Kupchan: Kurti's "muscle show" popular but dangerous in the long run

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Kosovo has taken steps that some analysts say defy traditional diplomatic norms, RSE writes.

Charles Kupchan, a professor at Georgetown University, says Kurti "puts political interests ahead of national ones."

"Standing up against Washington, showing muscle and showing autonomy seems to be helping Kurti gain popularity. I see this as a short-sighted game. It can be politically useful in the short term, but it is dangerous in the long term," says Kupchan.

Kurti's government replaced Serbian license plates with Kosovo ones, brought Albanian mayors in Serb-majority municipalities, and removed the Serbian dinar from use.

For the US, which demands that all issues related to the situation in the north be resolved within the dialogue for the normalization of relations with Serbia, all these steps are unilateral and uncoordinated and have affected the partnership between Kosovo and the US.

Kurti's latest action that has angered Washington is the August 30 closure of several Serbian institutions in the north, from which the local community has received various services for years.

The American Embassy in Pristina presented one of the harshest criticisms of the Government of Kosovo at that time.

"The United States of America and our international partners have constantly asked the Government of Kosovo to make coordination with the international community a priority and not to take unilateral actions on issues that are on the agenda of the dialogue led by the EU. The failure of the Government of Kosovo to respond to these demands represents a real and increasing deterioration of our partnership," the response said.

Last week, reports surfaced that the United States had suspended cooperation with the Kosovo police, particularly in the area of ​​training, as a punitive measure.

During those days, Kurti visited the USA, where he met, among others, with the US Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien and the US envoy for the Western Balkans, Alexander Kasanoff.

Kurti constantly insists that his government's actions are not directed against anyone, that it adheres to the Constitution and laws of Kosovo and that relations with the US are good, despite disagreements on some issues.

Kupchan completely disagrees. He says that US relations with the Government of Kosovo are at the lowest level ever.

According to Daniel Serwer, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, "Americans are not used to the Prime Minister of Kosovo behaving like the Prime Minister of a sovereign state."

"In fact, Kosovo's prime ministers are used to following many instructions from Washington. And, truth be told, Kurti's behavior was not well received by them," says Serwer.