://www.euinkosovo.org/uk/invest/invest.php \|archivedate=2008-02-14 \|title=Invest in Kosovo \|author=EU in Kosovo}}</ref> Initially, Kosovo adopted the ] in 1999 to replace the ],<ref></ref> and consequently switched to the Euro when the German mark was replaced by it. However, the ] is still used in Serbian-populated areas.<ref name="cia.gov"/>

	The chief means of entry, apart form the main highway leading to the south to ], ], is ].

	===Trade and investment===


	Free trade:
	Customs-free access to the EU market based on the EU Autonomous Trade Preference (ATP) Regime, Central European Free Trade Area – CEFTA<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.pak-ks.org/?id=19 \|title= Economic Description:free trade \|author=PAK }}</ref>

	Kosovo has a liberal trade regime

	Kosovo currently enjoys a free trade within Central European Free Trade Agreement – CEFTA, enabling its producers to access
	the regional market comprising of 28 million consumers, free of any customs duties.

	Taking into consideration the favourable business climate, stable macroeconomic environment and the excellent opportunities across different business sectors, Kosovo is increasingly becoming a very attractive place for doing business. As result, the interest
	of foreign investors has been increasing steadily during the past years and together with it also the inflow of FDI.
	According to the Business Registry data for 2007, there are 2,012 companies of foreign and mixed ownership that
	have already used the opportunity to invest in Kosovo.

	The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency MIGA (a member of the World Bank Group) guarantees investments in Kosovo in
	the value of 20mn Euro.

	The US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) also provides political risk insurance for foreign investors in Kosovo.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.eciks.org/english/publications/investorsguide09.pdf \|title=Investments \|author=ECIKS}}</ref>

	The economy is hindered by Kosovo's still-unresolved international status, which has made it difficult to attract investment and loans.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4509781.stm \|title=Brussels offers first Kosovo loan \|author=BBC News \|date= 2005-05-03}}</ref>
	The province's economic weakness has produced a thriving ] in which smuggled petrol, cigarettes and cement are major commodities. The prevalence of ] and the pervasive influence of organised crime gangs has caused serious concern internationally. The United Nations has made the fight against corruption and organised crime a high priority, pledging a "zero tolerance" approach.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.kosovo.undp.org/?cid=2,1,54 \|title=United Nations Development Programme \|publisher=Kosovo.undp.org \|date=2004-08-31 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	Kosovo has a reported ] of 1,264 billion USD that is currently serviced by Serbia.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2637230220080226 \|title=Serbia should stop servicing Kosovo debt: EconMin \| International \|publisher=Reuters \|date=2008-02-26 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	According to ]<ref></ref> from 2001 to 2004 Kosovo received $3,2 billion of foreign aid. International donor conference is to be held in Switzerland in June or July 2008. Until now EU pledged €2 billion, $350 mil by USA. Serbia also pledged €120 million to Serb's enclaves in Kosovo.

	Kosovo joined the ] and the ] on 26 June 2009 as the 186th country to join the two institutions. 95% of Kosovars had previously voted in favour of the move.

	The accession follows a 50% tax reduction implemented in 2008 which has helped double investment in the country, setting the economy for an expected growth of "around 4.0 percent to 5.0 percent" in 2010, according to IMF projections.<ref>{{cite web\|last=Smith \|first=Veronica \|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iwijpFreGbpOGE8KHVX9mMXi-iqA \|title=AFP: Kosovo joins IMF, World Bank amid independence row \|publisher=Google.com \|date=2009-06-29 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	==Administrative regions==
	Kosovo, for administrative reasons, is considered as consisting of seven districts.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://aceproject.org/ace-en/topics/bd/bdy/bdy_kos \|title=Kosovo: Delimiting Electoral Districts for a Proportional Representation System — ACE Electoral Knowledge Network \|publisher=Aceproject.org \|date= \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>
	] maintains its own government, infrastructure and institutions by its dominant ethnic ] population in the ], viz. in the ], ] and ] municipalities and the northern part of ].

