Hate, Blame, and Violence in the Unresolved Kosovo-Serbian Conflict on the Social Platform X

The conflict between Kosovo and Serbia has become a stable issue in the modern study of international relations. Their relations during the times of Yugoslavia were far from ideal, and their history remains scarred by many unfortunate events. The climax of this sentiment was in 2008 when Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, gathering international support. This issue underlines the question of where the Balkan truly belongs, as the two immediate parties of this conflict have very different views about their future and the future of the whole region. This thesis focuses on the public’s view of the conflict, the depictions of the actors, their roles, and expectations. I analyze the public discourse displayed on the social platform X (formerly Twitter) and divide the issue into three periods (2008-2015, 2015-2021, and 2021- today) in connection with three categories: Hate, Blame, and Proof. This evaluation is useful as it shines a new light on the conflict, analyzing it from a new perspective and revealing important facts overlooked by other approaches. The analysis underlines the basis of commonalities between the sides of the conflict and points to the European Union as a possible party responsible for a durable resolution of this conflict, as hinted in the public discourse displayed on the social platform X.