1 REVUE BELGE DE DROIT INTERNATIONAL, 1999/2, pp. 475-544. CONSIDERATIONS ON THE INTERNATIONAL REACTION TO THE 1999 KOSOVO CRISIS Julie Ringelheim * PhD candidate, European University Institute, Florence INTRODUCTION I. THE KOSOVO QUESTION : BETWEEN SELF-DETERMINATION AND MINORITY PROTECTION A. A QUESTION OF MINORITY ? 1) The Views of the Parties to the Conflict 2) Minority/People : Two Sides of the Same Coin ? B. INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS : NEITHER SELF-DETERMINATION, NOR MINORITY PROTECTION 1) The International Involvement in the Crisis 2) The International Response to the Crisis II. AUTONOMY, MINORITIES AND SECESSIONIST CONFLICTS IN INTERNATIONAL LAW INTRODUCTION : THE SIGINIFICANCE OF AUTONOMOUS REGIMES FOR MINORIITES A. IS THERE A RIGHT TO AUTONOMY IN INTERNATIONAL LAW ? 1) Autonomy as a Form of Self-Setermination ? 2) Autonomy as a Means to Ensure Minority Protection B. INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS TOWARDS SECESSIONIST CONFLICTS IN THE OSCE AREA 1) Autonomy as a Means to Resolve Secessionist Conflicts 2) An Obligation to Negotiate ? III. THE POLITICAL WAY OUT OF THE CONFLICT : NEITHER MERE AUTONOMY, NOR FULL INDEPENDENCE A. The Rambouillet Plan 1) Political Aspects 2) Implementation System : the International Military Presence B. Kosovo Under International Protection * I am grateful to Susan Marks, Olivier Corten and Barbara Delcourt for their precious comments on previous drafts of this article. I am also thankful to Prof. Philip Alston for his observations on the seminar paper which is part of the present work.