CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2019
| Author | Kusilek, Connor Mackenzie |
|---|---|
| Title | 21st Century Partitioning: Applying Ethnic Partition Theory to Kosovo and the Presevo Valley |
| Summary | Recently, talks of partitioning the Balkans have reentered public discourse. This time it doesn’t come from foreign powers, but from the respective leaders of Serbia and Kosovo. For this thesis, I applied Kaufmann’s ethnic partition theory to the state of Kosovo and the Preševo Valley in an effort to determine how feasible a “land-swap” would be in reducing ethnic tension in the region and normalizing relations between the two states. My findings indicated that ethnic partition would not achieve these goals, as rates of ethnic violence are lower in mixed municipalities, and the “security dilemma” is not determining inter-ethnic relations as Kaufmann predicts. To explain this, I applied Jenne’s nested security theory, which posits ethnic conflict within a state is not contingent on insecurity and fear, but rather based on the regional and global political environment. Applying this theory, I find that it is the elite policymakers in Belgrade and Pristina who have the most influence over tensions in Kosovo and the Preševo Valley. Using a short history section, I confirm this finding though the precedent of previous ethnic partitions in the Balkans. Based on my conclusion, I recommend the land-swap be disregarded as a means to normalize relations, and that the European Union discourage the idea while continuing the condition European integration on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. |
| Supervisor | Erin K. Jenne |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2019/kusilek_connor.pdf |
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