Who is Who – Dimal Basha: An American in the Kosovo Assembly, opposed to the CSM and in favor of actions in the north

The Self-Determination Movement MP Dimal Basha was elected Speaker of the Kosovo Assembly in the 58th continuation of the constitutive session, receiving 73 votes in favor, 30 against, and three abstentions. Basha, who also holds U.S. citizenship, is known for his opposition to the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM) and his support for government actions in northern Kosovo, as well as for his criticism of KFOR and the European Union.

Basha has served three terms as a Member of the Kosovo Assembly, sitting on several parliamentary committees, including the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Legislation, the Committee on Oversight of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, and the Stabilization and Association Committee. Former MP and analyst Afrim Kasoli assessed that perhaps even Self-Determination itself did not initially want Basha to be elected, but that he successfully played the political game.

Democratic League of Kosovo MP Arben Gashi said a day earlier that he would vote for Basha because Basha had “personally asked him,” emphasizing that he had no past record that would disqualify him from serving as an MP.

“He is a charming young man, and I think he needs to think a little further ahead. He is not particularly polarizing, though he sometimes makes strong statements that go beyond reason, but overall he has no past that prevents him from doing the job,” Gashi stated.

Opposition to the CSM

Throughout his career, Basha has spoken out strongly on key issues such as the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities. He believes the creation of the CSM would pave the way for the partition of Kosovo, stressing that the Government of Kosovo cannot take steps while Serbia “remains completely immovable.”

In August 2022, he assured the public that Kosovo’s foreign policy had changed and that there would be no establishment of the CSM, while in November last year he declared that the Kosovo Government lacked sufficient personnel to draft the statute of the CSM.

Calls for the KSF to “resolve the North”

Basha has also supported Albin Kurti’s actions in northern Kosovo, claiming they were aimed at tackling crime and protecting the state.

He has criticized KFOR, saying that they “do not want to face the problems in the North.” He stressed that if KFOR wanted to avoid conflict, it should hand over its mandate to the Kosovo Security Force (KSF). According to him, the KSF would “resolve the problem in the North more quickly than KFOR.”

“If KFOR does not want to engage in conflict, then let it give the mandate to the KSF and support the police. We would resolve it faster with the KSF and the police than KFOR is doing. We have enough police, enough bases, enough ammunition to eliminate nearly all criminals—the police can shoot at all criminals,” Basha stated.

In his address after being elected Speaker of the Assembly, Basha called on Serbia, which he said “has territorial pretensions against their country,” to recognize Kosovo.

Criticism of the EU

Regarding international relations, Basha made clear that the United States and the United Kingdom are Kosovo’s true friends, while in his view the European Union has not been fair.

“For me, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union are different types of friends. The EU has been hypocritical towards Kosovo, because there is no single reason why Kosovo, which enforces law and order and is the most democratic country in the region, should be punished by being denied membership in the Council of Europe,” Basha said.

Called Grenell “Trump’s servant”

Although a public supporter of the United States, Basha was an opponent of President Trump’s first administration. In one interview, he stated that Richard Grenell, then U.S. Special Envoy for the Kosovo–Serbia Dialogue, did not represent American values.

“Grenell needed a quick agreement, because he is Trump’s servant. I do not think he represents America’s values, because Trump speaks of reciprocity and equality among citizens,” Basha said.

He further added that Grenell represented Trump, not American values.

“Trump’s only interest is to win elections in the U.S., and I do not want to become a victim of American elections. Grenell wanted to hand Trump a trophy so he could win re-election, because his foreign policy had otherwise failed,” Basha underlined.

Education and professional career

Dimal Basha was born on 12 October 1979 in Pristina and currently resides in Urosevac. He obtained U.S. citizenship after moving to the United States in 2007. There, he graduated in criminal law from a college in New York and completed a master’s degree in international relations with a focus on conflict and security at The New School University.

Professionally, he worked in the office of former Congressman Eliot Engel and as a qualitative data analyst in the U.S. Federal Court. He also spent part of his career in managerial positions in both the United Kingdom and the United States.