ABSTRACT
This chapter uncovers local views on the interventions in Kosovo after the war. Drawing on field research and life stories, it explores the power dynamics between local and international actors by problematising misconceptions held by the international community as perceived by the local community. The local community often views the international community as abusing its power and being disrespectful towards local cultures and customs, self-interested, arrogant and corrupt, and disruptive of the reconciliation processes. This narrative of “the other” is not conducive to equal dialogue or to the empowerment of the local people, and it tends to deepen the mistrust between the two communities. This chapter argues that without a deeper understanding and de-mystification of the other, the dialogue between international statebuilders and local actors will remain superficial and unequal, leaving less space in which locals can speak up, assert themselves and determine their own political destiny. Accordingly, the chapter helps unravel the legacies and pitfalls of liberal interventionism, based on individuals’ own life stories as a method of peace research.
