Former Austrian diplomat Wolfgang Petritsch has warned that the era of the traditional transatlantic alliance between Europe and the United States—established after 1945—has effectively come to an end, posing significant challenges for smaller and more vulnerable states such as Kosovo.
In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Petritsch said that the U.S. role in the Western Balkans is steadily diminishing, both strategically and politically, while Europe is increasingly expected to assume primary responsibility for regional stability.
“We are now living in an age of complete uncertainty,” Petritsch said, stressing that this reality is far more challenging for fragile states like Kosovo, which is neither a member of the United Nations nor NATO, than for EU member states that can act collectively within European institutions.
Despite concerns over reduced American engagement, Petritsch does not anticipate a new large-scale conflict in the Western Balkans, emphasizing that Europe has a vital interest in preventing another war on its doorstep, especially while the war in Ukraine continues.
He noted that the U.S. military base Camp Bondsteel remains a key security pillar in Kosovo, but warned that its future strategic weight will largely depend on broader U.S.–Russia relations, rather than on Kosovo alone.
Petritsch underscored that Kosovo will always need stable and professional relations with Washington, but cautioned against unrealistic expectations that the U.S. will continue to “fix” regional problems, as it did in the late 1990s.
According to him, Kosovo’s security and long-term progress will increasingly depend on European integration, internal political stability, and genuine compromise with minority communities.
“Compromise is the essence of democracy,” Petritsch said, adding that the concept of positive compromise remains underdeveloped in Kosovo, but that changing geopolitical realities leave no alternative but adaptation.
“Europe is the most important and relevant partner for state-building, economic development, and political progress,” he concluded, urging Prishtina to make Europe its new and serious strategic focus.
