Those of you somewhat familiar with Kosovo will find odd my claim that Kosovo has the most stable government in the Western Balkans, and that since independence it has become even more so. While reasons for this are several fold, and not all of them ideal, Kosovo can be proud of this achievement and the positive consequences from such a fact.

 

Kosovo government consists of a coalition of the two largest parties: center-left Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and center-right Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK). While PDK is far from the absolute majority, the constellation of second and third tiered political forces makes PDK and its leader Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi kingmakers in the Kosovar politics.

 

Although not all members at LDK are happy about the coalition with PDK, the strong relationship between Thaçi and LDK leader and Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu make for a stable coalition. This new reality became apparent when PM Thaçi fired a vice-minister from the ranks of LDK. While there was outcry at LDK, their leader went along with the decision. This is a first in modern Kosovar politics.

 

In the all important budget spending, better tax collection and administrative spending controls have allowed the current government to spend more of the budget in areas proven to be popular with the public. Large capital expenditures in roads connecting Kosovo’s rural areas with the ring of major cities and towns are a welcome sight. For the first time Thaçi government has been able to balance a pro-business tax regime with investments that help the masses. Education and school building has been another area of great success for the current administration. While the needs here are great, the successes were no less great.

 

You might even be surprised if I told you that Kosovo has safely surpassed the Serb minority problem. Yes, the restless north has now become a storm in a pot. It's about 40,000 Serbs there with about 25,000 of them in Mitrovica. If this is not manageable for Kosovo local and international security forces, then what is? Some work is still needed though, as this is one area where Thaçi has yet to extend the authority of his government: in the courts, at the border customs posts, the railway and so forth. The announced willingness of the Thaçi government to fire the Kosovo customs director (an institution UN claims as its prerogative) is a sign of his willingness to extend his authority into UNMIK territory.

 

The new UNMIK chief is a lame duck. Navigating the Prishtina-Belgrade maze for him just got more complicated by the increased rigor of Russian meddling in New York. He has approached his new mission with lots of enthusiasm but he is bound to be disappointed by an increasingly audacious Prishtina and unrelenting Belgrade.

 

In the next few months we will find that the EU and the UN will end up blaming each other over the inability to surpass challenges to their authority in the Serb inhabited areas and seeking cover for the actions of the other. This is an excellent opportunity for Prishtina to take things on its hands. An assertive government in Prishtina is bound to be popular with Albanians in Kosova, and although with initial protestation by Serbs, it will clear things up for them in the long term.
 
At the same time, Albanians need to get off the “can't do” attitude. Politically there are no more outstanding issues not to succeed. More international recognitions are very important for the long term, but not for the day-to-day of the Kosovars. The number of Kosovars who will be affected by the Slovak unwillingness to recognize the new Kosovo passports is minimal: only eight Kosovars visited Slovakia last year.

 

Considering what seems to be the assured intransigencies of Russia for the foreseeable future, from here on any significant change on the international status of the country will be made only when Serbia will have to make the recognition itself in a decade or so when it's time to enter the European Union along with its neighbors, Kosovo and others. Until then Kosovo should use the new found stability to develop its economy, strengthen its institutions, and protect its borders.