Kosovo's Status Legitimacy

Throughout its long history, Russia has been trapped in a continuous cycle of authoritarian regimes; only interrupted briefly with periods of tumultuous democratic transitions that were plagued by poor bureaucracy and weak institutions. Therefore, time and time again, Russia has turned towards authoritarianism. In the late 1900’s to early 2000’s, Russia again saw the fall of democracy coincide with the rise of a competitive authoritarian regime. This rise of competitive authoritarianism in Russia in the late 1900’s to early 2000’s was largely the result of the resource curse which granted Putin’s Administration false economic performance legitimacy. This in turn reinvigorated past strongman ideals, while at the same time solidified negative

The December of 1991 marked the end of the Soviet Union—and with it, an entire era. Like the February Revolution of 1917 that ended tsardom, the events leading up to August 1991 took place in rapid succession, with both spontaneity and, to some degree, retrospective inevitability. To understand the demise of Soviet Union is to understand the communist party-state system itself. Although the particular happenings of the Gorbachev years undoubtedly accelerated its ruin, there existed fundamental flaws within the Soviet system that would be had been proven ultimately fatal. The USSR became a past chapter of history because it was impossible to significantly reform the administrative

The democratization, economic liberalization, and eventual collapse of the Soviet Union is commonly attributed to Mikhail Gorbachev's Perestroika and Glasnost reforms during the period of 1985-1991. This purpose of these reforms is still a trenchant question as the countries of the old Soviet Union, particular Russia, are being pressured to further liberalize their economies.

Throughout the period 1855 to 1954, opposition to Russian governments was a common occurrence due to dissatisfaction of many civilians’ lives and the lack of development seen throughout Russia. However, as much as there were some successful movements throughout 1905 such as the Bolsheviks gaining support and eventually gaining power, there were also several failed attempts due to intense use of violence, terror and censorship by the state. It is arguable that whether opposition was successful, merely came down to the strength of the opposition group or the weakness of the government in power.

Russia, as a country, has had a long and proud history. However, for a small time starting in 1917, things started to take a turn for the worse. There was widespread famine, disease, and killing by the instituted government. There was also no Russia. Instead, there was the glorious United Soviet Socialist Republics, or the USSR. This new country did not come around peacefully, but instead under the 1917 Russian Revolution and the revolting communist Bolsheviks. The Russian people were not in a better condition after the Russian revolution due to Stalin’s leadership of his country; the reason being the GULAGs that Stalin was sending his people to, the communes that the peasants were sent to, and the disastrous effects of his five year plans.

The government of the modern day Russian Federation must be traced back to the early 20th century in order to understand its current posture. In 1917, tired of the sequestering limits of a Tsarist system, a small revolutionary group called the Bolshevik Party gained control of Russia . The Bolshevik Party, led by Lenin and inspired by Marxist ideology, attempted to establish a Constitute Assembly. However, a post- revolutionary environment and an unsupportive public forced Lenin to abolish rival political parties and establish a dictatorship to retain The Bolshevik Party’s power. In 1919, the

United States citizens generally also have the right to vote due to their democratic government, and many post-soviet citizens are now able to boast the same. Voting in these places is a hard-fought right. Rachel Denber, Deputy Director, Europe and Central Asia Division of the Human Rights Watch organization, writes about the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, and about the expectations involved. Many people immediately thought that without communism in the ex-union the governments would immediately turn to democracy. Those people were wrong because communism still ruled unfortunately (Denber 1). Any entity opposing those in power was effectively countered, and in many cases imprisoned for trumped up charges. Newer politicians developed to try to swing the system towards democracy, but initially failed. Putin has surprisingly been in power for a over twenty-five years with no political opposition, but fortunately there are now countries within this category that have developed their own systems of government to include democracy. Denber says that in Ukraine the “Orange revolution” of 2004 ousted the government’s manipulations and put Viktor Yushchenko into power through sequential democratic elections. A similar revolution in Georgia, the “Rose Revolution” of 2003, led to a

First, as a result of World War II, the Ingush and Chechens were deported from their ancestral lands and majority of Ingushetia’s territory was put into North Ossetia’s control. Second, two instances of ethnic cleansing occurred that are found to be relevant to the Beslan attack. One instance involved Ossetian authorities forcing over 30,000 Ingush people from their land. Another was a war between the Russian and the Chechen that resulted in 80,00-100,000 murdered. Third, Vladimir Putin allowed the use of aerial bombing during the second Chechen war. By doing so, approximately 20,000 Chechen and Ingush people were killed and over 300,000 Chechens were driven out of their territory. Overall, the citizens of Chechnya and Ingushetia experienced a number of years filled with trauma and death.

