09/15/2025
WHY THE WEST IS GETTING KOSOVO WRONG —AND REWORDING SERBIA
A dangerous paradox is playing out in Balkan politics:Kosovo,the most democratic and pro-Western country in the region, has long been placed under pressure by the West itself, while Serbia, a constant source of tension and an open ally of Russia, continues to be tolerated and even rewarded.
Does Europe truly understand that Serbia will never genuinely align with the West? Historically and politically, Serbia has always been,and will remain, a loyal ally of Russia.
So why is all this pressure placed on Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti?
He is often portrayed as “harsh,” “unwilling to compromise,” or someone who “doesn’t want peace.” But this is a deeply distorted picture. In reality, Kurti is doing what any responsible leader would do: defending a young and fragile state that faces daily threats, from Serbian-funded parallel structures, from extremist groups, and even from those who recently attacked northern Kosovo in the presence of international troops.
How could international actors not have been aware of the planned partition of northern Kosovo? And how can they then demand that Kurti simply “ease tensions” while he’s confronting a real destabilization effort?
In this context, Kurti’s caution and vigilance are not only understandable,they are necessary. He is defending not just sovereignty, but the democratic principles of a nation that has already suffered under Serbia. He is a leader who refuses to allow Kosovo to fall again into Serbian hands, and to relive the horrors of the 1990s, horrors he personally endured as a political prisoner in Serbia’s infamous jails.
Meanwhile, Serbia continues to push a revanchist agenda, still viewing Kosovo as “lost territory,” refusing to apologize for crimes in Kosovo and Bosnia, and maintaining a strong alliance with Putin’s Russia. The “Serb World” project continues unchallenged — and yet parts of the international community still treat Serbia as a “stability partner.” This is not just hypocrisy — it is a moral and strategic failure for the region’s future.
In this reality, Albanians are not the source of conflict — they are the strongest barrier against the return of a violent past. That is precisely why Kosovo is often punished, while Serbia is rewarded.
If the West truly wants peace in the Balkans, it must stop confusing aggressors with victims. It must take a firm stance: either stand with those who build states and democracy, or with those seeking to restore empires through hate and aggression.
Albanian,American media
