The 1999 Kosovo Intervention

Abstract

This chapter details the circumstances leading to the 1999 intervention in Kosovo. The military and political outcomes of Operation Deliberate Force during the 1992–1995 war in Bosnia set a precedent for the 1999 Kosovo intervention, which is divided into three phases in this chapter. The pre-war phase began with the Drenica massacres in February and March 1998. The conflict phase captures the period from March 24, 1999, to June 10, 1999, which were the dates of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Operation Allied Force (OAF). Finally, I analyze the post-conflict phase, including the stabilization and reconstruction effort known as Kosovo Force (KFOR). The United States pursued NATO participation in Kosovo for political, military, and legal reasons. As OAF operations progressed, policymakers used American leadership in Kosovo to pressure the allies to improve their military capabilities and alliance contributions. Because the UN Security Council failed to pass a resolution authorizing a direct intervention, the United States and its European allies sought legitimization through alternative channels, including NATO. Executing the operation through the NATO alliance conferred retrospective legitimacy on the intervention—in the years following, Kosovo operations were deemed by much of the international community to be “illegal but legitimate.”