Kosovo Relations and Public Diplomacy: Looking Into the Future

2024 marked the 25 years since Kosovo gained its freedom, following 1999 NATO intervention.

This conference will review 25 years of US-Kosovo relations and public diplomacy (1999-2024), will look forward to the next 25 years to assess the potential trajectory in a growing multipolar world, and finally, it will examine the prospects for peace in Kosovo.

Location: Linder Family Commons Room, Elliott School of International Affairs 

Date: February 18th, 2025 | 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Please reach out to our visiting scholar, Dr. Jeta Abazi-Gashi at jetaa@gwu.edu, with questions about this event.

Conference Schedule

9:00 AM: Check-in Begins

10:00 AM: Panel 1, US-Kosovo Relations and Public Diplomacy

10:45 AM: Breakfast

11:00 AM: Panel 2, The Future for US-Kosovo Relations and Public Diplomacy

12:15 PM: Lunch

12:45: Panel 3, Peace Building (Art, Media, and Politics)

2:00 PM: Closing Remarks and Conference End

Speaker Biographies

Pëllumb Kelmendi is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Auburn University. Before to joining Auburn, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan’s Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies and a Predoctoral Fellow at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Dr. Kelmendi’s research focuses on international security, conflict resolution, and democratization in the Balkans. His work has been published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution, Security Studies, and Nationalities Papers, among others. He has received research awards from the United States Institute of Peace, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, and Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. Dr. Kelmendi currently serves as President of the Society for Albanian Studies. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Brown University, an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Chicago. 

Drilona Emrullahu  is an Economist with the Financial Inclusion, Infrastructure and Access Unit (EFNFI) in the Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation (FCI) Global Practice at the World Bank Group. Her work focuses in the areas of financial inclusion, digital financial services, and international remittances. Prior to joining the World Bank, Drilona held various roles in the financial sector at the International Monetary Fund and the International Finance Corporation. She has also collaborated with faculty at the Duke Center for International Development (DCID) to develop curriculum and deliver executive education programs in international development. Drilona is currently a PhD Candidate in Economics at the Université catholique de Louvain. She holds a Master’s degree in International Development Policy from Duke University and a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from Richmond, The American International University in London.

Ilir Dugolli currently serves as the Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to the United States of America. Following Kosovo’s independence, he was among the first group of diplomats tasked with establishing Kosovo’s diplomatic missions. He previously served as Ambassador to Turkey, with concurrent accreditations to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Jordan. Additionally, he held the position of Ambassador to Sweden, with accreditations to Norway, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. He also served as Ambassador in Brussels, where he managed relations with Belgium, Luxembourg, NATO, and the EU. Before joining the diplomatic service, he was affiliated with the University of Prishtina Faculty of Law and was actively involved in various civil society initiatives. Between 2002 and 2004, he served as Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Kosovo. He also acted as an adviser in numerous capacities, including as part of the legal team during the negotiations that led to Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence.

Charles Kupchan is a Professor of International Affairs in the School of Foreign Service and Government Department at Georgetown University, and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. From 2014 to 2017 Kupchan served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs on the National Security Council in the Obama White House. He was also Director for European Affairs on the NSC during the first Clinton administration. Before joining the Clinton NSC, he worked in the U.S. Department of State on the Policy Planning Staff. Previously, he was Assistant Professor of Politics at Princeton University. 

Jeta Abazi-Gashi is an award-winning journalist from Kosovo. She has a background in three disciplines: journalism, political science, and history. She received her Ph.D. from the Faculty of History, Art, and Area Studies at the University of Leipzig and has also held various visiting fellowships at the University of Vienna, University of Trento, and the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. Prior to her academic career, she worked as an investigative journalist and for various international organizations in Kosovo. She currently works as IPDGC’s Fulbright Visiting Scholar from Kosovo. She explores questions related to discourse, identity, and political communication between Kosovo and the United States. Her Ph.D. focused on religion and secularity in Albania and Kosovo. Her other works focused on national identity, democratization and media framing of terrorism.

Sislej Xhafa is a New York-based artist born in Pejë, Kosovo known for his exploration of social, economic, and political issues in contemporary society. His work often addresses the complexities of modern life, examining how these forces intersect with various aspects of culture and human experience.Xhafa has exhibited widely at major international institutions, including the Fondazione Nicola Trussardi in Milan, Manifesta 14 in Prishtina, Galleria Continua in Italy and France, MAXXI Museum in Rome, Art Basel in Switzerland, and the Venice Biennale. His work has also been featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto, and numerous other venues across Europe and the Americas.In addition to his exhibitions, Xhafa is the founder of the ARKIV Institute for Contemporary Art in Pejë, Kosovo, dedicated to promoting contemporary art in the region. Throughout his career, Xhafa has received several prestigious awards, including an honorary title from the Academy of Fine Arts Florence in 2022, and multiple first prizes, such as the 2009 Hardau City Park Prize in Zurich and the 2001 Fondazione Pistoletto First Prize in Biella.

Elizabeth Hume is the Executive Director at the Alliance for Peacebuilding. She is an international lawyer and a conflict expert with more than 25 years of experience in senior leadership positions in bilateral, multilateral institutions and NGOs. She has extensive experience in policy and advocacy and overseeing sizeable and complex peacebuilding programs in conflict-affected and fragile states in Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa. From 1997-2001, Liz was seconded by the US Department of State to the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Kosovo as the Chief Legal Counsel and Head of the Election Commission Secretariats. In these positions, she was responsible for developing the legal framework and policies in support of the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords and UN Resolution 1244.

Gëzim Visoka is an Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Dublin City University (DCU). He holds a PhD in Politics and International Relations from DCU. His research focuses on post-conflict peacebuilding and state-building, transitional justice, global governance, foreign policy, and diplomatic recognition. Dr Visoka is author and co-editor of 10 books, 25 journal articles, and 20 book chapters. His research interests include peace and conflict studies, peacebuilding, critical theory and global governance, recognition of states, foreign policy of small states, Kosovo, Western Balkans.