Who Speaks for the Kosovars?

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With the war under way, a tactical alliance with the KLA became essential, particularly since NATO has no personnel on the ground in Kosovo. But the Western alliance's failure to protect Kosovar civilians from the Serb onslaught may have led Rugova to pursue his own course.

"Once it was clear that the air war wasn't going to stop Milosevic from driving everyone out of Kosovo, he may have decided to try and salvage something by seeking an accommodation with Milosevic," says TIME U.N. correspondent William Dowell. "Of course, it could simply be that he's acting under Serb duress."

The West would obviously prefer dealing with the pacifist democrat Rugova than with the unpredictable KLA. Reports that the KLA has been attempting to conscript men in the refugee camps in Albania -- according to reports, some unwilling recruits have even been marched off into the hills at gunpoint -- will underscore the discomfort Washington may feel in any embrace with the insurgents.

"We do not want to be in alliance with the KLA," says Thompson. "They're not exactly about Western-style multiparty democracy."

Until Rugova can be brought out of Yugoslavia and allowed to speak free of any potential duress, NATO won't close the book on him. "Besides," says Waller, "they have no choice but to keep the door open, since there's no real diplomatic endgame for Operation Allied Force."

So with much of the KLA's leadership reportedly decimated in the Serb offensive and the moderates acting unpredictably in the face of military occupation, the Western alliance will maintain a watchful eye on Kosovar politics. After all, with a war on there's no sense in becoming fixated on the stances various leaders take when there's no certainty they'll be left standing by the end.