This piece originally appeared in Journal of Political Inquiry on March 10, 2017. It was also published in New York Transatlantic on March 16, 2017.
On January 14, a passenger train bound from Belgrade, Serbia, to Mitrovica, Kosovo, nearly triggered a war. The first train to travel that route in 18 years, it was emblazoned with the red, blue and white Serbian flag and the slogan “Kosovo is Serbia” in 21 languages. The inside was decorated with Serbian Orthodox icons from the Peć monastery in Kosovo, a site of Serb ethnic heritage.
Kosovar Prime Minister Isa Mustafa condemned the train as a “provocation.” President Tomislav Nikolić of Serbia responded in kind, stating that Kosovo and Serbia “were on the verge of clashes” and that the Kosovo Albanians “want war.”
Following their bloody war at the end of the 20th century, Serbia and Kosovo failed to make any concessions. This has left them caught in a frozen conflict, chaffing against one another until the blood starts flowing again.
Seemingly small incidents like the Serbian train can aggravate these already-tense relations, and conditions can deteriorate further in quick and unexpected ways. Another conflict between Kosovo and Serbia would likely draw in many other countries in Europe. It is up to the European Union to use its influence—one of the few forces capable of deescalating tensions—to rejuvenate failing normalization talks.