NATO in Kosovo: Establishing Security or Purporting State Power?

Constant conflict occurs between and within states, especially in the cases of Syria and Ukraine. The role of international institutions is called into question, particularly in cases where national sovereignty and human rights are concerned. In historical cases of international intervention, the ethnic conflict and wars between post-Yugoslavic states defined the 1990’s. Is it under the jurisdiction of international powers to intervene when human rights are violated or should the international community allow for states in conflict to term the rules of aid and intervention? With this in mind, I intend to explore the question: what factors led to or allowed NATO’s bombing campaign of Serbian forces in Kosovo in 1999? I will attempt to discern whether multilateral institutions provide adequate framework for all states to conduct foreign policy and relations (neoliberal institutionalism), or whether powerful states do as they like (structural realism). In order to do so, I have compiled international interventions from 1999-2013, examining whether each intervention was approved by the UN, NATO, or directly by one state. By comparing this data set, it can be ascertained whether international institutions are influential in the actions of nation states. If these states seek legitimization of their actions through international institutions and they are not approved, I will attempt to confirm whether they continue pursuing the intervention proposed or acknowledge the international community’s voice. This is a specific case sample using two exclusive international political theories to ascertain which better describes the reality of power relationships between nations during human rights violations. Little comprehensive work has been done examining NATO and theUnited States’ interventions in the context of NATO and UN approval. It is imperative to examine interventions, as domestic conflicts are constant, and informative decisions can be based on statistical evidence to predict the behavior of nation states