Kosovo was a province of Yugoslavia that traditionally enjoyed a limited form of autonomy during the period of communist domination. The province was located in Serbian territory, but its population consisted of an overwhelming majority of ethnic Albanians (about 1.8 million) from neighboring Albania. In 1989, the Serbian-led government of Yugoslavia terminated Kosovo’s autonomy, sparking a resistance movement known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

After the cessation of hostilities in Bosnia, the conflict in Kosovo intensified, resulting in hundreds of thousands of refugees leaving the province. The UN Security Council passed a series of resolutions—numbers 1160, 1199, and 1203—addressing the unfolding situation in Kosovo, but UN-sponsored peace negotiations in Rambouillet, France collapsed in March of 1999.¹

Under Chapter VII, Article 42 of the UN Charter, the provision often cited as justification for humanitarian intervention, the UN Security Council can authorize the use of force when such actions are “necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security.”²  The Security Council sought to invoke this provision to take a more active role in Kosovo, but Russia and China vetoed the authorization of force.

As a result, NATO decided to intervene without UN sanction and launched a campaign of air strikes against Serbian forces. The action was decisive and successful, and led to the withdrawal of Serbian troops from Kosovo.³  Since 1999, Kosovo has been administered by the United Nations Interim Administrative Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).⁴

1  Terry; Dietrich

2  “Charter of the United Nations: Chapter VII.”

3  Terry; Dietrich.

4  “About UNMIK.”

** Picture: Building devastated in Kosovo, Source

Next: Humanitarian Intervention in Perspective