About the event
Join us for the launch of Dr Aidan Hehir’s latest book, Kosovo and the “Internationals”: Hope, Hubris and the End of History, followed by a drinks reception.
Aidan will be joined by Professor Jasna Dragovic-Sosa (LSE), Professor James Gow (Kings College London) and Dr Jakup Azemi (UCL) to discuss the book and contemporary politics in the Balkans.
The event will be chaired by Professor Roland Dannreuther.
About the Book
Kosovo and the “Internationals”: Hope, Hubris and the End of History applies insights on the nature and impact of hope from medical studies and political philosophy to contemporary international politics. It shows how the promotion of hope was central to the rise of the West, focusing on the case of statebuilding in Kosovo – widely regarded as one of the most iconic Western initiatives in the unipolar era. The book explores the effects of hope on both the “Internationals” charged with governing Kosovo and local residents, and how two related pathologies of hope – “wilful” and “wishful” – have aligned to slow Kosovo’s progress since 1999.
Praise for the Book
“…a highly original, nuanced, and eye-opening political analysis of the paradigmatic case of Kosovo, yet with much wider implications”.
Stephanie Schwandner-Sievers, Professor of Applied Anthropology, Bournemouth University
“[A] remarkable book…the findings are essential for anyone interested in the future of statebuilding missions”.
Nicolas Lemay-Hébert, Professor of International Relations, The Australian National University
“This book should be read by all current and future, and past, scholars, policy makers and diplomats who are truly concerned about democracy and wish to understand how it came to be undermined”.
Nita Luci Professor of Anthropology, University of Prishtina
“This is a sobering book…It shows how international efforts are all too often focused on short-term stability rather than addressing the structural challenges the country and the region are facing”.
Florian Bieber, Professor for Southeast European History and Politics, University of Graz
Location
Fyvie Hall, University of Westminster, 309 Regents Street, W1B 2HW
