Transitional justice in Kosovo : the role of international organisations

Abstract

This thesis examines the past seven years of international engagement in Kosovo. It asks the question to what extent international organisations engaged in the implementation of measures of transitional justice and thereby fostered the reconciliation of the ethnically divided society in Kosovo. Reconciliation, understood as reciprocal respect among fellow citizens, is a prerequisite for sustainable peace. The analysis suggests that much attention has been paid to the reconstruction of infrastructure and institutions, but little thought has been given to the implementation of policies of transitional justice as means to come to terms with the legacy of past crimes. In many respects the underlying fissures that have divided the society remained intact and the ethnic groups in Kosovo continue to be hostile towards each other. Kosovo remains a very fragile and potentially explosive environment. There is thus a need to overcome the persisting societal cleavages. Based on the analysis, I suggest the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission for the whole of the territory of the former Yugoslavia.