No “Mission Accomplished” For NATO Forces In Kosovo

NATO Stuck In Kosovo -- Wall Street Journal

Fourteen years after North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops first entered Kosovo to end fighting between ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians, there is still no “Mission Accomplished” sign in sight. The volatile situation in the Serb-dominated north of Kosovo, the failure of the European Union’s police force to win broad support from the population, and the limitations of Kosovo’s own under-staffed and poorly resourced institutions mean NATO’s KFOR security mission still counts 5,565 troops, including 700 held in reserve.

NATO has been hoping to halve its presence for a couple of years now. But weeks of ethnic clashes in the summer of 2011 in Kosovo’s north delayed that move. Last year, ethnic violence diminished but significant force reductions by the EU police force, EULEX, and concerns about the election of nationalist-leaning Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic in May dissuaded NATO from further rocking the boat. Not even the resumption of EU-brokered top-level talks last fall between Serbia and Kosovar leaders have stymied security worries.

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My Comment: NATO's withdrawal will be premature. Tensions in the region are still high, and any NATO withdrawal will only open the door for more ethnic and sectarian clashes. By keeping a few thousand soldiers in the region you are buying peace .... which is far more preferable than the alternative.