On February 3, 2008, Boris Tadić was reelected president of Serbia on a platform calling for greater integration with Europe. Shortly afterwards, and as expected, Kosovo’s prime minister announced that the Kosovar parliament would within days declare Kosovo’s independence from Serbia. Kosovo’s imminent declaration presents a significant diplomatic challenge for Europe and the United States. Some within the European Union (EU) worry that recognizing Kosovo’s independence will undermine Serbian progress toward deepening democratic rule, destabilize the historically volatile Balkans, and empower separatist groups elsewhere. Other EU powers, however, appear to agree with the Bush administration that recognizing Kosovo as an independent state is necessary if the region is to make progress toward integration with the rest of Europe—and that it is justified given past Serbian misrule and aggression toward Kosovo.

On February 15, 2008, John R. Bolton, AEI senior fellow and former U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations, will discuss the issues surrounding Kosovo’s declaration with Bruce Jackson, the president of the Project on Transitional Democracies and a former member of the International Commission on the Balkans. Gary J. Schmitt, director of AEI’s Program on Advanced Strategic Studies, will moderate.