I had been told that crossing into Kosovo from Serbia would present no problem, but that I would have trouble getting back into Serbia with a Kosovo stamp in my passport. At the very least, Serbian border control officers would strike through the Kosovo stamp, but re-entry into Serbia is at the discretion of the individual officer and there have been instances of people being turned back.
Since I had no plans to return to Serbia on this go-around, I forged ahead. And then I waited, nervously. Seeing I was American, the Kosovan border guards placed no entry stamp in my passport nor did they stamp me out when I left. I later learned this is a courtesy provided to Americans so as not to cause them trouble should they wish to return to Serbia. Considering that the country emerged from war just 16 years ago, I had expected to find the same lack of infrastructure and economic malaise that was so prevalent in Serbia.
A minute after crossing the border, however, it was obvious that the situation is much different in Kosovo. Factories, including two big power plants, lined the highway, and in Pristina, cranes hung over high-rise construction sites like a flock of gigantic one-legged birds. Cars were newer, houses were of good construction, and unlike the potholed streets in Serbia, the roads in Kosovo were in great condition.
To date, only of the United Nations UN member states, including the United States, have recognized Kosovo as an independent country. Serbia has refused, insisting that Kosovo is still part of Serbia. Kosovo was for many years an autonomous province within Serbia, one of the six socialist republics that made up the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Between and , the Serbian government pursued a large-scale Serbian recolonization of Kosovo. After the former Yugoslavia broke up, Kosovo continued to be controlled by Serbia and Montenegro.
In September , members of the Kosovo Assembly declared a sovereign and independent state, but Serbia refused to recognize the independent status. War broke out in , with the Kosovo Liberation Army fighting the Serbs. Though the situation remains unresolved, relations have begun to normalize, as the European Union insists that the Kosovo issue be resolved before they will consider either country for EU membership. Because the United States was more than a little instrumental in ending the war, Kosovars love Americans.
