What is the Kosovo myth?
Any understanding of the current civil war in former Yugoslavia has to start with an understanding of the Kosovo myth and the way it is periodically resurrected by nationalist politicians and intellectuals. The myth is central to the Serbian perception of national destiny, and the crucial feature is defeat at the hands of Asian invaders. This was seen as a fight between Christianity and Islam, which elevated Serbia from its real position as a minute agrarian Balkan state to a leading defender of Europe and the Christian faith. Ever since 1389, the Kosovo myth has been so charged with a mixture of patriotism and hatred of those who caused “the fall” — Turks, domestic converts to Islam and Serbian traitors to the national or nationalist cause — that every political manipulation of the myth is able to instantly unite the people behind any leader who is unscrupulous enough to tap into it. It’s also important to remember that Kosovo has tremendous significance because there are more than
