A Kosovo Albanian holds an American flag by a wall of pictures memorializing Kosovars missing and presumed dead after the 1999 war with Serbian forces February 17, 2008 in Pristina, Serbia. Kosovo declared itself a nation February 17, admidst bitter protest from Serbia and Russia, but with the backing of the United States. The Kosovo province has been under United Nations occupation since NATO forces drove the Serbian military and government out in 1999. By Chris Hondros/Getty Images.