The one year anniversary of Kosovo riots had left many in the region fearful of a renewal of violence. NATO sent in extra troops in anticipation of protests, and everyone held a collective breath. This anniversary, taken in combination with the fact that there have been no final status talks on the future of Kosovo and the removal of the very popular Albanian Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj to face war crimes charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, seems to have indicated trouble was coming. Surprisingly, there was no major trouble, but there are a number of events and sentiments looming in the province that do not bode well for peace and stability. These events may still be coming to a head.

While there was no outbreak of violence, the attempted bombing of Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova?s motorcade is an alarming development. Directed violence against an elected official is a sign that the province is still unstable. To date, there has been no indication of who or what group was behind the attempt. It could be someone who simply disliked Rugova or a more orchestrated, politicized event. There is a lot of speculation. However, the attempt on Rugova?s life may be an indication that his own people are fed up. Certainly, while the Kosovo Albanians were once united in a common purpose to escape Serb oppression, they had different ways of going about it. Rugova chose the path of passive resistance. Once the Kosovo Albanians had regained control, it was not surprising that there were divisions within. While most of the Albanian residents of Kosovo are united in never falling under the Serb yoke again, it would be a mistake to think the group is cohesive. Pre- and post-war cooperation was a marriage of necessity. More extreme or impatient elements may be trying to remove Rugova in order to encourage their own aims. Rugova claimed that the attack was by elements that want to destabilize Kosovo; that is probably true. Whether it is perpetrated by Albanians or Serbs who want to cause trouble is unknown.

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