By Sydney Booker, MA Media and Strategic Communication, 2021
Kosovo and Serbia have been engaged in a battle of narratives for hundreds of years. In recent years, that battle has entered the world stage. While Serbia holds onto their narrative that Kosovo belongs to Serbia, Kosovo has evolved their narrative from that of a separatist movement to one of peace. To understand the battle of narratives between Kosovo and Serbia, we must first go back to the year 1389 and the origin of the Kosovo myth. The Kosovo myth is the idea that Kosovo is destined to be a part of Serbia due to a divine sacrifice. This originates from the battle of Kosovo between the Ottoman Empire and Christian forces which resulted in the defeat of the Serb-led Christian army and paved the way for the Ottoman empire to take over the Balkans. This was viewed by the Serbs as sacrificing their mortal land in order to gain heavenly entrance.
Serbian President with Bishop Teodosije near Mitrovica, Kosovo
Today, this narrative makes it difficult for Serbia to recognize Kosovo as an independent country. The Kosovo myth has been an underlying part of Serbian narratives for centuries and has not developed through time to meet Kosovo in the present.
Kosovo Serbia War
In the 1990’s, Kosovo and Serbia tensions escalated and ethnic Albanians were opposed to the ethnic Serbs and the Yugoslavian government in Kosovo. In 1996 the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) attacked Serbian police and politicians. By 1998, violence had escalated to an armed uprising and Serbian and Yugoslav forces attempted to reassert control over the region. This conflict led to intervention from the US, Germany, Britain, Italy and Russia. They demanded a cease-fire but the KLA rearmed. Eventually the UN intervened but tensions continued and riots happened into the 21st century. Kosovo narratives during this period were that the independence of Kosovo was the will of the people.
Kosovo Independence Narratives from Kosovo
Kosovoans used the “will of the people” identity narrative to support their master narrative of Kosovo independence. This was demonstrated by Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci in his speech declaring the independence of Kosovo by elected leaders which reflected the will of the people in 2008. Further demonstrating this narrative is a quote in the New York Times that said, “Independence is a catharsis…Things won’t change overnight and we cannot forget the past…” This quote is representative of citizens voicing the narratives of the countries they identify with. The quote represents the hope of a future in a sovereign Kosovo held by the people of an independent Kosovo.
Kosovo Independence Narratives from Serbia
Serbia continued the narrative that Kosovo was a part of Serbia and not independent even after normalization talks led by the UN in 2012. The New York Times quoted a Serbian living in northern Kosovo , “I will stay here forever. This will always be Serbia.” We can again see the continuation of these narratives through statements made by former Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, where he asserted Serbia’s stance on not admitting Kosovo is an independent state ahead of a trip to the mainly Serbian northern Kosovo.
The battling narratives regarding independence of Kosovo can be broken down to Independence is the ‘Will of the people of Kosovo” versus the rights of Serbia to land that they claim is a part of Serbia and will always be. But, we can see that the Kosovo narrative has been more effective on the world stage, as many countries, including the US, also subscribe to the will of the people narrative and have recognized Kosovo as an independent nation.
Role of the US in the Narrative Battle
The US plays an important role in the current narrative battle between Serbia and Kosovo. As a leader of the Western world, the US showed support for Kosovo in 2008 by recognizing the country. During UN proceedings to decide the legality of Kosovo’s independence, US support was necessary as other western nations like Spain refused to support Kosovo’s independence. That support was also crucial for future assistance due to the weak economic conditions in Kosovo that required help from stronger nations.
Recent issues bringing the US into the Serbia-Kosovo narrative battle include President Biden’s letters to Serbia and Kosovo, which used the phrase “mutual recognition”. Furthering these narrative issues between the US and Serbia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that reaching an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, focused on mutual recognition, will require flexibility and willingness to compromise. Kosovo agrees with this sentiment but mutual recognition for Serbia would imply that Kosovo was an independent state. Serbia and Kosovo signed economic agreements in 2020 and have continued to follow these agreements but Serbia will not formally recognize Kosovo so as not to legitimize their sovereignty. Despite US statements on wanting more formalized relations and pushing hard steps are necessary to gain European integration, Serbia has not wavered.
Narrative Mistakes
Many of the narrative mistakes between the two countries can be seen on the Serbian side. Serbia has not updated their narratives in order to join in the modern conversation. They have held onto their narrative that Kosovo is destined to be a part of Serbia, while the people of Kosovo have demonstrated that the “will of the people” narrative is far more effective, especially on the world stage. The US has been used by both countries to further their issue narratives but the US has continued to keep their narrative of peace between the countries as the best way to move forward, both for stability in the Balkans and for EU membership. But, this narrative has required the US to play both sides of the issue and has led to some mistakes, as was seen in President Biden’s letter to Serbia. Kosovo has evolved their narratives from a separatist movement before independence to a country that is fighting for sovereignty and an entrance to the world stage, while being bullied by Serbia and its ally, Russia. This narrative has played effectively and played into larger issues between the US and Russia.
In the narrative battle between Kosovo and Serbia, there is no clear victor. But, we can evaluate the effectiveness of some narratives and the failures of others that have been used. Kosovo has been more successful in the narrative battle because of their ability to adapt their narrative to target the strongest allies. If a country is to win the battle, they will have to make sacrifices that will go against what they have presented and what each country believes is in their best interest.
For an in-depth analysis by the author on the subject, Click Here.
The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author. They do not express the views of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication or the George Washington University.
