Kosovo - The Engagement of the International Community

The Balkans is an area where the diversity of culture, religion and ethnicity is prominent. This diversity has predisposed the Balkan region for troubled periods throughout the history. The Balkan peninsula has always been considered a very unstable territory. The bachelor's thesis deals with the Kosovo conflict in the 90's of the 20th century that escalated in 1998, the course of the conflict and the reasons of the international intervention. The conflict between two ethnic groups - Albanians and Serbs living in Kosovo - culminated in war that was attended by ethnic cleansing on both sides and ended by bombardment in Serbia by NATO forces lead by USA from March to June in 1999. The thesis introduces background history of the Balkan region and presents briefly the reasons for the hatred between the two ethnic groups, then examines the developments in Kosovo in the late twentieth century when the conflict escalated. The International Community tried unsuccessfully to resolve the conflict by diplomatic means. The thesis focuses on the engagement of the International Community, notably the UN and NATO, in the conflict in Kosovo and attempts to clarify the reasons and character of these interventions. The aim of the thesis is to answer the question what led to the engagement of the International..