Reclaiming Kosovo: Breaking Free from Kleptocratic Rule
Kosovo's survival hinges on one truth: democracy cannot coexist with mafias in power. The corrupt must fall for the nation to rise.
Twenty five years ago, Kosovo emerged from the shadow of war and conflict with a hope that its newfound independence in 2008 would pave the way for democracy, prosperity, and justice. Yet, instead of an equitable system built on the rule of law, the country has been gripped by the vice of entrenched organised crime1, perpetuated by a joint enterprise between corrupt political elites and shadowy criminal networks. This malignant union, which has co-opted the institutions of governance, the judiciary, and the economy, has left Kosovo teetering on the edge of state capture. If this nation is to have a future, the entirety of the corrupt apparatus that has hollowed out its public institutions must be dismantled. Justice must be served, wealth derived from criminality confiscated, and accountability established, from the smallest complicit actors to the oligarchic bosses who have shaped this dark legacy.
The recent investigation into the development of Pristina’s "Central Park" shopping cent…