Kosovo

http://www.humantruth.info/kosovo.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Kosovo
Status	Disputed status
Social and Moral Index	42nd best
Capital	Pristina
Land Area	10 887km²₁
Location	Europe, The Balkans
Population
GNI
ISO3166-1 Codes	, , ₂
Internet Domain	₃
Currency	₄
Telephone	+₅

1. Overview

“The central Balkans were part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires before ethnic Serbs migrated to the territories of modern Kosovo in the 7th century. During the medieval period, Kosovo became the center of a Serbian Empire and saw the construction of many important Serb religious sites, including many architecturally significant Serbian Orthodox monasteries. The defeat of Serbian forces at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 led to five centuries of Ottoman rule during which large numbers of Turks and Albanians moved to Kosovo. By the end of the 19th century, Albanians replaced the Serbs as the dominant ethnic group in Kosovo. Serbia reacquired control over Kosovo from the Ottoman Empire during the First Balkan War of 1912. After World War II, Kosovo became an autonomous province of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (S.F.R.Y.) with status almost equivalent to that of a republic under the 1974 S.F.R.Y. constitution. Despite legislative concessions, Albanian nationalism increased in the 1980s, which led to riots and calls for Kosovo's independence. At the same time, Serb nationalist leaders, such as Slobodan MILOSEVIC, exploited Kosovo Serb claims of maltreatment to secure votes from supporters, many of whom viewed Kosovo as their cultural heartland. Under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia instituted a new constitution in 1989 that revoked Kosovo's status as an autonomous province of Serbia. Kosovo's Albanian leaders responded in 1991 by organizing a referendum that declared Kosovo independent. Under MILOSEVIC, Serbia carried out repressive measures against the Kosovar Albanians in the early 1990s as the unofficial Kosovo government, led by Ibrahim RUGOVA, used passive resistance in an attempt to try to gain international assistance and recognition of an independent Kosovo. Albanians dissatisfied with RUGOVA's passive strategy in the 1990s created the Kosovo Liberation Army and launched an insurgency. Starting in 1998, Serbian military, police, and paramilitary forces under MILOSEVIC conducted a brutal counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians. Approximately 800,000 Albanians were forced from their homes in Kosovo during this time. International attempts to mediate the conflict failed, and MILOSEVIC's rejection of a proposed settlement led to a three-month NATO military operation against Serbia beginning in March 1999 that forced Serbia to agree to withdraw its military and police forces from Kosovo. UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) placed Kosovo under a transitional administration, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), pending a determination of Kosovo's future status. A UN-led process began in late 2005 to determine Kosovo's final status. The negotiations ran in stages between 2006 and 2007, but ended without agreement between Belgrade and Pristina. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared Kosovo independent. Since then, over 95 countries have recognized Kosovo, and it has joined the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and is in the process of signing a framework agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB). In October 2008, Serbia sought an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality under international law of Kosovo's declaration of independence. The ICJ released the advisory opinion in July 2010 affirming that Kosovo's declaration of independence did not violate general principles of international law, UN Security Council Resolution 1244, or the Constitutive Framework. The opinion was closely tailored to Kosovo's unique history and circumstances. Serbia continues to reject Kosovo's independence, but the two countries are currently engaged in an EU-facilitated dialogue aimed at normalizing the countries' relations.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₆

“It may be Europe´s newest country, but Kosovo´s long and dramatic history can be witnessed at every turn in elegant Ottoman towns and little-visited mountain vistas. Kosovo is contested territory. Populated predominately by Albanians, it is considered holy ground by minority Serbs. The Kosovar Albanians declared independence in 2008, a move hotly disputed by some and still not universally recognised, leading to tensions between Albanian and Serbian locals.
Far from being the dangerous or depressing place most people imagine, Kosovo is a fascinating land at the heart of the Balkans and one of the last corners of Eastern Europe where tourism has yet to take off.
Barbs of its past are impossible to miss: roads are dotted with memorials to those killed in inter-ethnic tension in 1999, while NATO forces still guard Serbian monasteries. But with independence has come a degree of stability, and Kosovo is now the latest word in getting off the beaten track in the Balkans. Visitors will be rewarded with welcoming smiles, terracotta-roofed old quarters, remote 13th-century domed Orthodox monasteries and poppy-splashed hillside meadows, which they will likely have all to themselves.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₇

2. Kosovo National and Social Development

#human_development

Social & Moral Development Index₈_,₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₈_,₉
1	Taiwan	28.6
2	Norway	29.4
3	Denmark	31.2
4	Sweden	32.2
5	Finland	32.6
	...
39	Latvia	61.1
40	Croatia	62.9
41	Monaco	63.0
42	Kosovo	63.4
43	Lithuania	63.9
44	Bulgaria	64.6
	Europe Avg	57.3
	World Avg	86.1
q=195.