The Post-soviet countries have begun to build themselves from the ground up, with the hope for a substantial future. As a result of the switch from socialism to capitalism the transition has brought new challenges. In other words, the political democratic stability for the sovereign states became inadequate. It had been standard to view newly democratic nations turned over and became more in support of the western capitalist idea. Although, the new post-soviet states are presumably embracing a democratic ideology, it has been clear that it needs coordination to demonstrate that change. Many people assume that to establish a democracy similar to the United States, you need to give back the control of a nation to the people in the form of

Instead, the regime programmed people with the notion of social order, with traditional attitudes to great power, superiority and history, “Orthodoxy” the primary religion of the state and military. The area where politics and civil society should have been was "purged" decreasing the rights of citizens unknowingly. “If participation were not contained, the Kremlin feared the state would lose control; if the constraints were too tight, citizens would not participate, and the state would again need a cumbersome bureaucracy to get things done” (Richter 41). Political parties, independent television channels, non governmental and public organizations, the system of elections, the courts and law-enforcement bodies as autonomous bodies

The land of Kosovo has been plagued with tension for hundreds of years being claimed by several surrounding countries. The two biggest contenders, Albanians in Kosovo and Serbia have been fighting for the land, which culminated in a full war from 1998-1999. The war brought international attention to the war crimes committed by both sides, and proved that the two countries had years to go before coming to a solution. The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) led by Kosovo Albanians, and the Serbian militia led by President Slobodan Milošević committed heinous crimes against their enemies. Crimes range from ethnic cleansing to rape and destruction of whole villages. The violence created a serious refugee problem that is still relevant today.

The country of Kosovo and its citizens have suffered from wars, exploitation, and destruction. Thus, as a consequence Kosovo is considered as a country which has the poorest economy in the region. However, lately there has been some considerable progress, even though from a low base. Kosovo has demonstrated progress in the creation of the foundations of a market economy. After the conflict of 1990s, most of Kosovo’s economic growth is related to post-conflict reconstruction. However, fifteen years after the liberation Kosovo still faces some major problems: its economy cannot meet the requests of the labor supply, it does not have an export-friendly economy, nor the needed infrastructure to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). Thus, as

The declaratory principle of statehood is the theory that statehood is ascribed automatically once the entity meets the elements of statehood. The Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States contains "the most widely accepted formulation of the criteria of statehood in international law.” Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of State states that: “The state as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications: a ) a permanent population; b) a defined territory; c ) government; and d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states.”

The present day Russian Federation involves a democratic system, given the presence of elections, an independent judiciary, and the supremacy of law. Yet, in democracy, the crux of it involves an inevitable paradox: law limits state power, but the state must have the power to enforce the law. However, finding the balance of the ability to enforce laws, and therefore maintaining order, while not infringing on civil liberties, requires a mutual understanding, a social contract, between the rulers and the ruled. This requirement has not found its place in the Russian political arena, especially since “creating a rule-of-law-based sate out of dictatorship is not easy” (Bressler 2009). In addition, the Russian psyche views authority as a source of force and violence (Yakovlev 1996), an etymological result of a continuity beginning from imperial Russia. Although the Russian Federation, the Union Soviet Socialist Republics, the Russian Empire, and the Tsardom of Russia differ significantly, a strong state remains prevalent in the core of Russian history and politics. In short, the nature of political rule in Russia involves a never ending tug of war between the seemingly undying authoritative soulless entity known as the state and the equally undying Russian people’s hunger for liberty.

Russia’s Return as a Superpower. There are concerns that Russia may once again “reassert itself militarily” (Wood 7). After the original fall of communism in 1991, Russia seemed to be on a path to democracy. Currently the notion of a democratic Russia seems to be fading as Russia “has been centralizing more and more power in the Kremlin” (Putin 2). Regional governors, who were once elected by the people, are now being appointed by Moscow.