Five years ago on June 21, I arrived in Pristina with a couple of Kosovar colleagues who had been assisting me in Skopje in preparation for opening the USAID Mission for Kosovo. The drive was eerie, seeing destruction along the road and wondering what awaited us. It is a day I will always remember. Hundreds of people were milling around on Mother Teresa Street, seeking friends and family, celebrating the end of the war and the end of oppression. Ironically, sitting in one coffee shop were a number of Serbian MUP policemen, symbols of that oppression, unable to decide if it was time to go. They were ignored in the excitement.

It readily became apparent that Kosovo was in a bad state. Whole sections of towns and thousands of houses were destroyed or damaged and the usual institutions and organizations on which societies rely for services and government were all but eliminated. Families were separated although an informal system existed for people to track one another. However, there were large numbers of missing; many still are. The international community descended with fleets of "logoed" vehicles and started their tasks to restore order and deal with the humanitarian crisis. While we began setting up the USAID mission to deal with longer term development concerns, OFDA and OTI (other arms of USAID) mobilized, playing a role in the humanitarian relief efforts and taking the first steps to creating institutions, mainly at the municipal level, and supporting a free media.

Side-by-side were thousands of Kosovars who quickly joined these efforts. Most amazing was how quickly the private sector asserted itself, bringing in food and reconstruction supplies. The next amazing sight was the speed at which homes were repaired. Bridges, bombed by NATO, were made passable and security forces spread throughout Kosovo to give assurance to people that they were safe.

Today Kosovo is physically a different place. Sometimes it appears there is no room left for new construction (though one hopes owners will finish off the homes still standing building block naked). Trade thrives with shops carrying every consumer item imaginable. Roads and bridges are in generally good repair and will be more so now that elections offer opportunities for municipal officials to win votes by filling in potholes. The institutions of government are two years-plus old and doing relatively well, considering the short time and low salaries. KEK is beginning to perform better after frustrating everyone with its poor delivery of electricity the past few years. And despite the events of March, public safety is relatively good, probably very good when compared to areas of comparable population size in other parts of Europe.

Sadly, despite all the achievements, the economy is still not producing enough jobs and steady incomes. Europe's youngest population experiences massive unemployment, a situation saved only by incoming diaspora money. Privatization, a key and symbolic step to clearing the waste of the past to provide a foundation for the future, has been in limbo as bureaucrats who should know better identify obstacles rather than solutions. Investors are still timid; new productive enterprises are few. But if Kosovars and their international friends can continue to work together rather than bicker, the problems can be solved and Kosovo can have the benefits of democracy and prosperity. A place in Europe also awaits, attainable only if Kosovo recognizes the value of a diverse society and all learn to live together to create a better future for all citizens.

My five years of contact with Kosovars leaves me convinced they will have this bright future. And I have been proud of whatever small role I have had in helping them move toward achieving it. But I am most proud of the Kosovars who have worked with me in this effort.