ABSTRACT
At the beginning of 1998, war in Kosovo was far from the British agenda. Serbia was viewed as a major opportunity for British investment following the lifting of sanctions after the Bosnian war.2 But the Drenica valley massacres, together with the emergence of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), threatened a wider conflict, possibly involving NATO powers on different sides, which the international community could no longer ignore. And, as Belgrade tightened its hold over Kosovo, military engagement under the NATO umbrella was, for Britain, an opportunity to put its military resources and diplomatic skills to work, and further secure its role as a leading European – and global – power.
