ABSTRACT
Kosovo’s declaration of independence led to intensification of repressions by the Serbian authorities. In 1996, the Kosovo Liberation Army became active and began to organise killings of Serbs as well as some Albanians who were loyal to the Belgrade authorities. One factor that played a significant part in shaping the approach of the West to the possibility of a military intervention in Kosovo was the position of Washington, with its considerable advantage over other countries in the global arena. Although there were some divergences in the assessment of how serious the humanitarian situation in Kosovo actually was and of the actual scale of human rights violations, Operation Allied Force was indeed launched mainly for humanitarian reasons. The aims of the intervention corresponded to the motives analysed: indeed, in the political dimension, in light of the declarations of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation leaders, the most important objectives of the mission were definitely of humanitarian nature.
