The U.N. International Court of Justice will present its advisory opinion on the issue of Kosovo's February 2008 unilateral declaration of independence on July 22. The opinion has the potential, if the court so chooses, to effectively make a ruling on whether Kosovo's independence is legal under international law. However, the reality on the ground in Kosovo will not be changed by the opinion, since Kosovo remains a NATO-protected territory and Serbia, which opposes Kosovar independence and claims sovereignty over what Belgrade believes to be part of its own territory, has no real capacity to force a change of status.
