On its own, Kosovo has neither come to where it is today nor could it move any forward in the near future. The role of the international community and especially that of the EU is crucial in helping Kosovo overpass some of the current barriers and become a truly European state, instead of just another state in Europe. Therefore, from a state-building perspective, this paper strives to shed some light on the process of state-building in Kosovo and the role of the international involvement during this past decade.

The study of externally-led democratisation in conflict-affected societies has expanded over the last two decades. The introduction of democracy from the outside has attracted extensive scholarly interest in accordance with the increasing engagement of the United Nations and other international agents in attempting to build long-lasting domestic, regional and international peace through promoting democratic forms of government in the post-Cold War era. The studies conducted to investigate democratisation in post-conflict societies have focused on the construction of government institutions and transferring necessary institutional competencies due to the fact that externally-driven democratisation policies target the state rather than the nation. In this respect, some studies undertaken to examine the process of democratisation in post-conflict societies pointed to the need for sequencing of tasks such as establishing security, law and order and building strong and capable government institutions in the first place. Their focus, however, has still remained on the state rather than the nation. Through examining two case studies, this thesis emphasises two significant points: 1) achieving successful democratic transformation in conflict-affected societies requires not only the construction of functioning central state institutions but also the creation of a shared sense of national community; and 2) sequencing of post-conflict reconstruction tasks therefore should also involve building a sense of national cohesion through promoting social communication, participation and inclusion in political, institutional and social processes while postponing the competitive or potentially conflictual aspects of democracy. The need to integrate the creation of a sense of shared national community into studies of democracy promotion in societies emerging from conflict stems from the fact that the reconstruction of post-conflict societies involves two separate but complementary and interacting processes. These processes were examined under two headings: state-building and nation-building. The construction of well-functioning, effective government institutions and the achievement of a sense of national community were found to be vital, inter-connected factors to consolidate democratic rule promoted by external actors. The lack of or a weak sense of social cohesion has an undermining effect on the capacity of state institutions to exercise authority and effectively and democratically perform their roles and duties. Failing to deliver their functions to the public and exercise political authority throughout the entire territory, weak state institutions, in return, do not provide a suitable environment for consolidating democratic rule, which requires the execution of the rule of law and protection and guaranteeing of citizens’ political rights.

24 mars 1999 påbörjar NATO för första gången i organisationens historia krigshandlingar med luftstridskrafter. Detta mot ett Serbien med Slobodan Milosevic i spetsen som utförde etniska rensningar på kosovoalbaner i Kosovo. Denna konflikt kom att från NATOs håll kallas operation Allied Force. Tre år innan denna konflikt urartade släppte Dr. Robert A. Pape en bok vid namn Bombing to win där Pape framför sina teorier för hur luftkrig och framförallt luftmakt skall genomföras. Tidigare forskning om Pape´s teorier och operation Allied Force visar att det finns vissa kopplingar mellan dennes teorier och den använda taktiken under luftkriget i konflikten. Syftet med denna undersökning är att försöka urskilja faktorer som påverkade utgången genom användandet av Pape´s teorier. Slutsatsen är att delar av Pape´s teorier inte applicerades tillräckligt mycket så att ett positivt resultat kunde nås. Analysen visar att NATO´s taktik i detta luftkrig är en blandning av olika teoretikers teorier, vilket kan förklaras med att flera olika politiska viljor har haft en stor inverkan på den utförda taktiken.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Tufts University, 2003. / Submitted to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Chair: Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 286-299). Access restricted to members of the Tufts University community. Also available via the World Wide Web;

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-111). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--Naval Postgraduate School, 2002. / Cover title. "June 2002." AD-A406 036. Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 122-131). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2010. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 613 p. : col. maps. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 597-613).

Zugleich: Diss. Berlin, Freie Univ., 2008. / Literaturverz.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Waikato, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 326-348). Also available via the World Wide Web.