Kosovo

Overview Despite years of involvement by the United States and its allies, the Balkans region is suffering from economic stagnation and high unemployment; hundreds of thousands of refugees still await resettlement; prominent war criminals remain at large; and political and legal reform is impeded by endemic corruption, organized crime, and in some cases, a lack of political will. Yet after a decade of extensive involvement and peacemaking in the Balkans, the United States and its allies are winding down their commitment to the region. At this critical juncture, warns this independent Task Force report, if the problems besieging the Balkan states are left unresolved, they will lead to serious social and economic instability for southeastern Europe. Neglecting these problems will lead to growing poverty, an increase in illegal economic activity, further human displacement, and a greater likelihood of political extremism, all in the heart of Europe. Furthermore, the report asserts, abandoning the Muslim populations of Bosnia and Kosovo will further reduce U.S. standing in the Muslim world and may encourage Balkan Muslims to turn to religious militants, rather than to Europe, for protection. It is therefore essential that the stakeholders in the Balkans, particularly the United States and the European Union (EU), make clear the economic, political, and security benefits of reform and cooperation with European standards and institutions and be equally explicit about the penalties--including the withholding of financial aid and international isolation--for regression, obstructionism, or the use of violence. To help the Balkans achieve stability and integration in Europe, the Task Force makes the following key recommendations: reorganize the international community’s involvement in the Balkans around the EU’s Stabilization and Association Process and NATO’s Membership Action Plan and Partnership for Peace program, with the goal of an orderly reduction of the overall international presence in the region by 2010; use “carrots” (such as access to privileged political and economic relations and favorable trade terms with Europe) and “sticks” (such as linking financial assistance to specific performance goals) to reward or compel political, economic, social, and security reform; implement internationally led law enforcement campaigns, initially in Bosnia and Kosovo, to cripple the politico-criminal syndicates that threaten internal and regional security; and establish the rule of law and develop transparent and accountable systems of criminal and civil justice that are fair to all citizens.