From a de facto colony to a colony de jure
Reaffirming Kosovo’s right to self-determination and independence
|2025.12.15
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Non-Self-Governing Territory
Thomas Grant, a UK-based expert in state-recognition and territory law, has argued that in the absence of the Blue Water Rule, Kosovo would have qualified as a Non-Self-Governing Territory.
Muslim Albanian refugees from the vicinity of Gjakova in Shkodra, 1913. Photo: Franz Nopcsa
Captive Albanian fighters being paraded through the streets of Belgrade during the Balkan Wars in March of 1913
London Conference 1912-13
The Non-Aligned Movement
Positioning Kosovo within this colonial paradigm suggests that its struggle is not merely one for the recognition of its statehood, but for the acknowledgment of its colonial past and its rightful place within the unfinished global decolonization process.
Fatmir Zajmi
Fatmir Zajmi was a member of the first generation of career diplomats of the Republic of Kosovo, having previously served in missions in New York, Paris and Budapest. Over the years, Zajmi has published articles on this subject matter in Kosovo and abroad. The subject of Kosovo’s colonial past is explored in his forthcoming book.
This story was originally written in English.
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