Democracy and Sovereignty in Kosovo

Last week in my comparative democracies class we discussed the different conceptions of constitutionalism, how constitutions develop, and what they mean for democracy. Basically, people typically confuse the two terms democracy and constitutionalism. But they are not they same and in an academic context, are actually polar opposites. Democracy is rule by popular sovereignty, consent of the governed, and implies majoritarian politics. Enlightenment thinkers in the 18th and 19th century were actually not to keen on the idea of democracy - it implied instability and tyranny of the majority over individual rights. Constitutionalism, then, is the institutionalized limits to pure democracy. It basically guarantees civil rights and protects individuals from majority mobs, irrational sways in public opinion, and arbitrary government action. The term consitutional democracy is somewhat of a contradiction, but it actually enables democracy to function better.

All of this got me thinking about the situation in Kosovo. As a newly independent state, they surely must have a constitution. And they do. You can read the highlights here. After reading through it, the things reeks to high heaven of the omniscient hand of international advisers. It starts, "we the people" as do almost all constitutions. Funny, I didn't know that Bruce Hitchner of Tufts University, who helped write the constitution, is Kosovar. For an independent country, Kosovo seems awfully dependent on their Western backers for just about everything. Consider the entrenchment of Camp Bondsteel, the U.S. military base in Kosovo. It houses about 7,000 U.S. troops, many NATO forces and just happens to sit next to an oil pipeline pumping Caspian Sea oil to the Mediterranean. I also heard, but have not been able to confirm, that the U.S. military is the single largest employer in Kosovo. It makes one wonder how sovereign Kosovo really is, and ever will be. Especially without the assistance of their nearest neighbor and dearest enemy, Serbia.