Name? Avdullah Hoti
Westphalian identity? 44
Age? Kosovar
Why is he in the news? Five days ago, the KosovanParliament voted for Hoti as the country’s new Prime Minister. Hoti has wasted little to no time as he quickly ended tariffs on Serbian goods entering Kosovo (worth 400 million Euros).
Why do we care? The previous administration (under Albin Kurti) continued the course of reciprocity against Serbia as a response to Serbia blocking the admission of Kosovo into the UNESCO and Interpol. Starting with the Kosovo Declaration of Independence from Serbia in 2008, both countries have had chilly relations since.
Why should you care? Unless your country is struggling with secessionist regions, you do not care. But, Catalonia, Belgium, Turkey, India, California and Bolivia do care.
Who else cares? Another horribly unqualified and overwhelmed friend of Donald Trump. Former US ambassador to Berlin, current Acting Director of the United States National Intelligence and US special envoy to the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo. We are talking about Richard Grenell. He called barriers to trade and punitive tariffs inconsistent with a modern approach to economics. (Funny, did he tell his boss the same?) More importantly for Hoti, Grenell supports the changing of borders between the two countries.
Any further comments? This is another conflict between the EU and the US. While European diplomats have approached this conflict with the utmost care for the past two decades, the Trump administration wants a quick end and win before the election in November. The fact that any mistake could cause a bloodbath does not play an important role here (at least not to the Commander in Tweet). The current administration in Kosovo is favouring the European side. But not to worry, chances are high that Hoti’s coalition consisting of twelve different parties will not survive the next few months.
