In the case of Kosovo, after the Milosevic regime’s brutal behavior in the 1990’s – including repression, massive human rights violations, and large-scale expulsions of Kosovo Albanians – prompted NATO to intervene and the UN to take over the country’s administration, return to Serbian rule became unthinkable. Serbia’s democratic leaders of today must understand that the loss of Kosovo – although not their doing – is an irreversible reality with which they must come to terms.