Abstract: Poses the question of whether diplomacy could have helped avoid a war in Kosovo while protecting the Kosovar Albanians. It argues that the narrative of the international response is inherently inconclusive, with not many clear “lessons” beyond the prudential observations in favour of early engagement and greater attentiveness to non-violent options. The chapter describes the diplomatic efforts of the Contact Group, the UN Security Council, NATO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and individual governments of the US and Russia. Belgrade government's opposition to armed international presence in Kosovo and KLA's refusal to back down from demands for independence are identified as main obstacles to reaching an agreement at Rambouillet.

Keywords: Contact Group, diplomacy, early engagement, KLA, NATO, OSCE, Rambouillet, Russia, UN Security Council, USA,