Verdict on Thaçi, Kupchan: It will not affect Kosovo’s international status

Hashim Thaçi, the former president of Kosovo, was the man whom the West trusted to lead the country toward independence.

Will the decision of the Hague court now force the United States and its allies to revisit that historical period, given that Thaçi was among the key partners in that process?

Charles Kupchan, a professor at Georgetown University and a former official in the U.S. National Security Council, does not believe any such rereading will occur.

According to him, Thaçi achieved a transformation from a war commander, now convicted of crimes, into a civilian leader who contributed to Kosovo’s progress toward independence and the strengthening of ties with Washington, European powers, and other actors. For this reason, Kupchan assesses that this development will not fundamentally change things.

In his reading, the verdict constitutes a temporary shock, but not an earthquake that could reposition Kosovo in the international arena.

He does not foresee any wave of derecognitions, damage to alliances with the West, or blockade of the Euro-Atlantic path. Likewise, even the process of normalizing relations with Serbia is not jeopardized by this decision.

Moreover, in a longer time perspective, he sees the possibility of a constructive impact, if the entire judicial process is interpreted as proof that the law applies equally to everyone.

Kupchan argues that although the Kosovo war was a just effort to resist ethnic cleansing, this does not make the commission of war crimes acceptable. He adds that one evil cannot justify another and if Thaçi and other members of the KLA committed criminal acts, despite the just cause, then the court acted as it should.

Asked which figure of Thaçi will dominate historical memory after many years — the one who led Kosovo to independence or the convict for war crimes — Kupchan does not single out only one side.

He compares it to other cases of leaders who have done courageous and worthy deeds, but who have simultaneously faced accusations of criminal acts, including war crimes. Even in Thaçi’s case, the legacy is dual and complex. He will be remembered for his contribution to leading the country toward independence, but now his memory will be inseparable from this verdict.

A distance of more than 18 years separates these two chapters of his life.

Which dimension will weigh more in shaping the memory of Thaçi remains an issue that will become clearer in the coming years.