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #kosovo #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₀_,₁₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₀_,₁₁
1	Sweden	9.2
2	Norway	14.7
3	Denmark	14.7
4	Netherlands	15.8
5	New Zealand	17.5
	...
42	Lithuania	53.2
43	Bolivia	53.8
44	Peru	54.0
45	Kosovo	54.2
46	S. Africa	56.3
47	Mexico	56.6
	Europe Avg	50.3
	World Avg	87.7
q=199.

Kosovo performs very well in ensuring human rights and freedom compared to most other countries. Kosovo comes in the best 20 in freethought₁₂. It does better than average in terms of commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₁₃ (but bad for Europe), LGBT equality₁₄ (but low for Europe) and in supporting press freedom₁₅ (but high for Europe). Solid progress is being made in bringing prosecutions against those involved in serious war crimescommitted during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war₁₆.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Kosovo

4. Kosovo's Modernity and Learning

#education #english #maths #modernity #religion #religiosity #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to Europe (2020)₁₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₁
1	Finland	8.4
2	Switzerland	15.1
3	Estonia	15.8
4	Denmark	16.0
5	Belgium	16.1
	...
36	Cyprus	54.0
37	Moldova	56.3
38	Serbia	56.4
39	Kosovo	57.0
40	Bosnia & Herzegovina	58.1
41	Monaco	64.5
42	Georgia	65.1
	Europe Avg	41.2
q=49.

Modernity and Learning (2020)₁₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₁
1	Finland	8.4
2	Taiwan	10.0
3	Switzerland	15.1
4	Estonia	15.8
5	Denmark	16.0
	...
56	Moldova	56.3
57	Serbia	56.4
58	St Kitts & Nevis	56.7
59	Kosovo	57.0
60	Puerto Rico	57.5
61	Bosnia & Herzegovina	58.1
62	Palau	59.3
	World Avg	83.2
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Maths, Science & Reading (2015)₁₇
Pos.		Higher is better Score₁₇
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
4	Macau	1582
5	Estonia	1573
	...
65	Lebanon	1129
66	Tunisia	1114
67	Macedonia	1107
68	Kosovo	1087
69	Algeria	1086
70	Dominican Rep.	1018
	Europe Avg	1417
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity (2018)₁₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₁₈
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
4	Switzerland	9
5	Denmark	9
	...
43	Argentina	43
44	Mexico	45
45	Kyrgyzstan	47
46	Kosovo	48
47	Tajikistan	50
48	Romania	50
	Europe Avg	25.8
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

5. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

On the Corruption Index, Kosovo scored on average 33.8 over the 2012-2016 period. Over the 10 years since then, it improved by 7.2 points.

World Giving Index (2013-2021)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better₁₉
1	Myanmar (Burma)	2.7
2	New Zealand	4.0
3	USA	4.7
4	Australia	4.9
5	Indonesia	9.0
	...
70	S. Sudan	59.3
71	Colombia	59.3
72	Brazil	62.7
73	Kosovo	63.4
74	Tanzania	63.9
75	Sudan	64.0
	Europe Avg	75.2
	World Avg	67.9
q=160.

Corruption (2022)₂₀
Pos.		Higher is better Points₂₀
1	Denmark	90.0
2	Finland	87.0
3	New Zealand	87.0
4	Norway	84.0
5	Singapore	83.0
	...
81	Solomon Islands	42.0
82	Kuwait	42.0
83	Hungary	42.0
84	Kosovo	41.0
85	Tunisia	40.0
86	Suriname	40.0
	Europe Avg	57.61
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness (2018)₂₁
Pos.		Higher is better₂₁
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
4	Iceland	7.5
5	Switzerland	7.5
	...
63	Estonia	5.7
64	Paraguay	5.7
65	Peru	5.7
66	Kosovo	5.7
67	Moldova	5.6
68	Turkmenistan	5.6
	Europe Avg	6.06
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

6. Peace Versus Instability

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Global Peace Index (2021)₂₂
Pos.		Lower is better₂₂
1	Iceland	1.10
2	New Zealand	1.25
3	Denmark	1.26
4	Portugal	1.27
5	Slovenia	1.32
	...
77	Liberia	2.00
78	Cambodia	2.01
79	Morocco	2.02
80	Kosovo	2.02
81	Angola	2.02
82	Dominican Rep.	2.02
	Europe Avg	1.69
	World Avg	2.08
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₂₃
Pos.		Lower is better Score₂₃
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
4	Equatorial Guinea	0.00
5	Cambodia	0.00
	...
69	Madagascar	1.96
70	Finland	2.03
71	Haiti	2.18
72	Kosovo	2.26
73	Japan	2.29
74	Netherlands	2.35
	Europe Avg	1.62
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

7. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)₁₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₁₈
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
4	Switzerland	9
5	Denmark	9
	...
43	Argentina	43
44	Mexico	45
45	Kyrgyzstan	47
46	Kosovo	48
47	Tajikistan	50
48	Romania	50
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₂₄:

Christian	11.4%
Muslim	87%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	1.6%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 98.8% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 48% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

"Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states simply: Muslim, Serbian Orthodox, Roman Catholic₂₅.

Links:

A List of All Religions and Belief Systems