Kosovo Independence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Kosovo Independence - Essay Example Social order and political progress in most societies emerge from the interplay of the way social institutions are managed and run, as well as its overall relation with social forces. As a result, most societies become victims of social and political conflict when social institutions fail per se to regulate the social behaviors of diverse population and interest groups (Raeder p.1). Kosovo gained independence in 2008 when major international states recognized and ratified its charter for statehood. The culmination of Kosovo independence came about after witnessing one of the worst political conflicts that disintegrated the larger Yugoslavian nation. The post-independence Kosovo has become of great interest to many political analysts who in various capacities evaluates the interplay of social and political forces, together with their ability to motivate conflict in the society. Therefore, it is important to evaluate post-Kosovo independence within the major social and political stages proposed in Edmund Burke theory. Stage 2: Society becomes divided by the change (Independence) Kosovo has various political parties, but the two leading parties are the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDP) and the Democratic League of Kosovo, with former being the largest and newest, which also reigns in the country, and the latter being the second largest party and the oldest party in the country. These two parties are predominantly composed and supported by the Albanians, with the Serbians, who are the second largest community being represented by the Independent Liberal party. Independence is associated with changes that political leaders and other interest groups envision for the new society. On large scale and even smaller, the independence changes may be the source of discontent and subsequently some people, groups, and civil society may be opposed to the new changes. Edmund Burke observes that society in this stage manifest some level of discontent that eventually results into social, political, and cultural divisions. As a result, the people together with discontent groups may become vocal in speaking against the changes proposed or carried out by the new power and this form of opposition may be in words or violence. Immediately after Kosovo was declared independent in 2008, internal discontent and discomfort between two major ethnics Serbs and Albanians emerged, which led to violent incidents in the Northern Mitrovica in December 2008 (Notholt p.33). Despite this independence, the two communities have always been in conflict, with the Serbs feeling ill-treated by the majority Albanians to an extent that they have always advocated for separation of the assembly among ethnic lines. The violence continued up to the first few weeks of 2009. At the same time, during April 2009, there was ethnic conflict between Serbs and Albanians again this time due to returning Albanians families to their homes in North Mitrovica. The gravity and intensity of these violent protests were eased by the intervention of Kosovar police and KFOR troops after a few days. What surveys have revealed is that in the larger Kosovar state, there is still dissatisfaction among the population about the economic, social and political progress (Eifler and Seifert p.157) and the blame of the population has shifted from UNMIK to the Kosovo government. People see the government as doing little to rectify and make their life better. In post-independence period, Kosovo cannot be described to have succumbed to this stage of independence and conflict as proposed by Edmund Burke. What can be said is that social, economic, and political divisions in the country have to be addressed through restructuring of economic, social, and political aspects that are framed on an inclusive

Neo-Liberalism. How is it Related to Free Market Fundamentalism Essay

Neo-Liberalism. How is it Related to Free Market Fundamentalism - Essay Example The Roots of Neo- Liberalism The popular ideology has its roots from the Father of Economics, Adam Smith, who advocated for less government role in markets, manufacturing and barriers to trade . This and other basic fundamentals such as the productivity of labor are mentioned in his book An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. After the end of the World War, and during the Great Depression, liberalism was highly critiqued. The high level of unemployment, and downward spiraling business activity became the major threat to the foundations of Capitalism and it was at this time that prominent economists such as John Maynard Keynes and Margaret Thatcher stepped up with their theories that questioned such matters as the employment line and government intervention. Keynes’ belief was that the government could indeed be used for the purposes of taxation and borrowing, to stimulate and expand economies rather than simply to shelter storms . The two factors economies are measured by are empl oyment determination and income distribution. Keynesianism felt that the economy would time and again result in weaknesses of employment demand generation, such as the Great Depression, and this could be cured with the use of monetary and fiscal policies. The Keynesian model would dominate Capitalist economies for nearly 35 years after the World War, introducing new institutions and unions. Although Keynesianism as an economic model rose to become accepted reality for more than a quarter of a century, it would be replaced by the contradictory policies of neo- liberalism by the end of the 70’s. The switch between policies occurred over many reasons. Some attributed it primarily to global events such as oil price shocks, and the Vietnamese war, while others have placed the divide between Keynesians over policies as a primary reason. Others believed it was due to the lack of implementation of Keynesian policies in particular borders or countries due to rising globalization at the time. But one factor that all historians agree unanimously on is the change in public opinion over the mixed economy. One writer of her time, Ayn Rand, is famous for penning down the fears of the public over extensive regulation and control in her magnum opus novel; a fictional work titled Atlas Shrugged. Whatever the reasons, an amalgamation of these factors is what led to the rallying of public opinion towards Neo-Liberalism. Amongst those who strove for this cause, the names of three economic philosophers are embedded in history- Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, and Robert Nozick are most relevant in understanding the views of Neo- Liberals. Each man had a different viewpoint of why there was a need for an open market economy, and each has left a mark in their own right for contributions vital to the cause. Neo-Liberalism, as an economic model, has served the economy well in that the standard of living has generally been upwards since its wide acceptance. We have also, seen the development of institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund pushing for the removal of trade barriers and a more globalized world as the by-products of this approach, and over the last half decade, we have come to observe that Neo-Liberalism has become a global phenomenon. But is this static in lieu of the Global Financial Meltdown of 2008? Are critics of Neo-Libe ralist polices correct in linking it to