Reconciliation in Kosovo: A Few Steps Taken, a Long Road Ahead

The article focuses on reconciliation between the Serb and Albanian communities in Kosovo. It explains that in northern Kosovo the necessary pre-conditions for reconciliation have not been met; there has essentially been no resolution of the conflict and the parties show no willingness to engage each other in dialogue. Instead, in southern Kosovo both Albanian and Serb communities are far more willing to engage in a form of non-violent co-existence. However, the article argues that reconciliation requires more than non-violent co-existence, most notably progress in dealing with the past and the establishment of a form of civic trust between the parties. Progress in these areas has been limited: communities continue to view the past in conflicting ways and live separate from one another with low levels of inter-ethnic trust. This is exacerbated by the lack of political agreement on the status of Kosovo and seriously impedes deeper progress towards reconciliation in southern Kosovo.