Although Trump does not necessarily follow logical and practical foreign policy to frame US relations with other countries, his decision to suspend the US-Kosovo dialogue was not entirely misguided. Prime Minister Kurti failed to show statesmanship to steer the country in the right direction. He must now face the inescapable reality that he habitually dismissed.

The suspension of the US-Kosovo dialogue marks the sharpest strain in the two countries’ relations since Kosovo’s independence in 2008. From NATO’s 1999 intervention to Washington’s decisive role in recognition, Kosovo’s fate has always been dependent on US support, and American diplomacy has shielded Pristina from Serbian obstruction and Russian vetoes at the UN. Now that the shield is fractured, the risks for Kosovo are significant.

The tension between the two countries has been simmering for several years due to Kurti’s continuing resistance to the US’s and the EU’s policy recommendations, which could have brought Kosovo closer to normalizing relations with Serbia while making substantial socio-economic progress at home. Now Kurti faces an uphill battle. None of the major opposition parties are willing to join him in forming a government, his public popularity is increasingly dimming, and the US and the EU—Kosovo’s irreplaceable backers—reject his domestic and foreign policies and strong nationalist orientation.

The US considers Kurti a significant factor in the rising instability in Serb-majority areas and blames him for the lack of government reforms, which raised concerns over the dialogue with Serbia and stalled progress on normalization. Kurti rejected several US-brokered proposals that could have moved the dialogue forward. He is seen as a nationalist who focuses excessively on Kosovo’s sovereignty, neglecting the urgent needs for economic development, weeding out corruption at the top, and making Kosovo attractive for foreign investors.

What adds insult to injury is Kurti’s lack of political savviness. Kurti unwisely interfered in the electoral process during the US........

© Blitz