Serb perspectives on Decentralization and Local Governance in Kosovo: towards integration or exclusion of the Serb community in the Republic of Kosovo?

Abstract

The newborn Republic of Kosovo has yet to find her sustainable peace. While the year 2009 showed a growing willingness of Serb community below the river Ibar to participate within the institutions of the republic, something they strongly refused to do before, it is questioned what this means for the future of Kosovo. This research aims to gain a better insight into the perspectives of the Serbs in South-Eastern Kosovo on the creation of Serb majority municipalities, and the functionality and legitimacy of these newly established units of local self-governance. I have tried to answer the question if the current decentralization measures can entrench Serb integration, and can foster sustainable peace within the Republic of Kosovo.