USA’s New Containment Policy: Kosovo Case

After Kosovo’s one-sided declaration of independence, many new argumentations came to the agenda and the ‘Kosovo Issue’ occurred a new polarization in international system in 21. Century. While the USA, as the winning side of the Cold War, was supporting Kosovo’s independence; Russia ---as the other superpower of the Cold War and the successor of Soviet Union- openly objects Kosovo’s independence. This situation has created a new competition among the United States who is believed to gain a permanent victory in the Cold War and Russia who desires to replace its status as a superpower. This new competition was first truly tested in Kosovo. Following the dissolving of Yugoslavia, the political map of Balkans was reshaped. The positions taken by the countries that have declared independence from Yugoslavia have revitalized the discussion of power in the international system. War in Yugoslavia, in a way, have shown that end of history has not yet arrived and international system is bound to see important crises in the future. Especially the experiences in Bosnia-Herzegovia and Kosovo have not limited only with regional impact but became effective in global level wherein actors multiplied with globalization following the Cold War. Russia’s reaction to the Yugoslavian War and the USA’s intervention in the problem through the NATO have illustrated a new dimention of USA-Russia competition. Russia’s assumption that it was contained by the USA after the Cold War has emerged ‘a new containment concept’ in the field of international relations.

Keywords

The Problem of Kosovo, New Containment Policy, Neorealism, NATO, Yugoslavia, Regional Studies, International Politics