Institution Building in Kosovo: the Role of International Actors and the Question of Legitimacy’
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The London School of Economics and Political Science ‘Institution Building in Kosovo: The Role of International Actors and the Question of Legitimacy’ Camille Andrée Marie Monteux A thesis submitted to the Department of Government of the London School of Economics and Political Science for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, September 2009 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of the author. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. 1 Abstract This thesis argues that establishing legitimacy, both in relation to the international community and in relation to local populations, is a critical precondition for the success of international missions in post-conflict situations. The argument is developed through a study of post-conflict institution-building in Kosovo. In 1999, when the Security Council established the United Nations Administrative Mission in Kosovo, the international community had a unique opportunity to develop conflict management mechanisms capable of responding to the contemporary challenges posed by ethnic conflicts. By acting under the United Nations umbrella, the international community could have sent a strong message to the deeply divided population of Kosovo: this mission had the ability to protect them and provide them with institutional structures capable of sustaining long-term economic, political and social peace and stability. Yet the international actors failed to do so. They failed to grant the Kosovo population the security they so dearly needed, and they failed to construct institutions appropriate to the challenges faced by the territory. This thesis argues that this occurred because of the international community’s inability to provide legitimacy for their actions and policies. As the different actors focused their attention on attempting to secure legitimacy vis à vis the international community, they failed to nurture the roots of the new political system they wished to establish by obtaining the support of Kosovo’s population as a whole. After developing a working concept of legitimacy, I analyse the degree and nature of legitimacy of the different international actors, and their policies at each stage that led to the establishment of a new political system in Kosovo. Through this analysis, I provide an explanation for the failure of the international community to offer a satisfactory and sustainable solution to the Kosovo issue. 2 Table of Content Abstract...........................................................................................................................2 Table of Content.............................................................................................................3 List of Abbreviations......................................................................................................7 Introduction ....................................................................................................................8 Chapter 1 - International Actors and Institution Building: Issues of Legitimacy ........22 1. The Concept of Legitimacy and its Definition..................................................24 a. ‘Belief in Legitimacy’....................................................................................24 b. Beyond Belief ................................................................................................28 c. Legitimacy and Political Stability .................................................................32 2. Legitimacy and the International Community...................................................35 a. Legitimacy in the International System.........................................................35 b. Legitimacy and International Administrations..............................................37 3. Kosovo and Legitimacy.....................................................................................39 a. UNMIK and Institution-building...................................................................40 b. Legitimacy and the Kosovo Political System................................................45 Chapter 2 - The Yugoslav Context and the Question of Kosovo.................................50 1. National Ideologies and the Disintegration of Yugoslavia................................51 a. The First Yugoslavia and the Growth of National Ideologies.......................52 b. Titoist Model of National Self-determination ...............................................55 c. Nationalist Rhetoric and the Dissolution of the Yugoslav Ideal ...................59 2. The Question of Kosovo....................................................................................61 a. Origins of the ‘Question of Kosovo’ (1878-1945) ........................................62 b. Kosovo under Tito’s Yugoslavia (1945-1981)..............................................66 c. The Break-up of Yugoslavia and the Milošević Era (1981-1999) ................68 3. The Question of Kosovo and the International Community .............................73 a. The Internationalisation of the Conflict.........................................................74 b. The Rambouillet Conference.........................................................................79 Chapter 3 - International Legitimacy and Legitimation...............................................85 1. Sovereignty vs. National Self-determination ....................................................86 a. Sovereignty vs. National Self-determination.................................................86 b. Kosovo and National Self-determination ......................................................91 3 2. Sovereignty vs. Human Rights..........................................................................94 a. The Human Rights Regime ...........................................................................95 b. NATO and the Intervention Precedent..........................................................98 3. Kosovo, the Security Council and the International Legitimacy Framework.105 a. The United Nations Security Council and Issues of Legitimacy....................106 b. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 ........................................109 Chapter 4 - International Territorial Administrations and the Case of Kosovo .........114 1. International Territorial Administrations ........................................................115 a. The Mandate System ...................................................................................117 b. The Trusteeship System ..............................................................................119 c. Modern Trends of United Nations Involvement..........................................121 2. International Administration, Kosovo and the Question of ‘Belief’ ...............124 a. The International Community and Legitimacy............................................125 i) The ‘Allies’ ..............................................................................................126 ii) Russia......................................................................................................128 b. The Yugoslav Context and Legitimacy.......................................................130 i) Kosovo’s Albanians .................................................................................130 ii) Belgrade ..................................................................................................132 iii) Kosovo’s Serbs ......................................................................................134 3. The United Nations Administrative Mission in Kosovo .................................135 a. The International Territorial Administration’s Design................................135 i) The Pillar Structure ..................................................................................136 ii) Accountability Issues..............................................................................139 b. UNMIK’s Policies.......................................................................................141 i) The Emergency Period.............................................................................142 ii) Between a Multiethnic Society and Pacific Co-existence ......................145 iii) ‘Standard Before Status’........................................................................148 Chapter 5 – Democratisation and Legitimation..........................................................156 1. Democratisation and Legitimisation................................................................157 a. Aim ..............................................................................................................157 b. Means ..........................................................................................................160 i) Institutional Engineering..........................................................................161 ii) Citizens ...................................................................................................165