Kosovo’s Precedents: The Politics of Sovereign Emergence and its Alternatives

On Sunday, February 17, 2008, the territory of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. Shortly thereafter, and over the objections of Serbia and Russia, it was recognized by most Western states as the newest sovereign member of the international system. Concerns over Kosovo’s “precedent” for the status of other separatist territories have been expressed throughout the international community, while, over the last year, Kosovar independence has been increasingly linked to the legal status of the Abkhazian and South Ossetian “frozen conflicts” within Georgia.