The Legal Research Society

Dr Natalia Alvarez will screen “ Views from the bridge ” on Tuesday 4th March from 11 to 12:30 in Taylor A37. Dr Alvarez explains that the film helps one to 'understand the problems that Kosovo might face in the near future. The portrayal it gives of the situation in Kosovo is quite different from that provided by newspapers and the media': VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE – the first documentary feature about post-war Kosovo. Confused with the earlier Balkan conflicts and overshadowed by Afghanistan and Iraq, Kosovo’s story may hold the most compelling lessons of all. Following the film, there will be a short discussion about the new status of Kosovo and the question of minority rights. This meeting is open to all law students, members of staff and research students interested in this topic.

Rumours are fierce on the internet that Kosovo is set to declare its independence from Serbia this weekend. Whether Kosovo will formally announce its independence this weekend or not, it is evident that the partition is forthcoming. We have previously on the blog touched upon some of the implications of Kosovo’s independence here and here . The rumours follow announcements by the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, vowing to protect Serbian minorities within Kosovo and statements from the Russian Foreign Ministry stating that any declaration of independence from Kosovo would be taken into account in regard to Russia’s relations towards the breakaway parts of Georgia aspiring to be independent themselves. Similarly, a number of European states are reluctant to recognise an independent Kosovo fearing that it will prove a rubberstamp to other regions in Europe seeking independence from nation states. However, it cannot be emphasised strongly enough that the will of the Kosovo Albania...

A few days ago, Justin wrote how the governments of Cyprus and Romania would refuse to recognise an independent Kosovo should the international community go ahead and, as planned, support Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia. On Friday, the newly re-elected President of Serbia, Boris Tadic, told participants at a security conference in Munich that the possible partition of Serbia would likely lead to the flaring up of old conflicts. Tadic said “Should Serbia be partitioned against its will... it could in turn result in the escalation of many existing conflicts, the reactivation of a number of frozen conflicts, and the instigation of who knows how many new conflicts”. Although Tadic is attempting to strike a balancing act between securing Serbia’s path towards the European Union, while, at the same time, trying to avoid the breaking up of Serbia, his comments are interesting for a number of reasons. For instance, it is paramount that any violence is avoided in the Balkans ...

The governments of Cyprus and Romania have stated that they will not recognise the expected unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence (see report here ). Romania has gone so far as to state that it “will not be able to recognise an independence proclamation by Kosovo on any level (...) whether coordinated or unilaterally proclaimed". The Romanian president is reported to have expressed that this would send the wrong message to countries that face ethnic conflicts. Admittedly, the Romanian president raises an important point about the dismemberment of ethnically diverse States. There certainly is a principled argument for States to respect Serbia’s territorial integrity and cultural connection to Kosovo. Yet this conundrum must be resolved with reference to the sovereign will of the people of Kosovo, particularly when one considers the long list of aggravations that Kosovo has suffered at the hands of rule from Belgrade. In the light of recent history, is it not mo...