United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

This study examines the history of relations between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo over a relatively long period, beginning with historical national arguments until the independence of Kosovo. It investigates the region's historical timeline as well as the impact of external actors. Although the Kosovo issue has existed for many years, it has only recently come to the attention of the international community, particularly during the disintegration of Yugoslavia. In Kosovo, where the majority of the population is Albanian, the Serbians' historical ambitions and claims for the territory prevented the two sides from reaching an agreement. After the Serbian-Albanian conflict reached a climax in 1998-1999. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) saw intervention as the only viable option for the region. The intervention of NATO in the region on March 24, 1999, marked a watershed moment in Kosovo's history. Following this, the presence of the United Nations Interim Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in the region, as well as the independence process, shaped the picture of Kosovo that exists today. This thesis seeks to explore the origins of the conflict, the process leading to intervention, UNMIK, and eventually the independence of Kosovo and identifies the decisive factors that influenced the development of contradicting positions of parties. This research was created to find answers to the following questions as objectively as possible; What took place in the region to create the conditions for Kosovo to be independent? And to what extent do international actors determine Kosovo’s fate? The thesis analyzes the scholarly literature as well as United Nations documents on the subject.