1、Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS20213June 3, 1999Kosovo: Historical Background to the CurrentConflict(name redacted)Specialist in European AffairsForeign Affairs, Defense, and Trade DivisionSummaryThis short report
2、 discusses the historical background to the current conflict inKosovo. It also includes a short suggested reading list. For background and currentdevelopments on the Kosovo issue, see Kosovo and U.S. Policy, by (name redacted) and(name redacted), CRS Issue Brief 98041, updated regularly. For a discu
3、ssion of militaryoperations in Yugoslavia during World War II, see Yugoslavia: World War II resistanceoperations and their implications for the current war, by (name redacted), CRSReport RL 30177. A complete list of CRS products on Kosovo can be found athttp:/www.loc.gov/crs/kosovo.html. Introductio
4、nA striking aspect of the current conflict in Kosovo to some Western observers is theextent to which both sides in the struggle use history, sometimes reaching into the distantpast, to sanction their right to control the region and justify whatever actions are necessaryto secure that control. For ex