Changes

===Relations with the United States===

===Relations with the United States===

[[File:Statue of Bill Clinton in Kosovo.jpg|thumb|In Pristina, Hillary Clinton visited an 11-foot statue of her husband Bill, who backed the 1999 NATO air campaign that destroyed Belgrade.]]

[[File:Statue of Bill Clinton in Kosovo.jpg|thumb|In Pristina, Hillary Clinton visited an 11-foot statue of her husband Bill, who backed the 1999 NATO air campaign that destroyed Belgrade.]]

The United States and Kosovo established diplomatic relations on February 18, 2008. The strong bilateral ties the United States shares with Kosovo are maintained through the U.S. Embassy in Pristina, which was opened on April 8, 2008 by then-Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Tina Kaidanow. Prior to independence, the United States maintained U.S. Office Pristina (USOP), with a chief of mission. The U.S. also continues to contribute troops to the Kosovo Force (KFOR), and will be providing staff to the ICO and EULEX missions.  

The United States and Kosovo established diplomatic relations on February 18, 2008. The strong bilateral ties the United States shares with Kosovo are maintained through the U.S. Embassy in Pristina, which was opened on April 8, 2008 by then-Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Tina Kaidanow. Prior to independence, the United States maintained U.S. Office Pristina (USOP), with a chief of mission. The U.S. also continues to contribute troops to the Kosovo Force (KFOR), and will be providing staff to the ICO and EULEX missions.  

====Kosovo - wag the dog====

====Kosovo - wag the dog====

 

{{See also|Clinton administration}}

{{See also|Clinton administration}}

In 1998, President [[Bill Clinton]] attempted to justify NATO's continued existence as a distraction from the [[impeachment]] movement against him.<ref>https://mises.org/wire/new-kosovo-indictment-reminder-bill-clintons-serbian-war-atrocities</ref>  Under Clinton, the [[United States]] led its NATO allies on a bombing campaign allegedly to stop Yugoslav President [[Slobodan Milošević]]'s ethnic cleansing of the Albanians inside of Kosovo. The mission in Kosovo did not go as well as planned. After the air strikes, havoc reigned over Kosovo, abuses continued and human rights organizations listed abuses committed by the Alliance members during the campaign. In an attempt to solve the violence, NATO countries and the [[United Nations]] took on a mission to stabilize and reconstruct the country. The NATO intervention was illegal, destructive, and based on fraudulent claims.<ref>[http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=1666 The U.S.-NATO Military Intervention in Kosovo.]</ref>

In 1998, President [[Bill Clinton]] attempted to justify NATO's continued existence as a distraction from the [[impeachment]] movement against him.<ref>https://mises.org/wire/new-kosovo-indictment-reminder-bill-clintons-serbian-war-atrocities</ref>  Under Clinton, the [[United States]] led its NATO allies on a bombing campaign allegedly to stop Yugoslav President [[Slobodan Milošević]]'s ethnic cleansing of the Albanians inside of Kosovo. The mission in Kosovo did not go as well as planned. After the air strikes, havoc reigned over Kosovo, abuses continued and human rights organizations listed abuses committed by the Alliance members during the campaign. In an attempt to solve the violence, NATO countries and the [[United Nations]] took on a mission to stabilize and reconstruct the country. The NATO intervention was illegal, destructive, and based on fraudulent claims.<ref>[http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=1666 The U.S.-NATO Military Intervention in Kosovo.]</ref>