	===Districts===
	{{Main\|Subdivisions of Kosovo\|Districts of Kosovo and Metohija}}

	===Municipalities and cities===
	{{Main\|Municipalities of Kosovo}}
	Kosovo is subdivided into 30 municipalities:
	{{Municipalities of Kosovo}}

	==Demographics==
	{{Main\|Demographics of Kosovo}}
	]
	]

	According to the Kosovo in Figures 2005 Survey of the Statistical Office of Kosovo,<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.ks-gov.net/esk/esk/pdf/english/general/kosovo_figures_05.pdf \|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080309073836/http://www.ks-gov.net/esk/esk/pdf/english/general/kosovo_figures_05.pdf \|archivedate=2008-03-09 \|format=PDF \|title=Kosovo in figures 2005 \|author=UNMIK \|publisher=Ministry of Public Services}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4385768.stm \|title=Muslims in Europe: Country guide \|author=BBC News \|date=2005-12-23 \|accessdate=2009-07-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/3524092.stm \|title=churchesRegions and territories: Kosovo \|author=BBC News \|date=2007-11-20 \|accessdate=2009-07-24}}</ref> Kosovo's total population is estimated between 1.9 and 2.2 million with the following ethnic composition: ] 92%, ] 4%, ] and ] 2%, ] 1%, ] 1%. ] estimates the following ratio: 88% ], 8% ] and 4% other ethnic groups.<ref>{{Dead link\|date=July 2009}}</ref>
	According to latest CIA The World Factbook estimated data, as of July 2009, Kosovo's population stands at '''1,804,838''' persons.It stated that ethnic composition is "Albanians 88%, Serbs 7%, other 5% (Bosniak, Gorani, Roma, Turk, Ashkali, Egyptian)" <ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kv.html#People \|title=World Factbook \|author=CIA \|publisher=CIA \|accessdate=2009-07-24}}</ref>

	Albanians, steadily increasing in number, have constituted a majority in Kosovo since the 19th century, the earlier ethnic composition being disputed. Kosovo's political boundaries do not coincide with ethnic boundaries; Serbs form a local majority in ] and ], while there are large areas with Albanian majority outside Kosovo in the neighbouring regions of former Yugoslavia, namely in the Northwest of the ] and in ] of ].

	At 1.3% per year, ethnic Albanians in Kosovo have the fastest rate of growth in population in Europe.<ref></ref> Over an 82-year period (1921-2003) the population of Kosovo grew to 460% of its original size. If growth continues at such a pace, the population will reach 4.5 million by 2050.<ref></ref> However, this is unlikely to happen; until about 1990, Kosovo Albanians had very high birth rates of about 4 children per woman, similar to many poor developing countries (such as ] or ]), but this has fallen down to about two since then and will likely sink below replacement eventually, as it has in ] itself. In addition, Kosovo has a high emigration rate now which it did not have before 1990.

	By contrast, from ] to ], the Serb population of Kosovo increased by but twelve percent (one third the growth of the population in Central Serbia). The population of Albanians in Kosovo increased by three hundred percent in the same period{{ndash}} a rate of growth twenty-five times that of the Serbs in Kosovo. Serbs, similar to most other ]an Christian ethnic groups, since about 1990 have had very low birth rates (about 1.5 children per woman) and more deaths than births. This ensures a continued dwindling of the Serb minority as a percentage of the population, even with the dropping births among the Albanians.

	Since Kosovo's declaration of independence, Serbs have increasingly fled the region, causing anxiety for Kosovan leaders and encouraging the claims of Serbian politicians.<ref></ref>

	===Languages===
	The native dialect of the Kosovar Albanian population is ], although Standard ] is now widely used as an official language.<ref>. Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. '']'', Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: ]. Online version.</ref><ref>Sylvia Moosmüller & Theodor Granser. . ''Language Variation and Change'' (2006), 18: 121-140.</ref> According to the draft ], ] is another official language.<ref></ref>

	===Religion===
	] (mostly ], with a ] minority<ref name="babuna"/>) is the predominant ] in Kosovo, brought into the region with the ] in the 15th century and now nominally professed by most of the ethnic Albanians, by the Bosniak, Gorani, and Turkish communities, and by some of the ]/]-"]" community. Islam, however, hasn't saturated the Kosovar society, which remains largely secular.<ref>. The ], February 21, 2008.</ref> About three percent of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo remain ] despite centuries of the Ottoman rule. The Serb population, estimated at 100,000 to 120,000 persons, is largely ]. Kosovo is densely covered by numerous ].<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=1591&l=1 \|title=Religion in Kosovo \|author=International Crisis Group \|date=2001-01-31 \|accessdate=2009-07-24}}</ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> Some 140 churches are reported to have been destroyed and partly looted for the black market in the 1999 to 2004 period, of these 30 in a single outburst of violence in March 2004.<ref>{{cite web\|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees \|url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,FORUM18,,SRB,,468918a14,0.html \|title=Refworld \| Kosovo: Nobody charged for destruction of Orthodox churches and monasteries \|publisher=UNHCR \|date=2004-05-06 \|accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

	==Society==
	].]]
	===Relations between Albanian and Serb communities===
	] poster - “Kossovo Day” from 1916 inviting Allied solidarity with Serbia.]]

