Kosovo is a political entity where different interests of key European actors meet. There is not one common interest of the European Union or of NATO, but a multitude of interests of its key member states involved in the process of nation-building and since 2008, to come up with a new expression, nation parenting in Kosovo. Realism is used as an analytical tool to investigate the Europeanization of Kosovo, as well as relevant patterns of power and influence with Germany at the center. Its explanatory power is being compared to contending theories dealing with the European Union's development. Given that realism is a suitable tool for analyzing the Europeanization of Kosovo, the author assumes that EU member states, including Germany, are mainly guided by security and power considerations in their approach regarding Kosovo.

Heiko Karl Ital ist ein Associate Professor und seit 2008 am German Department of Interpretation & Translation der Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (Südkorea) tätig.