Jugend und Demokratie: die F rderung der Partizipation Jugendlicher durch die internationale Gemeinschaft im Kosovo

Kosovo is a good example of results and failures in the attempt to promote democratisation of a country by financial and personnel development assistance. From 1999 to 2008 the region was an UN-protectorate and democracy promotion was nearly an exclusive affair of the international community. Even today, 4 years after the self-declaration of independence and the acquisition of full sovereignty in September 2012, the influence of the international community is still tremendous. With regard to the democratic development of the country many hopes rest on the young generation, which - partly as a post-war generation - count for more than half of the population. The following article is based on expert interviews, which the author carried out in 2011 in Kosovo and examines to what extent the general critique on the activities of the international community also applies to the area of the advancement of possibilities for political participation by the young generation. The article further evaluates whether and how the activities of the international organisations and institutions are co-ordinated and which role the collaboration with the local organisations plays.