The Kosovo Statebuilding Conundrum: Addressing Fragility in a Contested State

Published with the support of the Ford Foundation, this 32-page paper from FRIDE (a think-tank based in Madrid, Spain) and International Alert (an independent peacebuilding organisation) examines statebuilding in Kosovo. The paper aims to: deepen understanding of the factors and processes which have led to the fragilities in Kosovo; examine the role of international actors; and glean insights to improve international and local governance. The core message is that context needs to be taken as a starting point and that an inclusive, "bottom-up", conflict-sensitive approach is necessary. The paper argues that the consolidation of a resilient state requires "a deep bond between government and people, and that this in turn requires the explicit construction of basic social capital and enhanced political participation."

According to the author, Kosovo is not a failed state, but it is critically weak along a number of axes, including its legacy of powerful regional clans, a criminal-political nexus, its extreme ethnic polarisation, dynamics of parallel authorities competing for legitimacy, and its deep economic stagnation. These characteristics are known within both Europe and the wider international community, but the extensive externally led administrative and security intervention that has been mounted in the last decade has not generated genuine state legitimacy or created institutional strength. Indeed, external efforts have failed to address the underlying causes of conflict and state weakness, and may have even undermined state construction in a number of critical ways.

As detailed in the opening sections of the paper, Kosovo suffers very high levels of ethnic polarisation. For instance, "until recently, Kosovar-Serbs who wished to engage in the Kosovo political and parliamentary system received huge political, security and economic pressure from Belgrade not to do so". However, as the author stresses, "the slate is never 'blank', and international intervention is never 'neutral'. International actors wishing to stimulate a transformation of the local state need to be aware of, and integrate into their plans, an in-depth understanding of local history, existing power relations, vested interests and the socio-political rules of the game....The way in which local and international actors have managed these processes [in Kosovo] has contributed to fragility."

On the communication front, the author cites a lack of social capital in Kosovo: "There is a lack of interaction between government and society that causes the detachment of the population from their leaders....There has been little pressure from citizens on the authorities to hold them to account for their promises and responsibilities...[B]ridging social capital between Kosovo-Serbs and Kosovo-Albanians is virtually non-existent, and atrophied entirely during the war. Bridging social capital does exist between certain other communities....In the light of these dilemmas, how...can social capital be created, how can it be protected where it is weak and how can this process be fostered and facilitated?...The most important impact of shared standards and interests is the building of trust."

An excerpt from the Conclusion section follows:
"A clear gap can be noted between Kosovo's statebuilding needs and the role the international community has played in seeking to reduce those fragilities....In contrast, international actors engaged in statebuilding as a means to consolidate sustainable peace need to view governance in its dynamic nature, shaping a constellation of social, political and economic forces. Building peace implies changing bad habits, and transforming behaviours and structures, as well as addressing the underlying causes of fragility....The aim is to have a holistic approach based on curbing risks to the provision of security, as well as the socio-political and economic foundations generating reconciliation and enabling long-term peace. This paper argues that...[t]he support needs to go beyond institutional construction and support the development of the peaceful multi-ethnic society. International actors need to support the strengthening of the social contract and enhanced participation of all communities in the political decision making....Above all else, statebuilding within a sustainable peacebuilding process is a long-term endeavour. Peace requires profound social change....The underlying causes of fragility, including vested interests resisting change, need to be addressed with the necessary understanding, political will, peacebuilding focus and integrated international approach."