Abstract

During the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Ibrahim Rugova (1944–2006) struggled with the abolishment of his native Kosovo’s autonomy and the nation’s transition from communism to political pluralism. Widely regarded by Kosovars as the “father” of the Kosovo nation, he helped establish the first legal political party after the collapse of communism, a party that became a national movement for Kosovar Albanians who sought equality and self-determination within Yugoslavia. Rugova also organized a parallel state for Kosovars by peacefully boycotting Serbian rule. These efforts proved influential, as they helped bring about the military intervention of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) that ended the Yugoslavian Civil War and in effect led to the independence of Kosovo.