In the early 1990s the majority-Albanian population of Kosovo united in a nonviolent struggle. In the face of mass sackings, police and paramilitary brutality, and discriminatory measures that they perceived as tantamount to occupation, they refused to be provoked to take up arms. Instead, they enhanced their own community by organizing schools, a voluntary taxation system, and a rudimentary healthcare network. A vital part of this nonviolent struggle was a shift towards a "European" identity, rooted in civil society and a democratic culture. The Kosovo Albanians succeeded in educating international powers about Serbian aggression in Kosovo, while trying to convince them that they were worthy of independence. Eventually, the Kosova Liberation
