Kosovo Is Still Pushing for Recognition — Now It’s Building an Army
A member of the Kosovo Security Force walks past a NATO peacekeeping mission helicopter during the military exercise "Wolf Arrow" in the village of Babaj Bokes, south-western Kosovo in October.
Photographer: Armend Nimani/AFP/Getty Images
Ejup Maqedonci has worn three uniforms over the past 27 years: first as a young rebel fighting for Kosovar independence, then as a member of an interim humanitarian body, and now as defense minister shaping the nation’s military.
All three sets of fatigues, each framed in gold, hang in his office in the ministry’s sprawling complex in the capital, Pristina. They represent the complexities of building an armed service in a country with limited international recognition, where NATO-led peacekeepers remain deployed to help maintain stability.