Coordinating international interventions in complex settings. An analysis of the EU peace and state-building efforts in post-independence Kosovo

This paper assesses coordination as a salient capability of international
interventions in complex settings characterised by weak
states, the dominance of political elites whose interest in reforms
is questionable and multiple local and international stakeholders.
It focuses on the challenge of integrating a range of national and
international actors and multiple policy domains, assessing this
operational capability in terms of a Whole-of-Society approach.
Using the example of the EU’s intervention in Kosovo through
the mechanisms of the EULEX mission, and the EU-facilitated
Dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, the paper argues that the
EU’s impact in Kosovo was weakened by its limited ability to
include and engage a broad range of local stakeholders. While a
Whole-of-Society approach could address this weakness, the paper
also argues that a better understanding of the context-specific
opportunities and limitations placed on international organisations
like the EU is needed.