Overview
- Analyses the impact of hope on contemporary Western foreign policy and statebuilding in Kosovo
- Fills a gap in literature on the relationship between locals and international administrators by identifying the pathologies of hope that impacted both
- Goes beyond critique by identifying how the locals in Kosovo have extricated themselves from a destructive asymmetrical relationship with the internationals
Part of the book series: New Perspectives on South-East Europe (NPSE)
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Keywords
- Kosovo
- Hope
- EU Accession
- Statebuilding
- Western decline
- Populism
About this book
This book applies insights into the nature and impact of hope from medical studies and political philosophy to contemporary international politics. It shows how the promotion of hope was central to the rise of the West, focusing on the case of statebuilding in Kosovo – widely regarded as one of the most iconic Western initiatives in the unipolar era. The book explores the effects of hope on both the internationals charged with governing Kosovo and local residents, and how two related pathologies of hope – “wilful” and “wishful” – have aligned to slow Kosovo’s progress since 1999.
The author argues that Kosovo’s current plight is illustrative of both the West’s decline and the dark side of hope, vividly illustrating the perils of “bad hope”. Yet the book explains why “dashed hope” need not lead to despair or violence, and why local initiatives in Kosovo demonstrate groups’ and individuals’ agency in forging progressive movements based on the principles and strategies of “good hope”.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Aidan Hehir is Reader in International Relations at the University of Westminster, UK. His research interests include transitional justice, humanitarian intervention, and statebuilding in Kosovo.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Kosovo and the Internationals
Book Subtitle: Hubris, Hope, and the End of History
Authors: Aidan Hehir
Series Title: New Perspectives on South-East Europe
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-63373-7Due: 08 September 2024
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-63376-8Due: 08 September 2024
eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-63374-4Due: 08 September 2024
Series ISSN: 2662-5857
Series E-ISSN: 2662-5865
Edition Number: 1