In fragile situations actors of the international development community are being confronted with specific and challenging circumstances. The chances for success of project work are limited through the state's weak polity and capacity. State institutions do not work properly and basic services can not be provided anymore. In some cases also the strength or will to a commitment to poverty reduction is absent. Altogether these issues complicate it to provide effective aid. Even "the project" of

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... velopment cooperation itself might be jeopardized in fragile situations. In this respect and in order to achieve long-term and sustainable positive impacts, development cooperation necessarily has to focus on strengthening state-structures, and –institutions. In doing so state-building turns out to be linked to peace-building in a stronger sense than assumed before. This diploma thesis tries to answer the question how development cooperation must be changed to reach its long-term goals and which risks could arise during international engagement in fragile situations. Because of the enormous difficulties and challenges that fragile situations pose for international development cooperation, it is useful and important to discuss, evaluate and tie on to existing strategies and principles. The "Principles for Good International Engagement in Fragile States and Situations" of the DAC/OECD as well as a new integrated approach of the British Department for International Development (DFID) are essential to this thesis when applying these principles in the case of Kosovo/a. Even after more than a decade of international engagement, Kosovo/a still faces major problems and fragilities and there are many important aspects to be found, especially when it comes to the nexus of state- and peace-building. The latter have to be combined since structures of the conflict between the kosovo/a-albanian and kosovo-serb population still appeal beneath the surface. In this context the stability of the state is vulnerable. As the case of Kosovo/a s [...]