Wilful/Wishful Hopers and the Creation of Kosovo

Building on the theoretical framework developed in Chapter 2 , in this chapter I argue that the relationship between the Internationals and the locals which developed from 1999 to the declaration of independence in 2008 was influenced by wilful hope on the part of the former and wishful hope on the part of the latter. I begin by arguing that the aims avowed, and the disposition adopted, by the Internationals coheres with the characteristics of the wilful hoper. The statebuilding project pursued in Kosovo between 1999 and 2008—as detailed in the previous chapter—has to be seen in the context of the prevailing Western dominance, and the accompanying sense of imminent global transformation as discussed in Chapters 3 and 4 , which led to the burgeoning sense of wilful hope. I then argue that the disposition adopted by the majority of Kosovo Albanians aligns with the characteristics of the wishful hoper. This derived from the fact that the Albanians perceived the Internationals as saviours who would lead them to peace, prosperity, and independence; the fact that this belief existed following NATO’s intervention in 1999 was hardly surprising, but its persistence in light of the Internationals’ behaviour became problematic. Finally, I argue that the corrupt elite which grew in power in Kosovo from 1999 onwards fed on the Internationals’ wilful hope and the local’s wishful hope as they set about initiating state capture.