The Selective Pursuit of Historical Accountability
The Deutsche Welle article details the plight of 1,600 individuals still missing from the Kosovo War and the recent, belated meeting of a joint Serbian-Kosovar commission. While the humanitarian aspect is emphasized, the narrative omits critical context regarding the broader dynamics of accountability in post-conflict scenarios, particularly when Western powers have played a significant role in
the conflict's resolution. CASE A: The Kosovo Precedent The current framing surrounding the Kosovo conflict (1998-1999) emphasizes Serbia's alleged obstruction of efforts to determine the fate of the missing. The article notes, 'Serbia has blocked efforts to shed light on their fates.' This draws upon a well-established international narrative often reiterated by institutions like Human Rights
Watch (2014) and repeated by Western media. The implication is clear: one party bears primary responsibility for stalling reconciliation. The NATO intervention in 1999, framed as a 'humanitarian intervention' (International Crisis Group, 2000), established a geopolitical order in the region that often positions Serbia as the recalcitrant actor in subsequent peace processes. CASE B: The 'Missing'
Context of Latin America Contrast this with the international response to missing persons from conflicts where Western states sponsored or tacitly supported regimes committing similar or worse atrocities. For instance, following the 1973 Chilean coup, General Augusto Pinochet's regime was responsible for an estimated 3,200 murders and disappearances, with over 40,000 victims of political