A Nation’s Hope and the West’s Failure

Kosovo resisted despair and radicalism, turning anger into reform. A shining anomaly amid global extremism, their resilience exposes the West’s broken promises and democratic hypocrisy.

On a damp November evening in London, Fyvie Hall at the University of Westminster was abuzz with intellectual curiosity. Academics, students, and members of the public gathered to witness the launch of Dr. Aidan Hehir’s latest book, Kosovo and the “Internationals”: Hope, Hubris and the End of History. As attendees shuffled into their seats, anticipation mingled with the hum of whispered conversations. The occasion promised not just a deep dive into the intricate web of Kosovo’s modern history but also a reckoning with the broader failures of Western interventionism.

Dr. Hehir, a leading scholar on international relations, was joined by an esteemed panel of discussants: Professor Jasna Dragovic-Soso from the London School of Economics, a specialist in nationalism and memory politics; Professor James Gow of King’s College London, a renowned expert on the Balkans; and Professor Roland Dannreuther, who chaired the evening. Together, they unpacked Dr. Hehir’s thesis: that Kosovo’s stalled p…