	The relations between Kosovo's ethnic Albanian and Serb populations have been hostile since the rise of nationalism in the Balkans during the 19th century, rivalry which became strong after Serbia gained Kosovo from the Ottoman Empire in 1913 and after Albania became independent in the same year.<ref>Schabnel, Albrecht; Thakur (ed), Ramesh (ed). Kosovo and the Challenge of Humanitarian Intervention: Selective Indignation, Collective Action, and International Citizenship. New York: The United Nations University, 2001. Pp. 20.</ref> During the ] period however, Serbs and Albanians within Kosovo enjoyed good-neighborly relations, working together to appose foreign meddling in the territory on many occasions<ref>See: Isa Blumi, Rethinking the Late Ottoman Empire: A Comparative Social and ] of Albania and Yemen, 1878-1918 (Istanbul: The Isis Press, 2003)</ref> During the Tito-era of communist rule in Yugoslavia, the ethnic Albanian and Serb populations of Kosovo were strongly irreconcilable with sociological studies during the Tito-era indicating that ethnic Albanian and Serb peoples in Kosovo rarely accepted each other as neighbours or friends and few held interethnic marriages.<ref name="Schabnel, Albrecht 2001. Pp. 24">Schabnel, Albrecht; Thakur (ed), Ramesh (ed), 2001. Pp. 24.</ref> Ethnic prejudices, stereotypes and mutual distrust between ethnic Albanians and Serbs have remained common for decades.<ref name="Schabnel, Albrecht 2001. Pp. 24"/> The level of intolerance and separation between the ethnic Albanian and Serb communities during the Tito-period was reported by sociologists to be worse than that of Croat and Serb communities in Yugoslavia which also had tensions but held some closer relations between each other.<ref name="Schabnel, Albrecht 2001. Pp. 24"/>

	===Cinema and media===
	{{Main\|Music of Kosovo}}
	Although in Kosovo the music is diverse, authentic ] (see '']'') and ] do still exist. Albanian music is characterised by the use of the '']'' (an authentic Albanian instrument), ''mandolin'', ''mandola'' and ''percussion''. ] is also well-known in Kosovo and has been taught at several ] and ] (at the ] in ] and the ] at ]).

	===Sports===
	{{Main\|Sport in Kosovo}}

	Several sports federations have been formed in Kosovo within the framework of Law No. 2003/24 "Law on Sport" passed by the Assembly of Kosovo in 2003. The law formally established a national ], regulated the establishment of sports federations and established guidelines for ]s. At present only some of the sports federations established have gained international recognition.

	==See also==
	{{portal\|Kosovo\|Kosovo stub.svg}}
	{{Main\|Outline of Kosovo}}
	<div style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	</div>

	==References==
	===Notes===
	<!-- Please do not use a scroll box. please see ] for more information.(This template should not be used in main article space, as it renders any content obscured within the template unprintable. This is especially true with text content, such as citations, according to ]. Please, if you see a scroll box in article space, remove it and put a hidden warning.)-->
	{{reflist\|2}}

	===Further reading===
	* {{cite book \|last=Malcolm \|first=Noel \|authorlink=Noel Malcolm \|title=Kosovo: A Short History \|publisher=] \|year=1998 \|isbn=0333666127}}
	* {{cite book \|last=Elsie \|first=Robert \|authorlink=Robert Elsie \|title=Historical Dictionary of Kosova \|publisher=Scarecrow Press \|year=2004 \|isbn=0810853094}}

	==External links==
	{{sisterlinks}}
	* {{wikiatlas\|Kosovo}}
	*
	*
	*
	*
	*
	*
	* {{CIA World Factbook link\|kv\|Kosovo}}
	* {{dmoz\|Regional/Europe/Serbia/Kosovo}}
	*
	*
	* {{wikitravel}}

	{{Kosovo topics}}
	{{Template group
	\|title = <!-- ] --> Geographic national
	\|list =
	{{Districts of Kosovo}}
	{{Kosovo municipalities}}
	{{Autonomous provinces of Serbia}}
	}}
	{{Template group
	\|title = <!-- ] --> Geographic international
	\|list =
	{{Countries of Europe}}
	{{Non-sovereign territories of Europe \|expanded=Unrecognized}}
	{{Balkan countries}}
	}}
	{{Template group
	\|title = International organizations
	\|list =
	{{European Union candidates}}
	{{Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)}}
	}}

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Revision as of 14:12, 29 September 2009

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