Page 2
Introduction
The Clinton administration's increasing involvement in
the conflict in Serbia's Kosovo province--from threatening
new economic sanctions and NATO intervention against
Yugoslavia, to increasing military and intelligence ties
with Albania--could backfire. Specifically, the interven-
tionist path the administration is now on could encourage
the KLA, widen the conflict, further undermine the
prospect of democratic reform in Yugoslavia, perpetuate
European security dependence on the United States, and
mire Americans in another internecine conflict in the
Balkans. To fully appreciate those dangerous possibili-
ties, however, Kosovo's long and tumultuous history must
first be understood.
Kosovo's Long and Tumultuous History
Bordering Albania and Macedonia, Kosovo is the south-
ernmost province of present-day Serbia, which, together
with Montenegro, makes up what remains of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia. Kosovo was originally populated
by Illyrians, an ancient people who inhabited the western
part of the Balkans from about 2000 B.C. The earliest
known Illyrian king was Hyllus, who died in 1225 B.C., and
the last was Gentius, who was defeated by the Romans in
165 B.C.1 Although many scholars dispute it, many modern
Albanians contend that they are the direct descendents of
the ancient Illyrians and thus the original inhabitants of
Kosovo.
The first Slavs appeared around Kosovo in the late
4th century A.D. as marauders who raided Roman settle-
ments. By the end of the 8th century, the Slavs had colo-
nized most of the area of modern Yugoslavia, including
Kosovo.
Serbs are not identified until the 10th century writ-
ings of Byzantine emperor Constantine VII. There, they
are described as Slavs residing in the area of present-day
Kosovo, Montenegro, and Bosnia, and who converted to
Eastern Christianity in the 9th century. In the 12th cen-
tury, Serbs successfully fought against the Byzantine
Empire to establish an independent Serbian kingdom.
Kosovo was crucial to that kingdom and to the Serbian
Orthodox church for the next two centuries. In fact, vir-
tually all of the oldest monuments in Kosovo are Serbian
Orthodox and most of place names have a Serbian language
root. But in 1389, the Serb dynasty fell to the Ottoman
Empire at the battle of Kosovo Polje. Although they