[Prishtina-E] Layers of Problems in Kosova, by Alice Mead

[kosova at jps.net]

Layers of Problems in Kosova
How to Solve Them? Start at the Bottom and Work Up

By Alice Mead
Special to Zeri, Prishtine, 04/02/02

During its entire history, this has never happened: the people of Kosova
have never had the inviolable right to a government by the will of the
people and, now that they have suffered a long-term genocide, this issue
deserves extra careful consideration--not less consideration.

With internationals on the scene, an extra layer of expectations has been
added to an already layered situation, so that there are multiple layers of
needs, none of them well-defined, objectively discussed, or planned for. The
resulting obscurity and mess is blamed on the Albanian population only
probably because they are at the moment the least represented at high
levels, the least enfranchised of all the groups involved.

What are some of the layers?

The Supranational Level: Kosova is now a struggle in post-cold war alliances
of Nato vs Russia, US vs Russia, Democracy vs Communism, and EU vs Balkan
region, Partnership for Peace vs locally funded military groups. The future
of Kosova is discussed informally on many occasions, in many places, about
which the people have no knowledge or power.

The Historical Level: Boundary problems -- dating from 1912/1913 the lack of
resolution about the boundaries of Albania leads to perpetual modern-day
accusations of Greater Albanianism from Slavs and Europeans as a reason to
keep self-determination from Kosova's citizens. Corrections for this
historical wrong should be made in other, constructive ways.

The International Definition of Sovereignty: The continued conflict at the
UN and EU level about the rights of sovereign nations, which used to, and
still do have the right to commit genocide or mass murder of certain
populations within their own borders without compromising the principle of
sovereignty. In other words, the right to expel a people by force or to mass
murder them is legal, the right to secede by representative vote following
genocide is not.

This is an astounding definition of statehood, one which sanctions
destroying the inviolable rights of its citizens. One that led implicitly to
the situation now. Top levels of international governments disregard the
recommendations of scholars and research groups regarding a final status for
Kosova.

The Legal level: Lack of peace treaties, lack of justice -- Kosova is
without redress or justice or reparations for the 50 years or 10 years of 2
years of wrongs it suffered under FRY rule. The lack of a peace treaty
following the 1999 war or a "Dayton Conference" to organize and settle the
layers of issues is a major contributor to the lack of success of UNMIK to
rule as a protectorate with the full confidence of the people that it
represents their best interests. Internationals stubbornly fail to
understand their role in the confusion.

The Local Nationalist Level: Ethnic aspirations are seen as a struggle for
liberation -- unacknowledged by internationals who claim to be free of
nationalism. The Albanian dream to be free of Slav rule has not been
acknowledged nor has the historic pattern of Slav domination and hegemony
been acknowledged. General Pavkovic remains in power. Karadzic goes free.
While we all pretend that the former Yugoslavia exists.

The UNMIK Level: The undefined, a democratic UN protectorate that rules
Kosova without representation and expects an instant, imposed multiethnicity
that is now predefined as already a failure based on the development of
enclaves in Kosova (do we have a Chinatown in every large American city? a
Harlem? A Spanish Harlem? We even had slavery, genocide of native peoples,
but never mind) and the crimes of passion that took place against Serbs
during the first 3 months following the war. This was wrong. The murderers
should be punished. The population should not be held collectively guilty.
But tomorrow is not a new day in Kosova; according to EU and UN, and the
future will be predetermined by this undefined past.

This is the basis being used to determine Kosova's final status? That
reverse ethnic cleansing precludes self-determination? Wouldn't the logical
conclusion be, then, to withdraw self-determination from Serbia and make it
a UN protectorate?

The Human Level: Here is the weakest link -- a lack of empowerment and
representation of those whom these issues are being "fought" over. There is
the problem from the top down. To truly solve it, start at the bottom and
work up. Empower the least powerful to create just solutions. To repress
this confusion, to ignore it, not address it, blaming those without power
for it, is to set the stage for smoldering violence that becomes
intractable -- like Palestine or Northern Ireland. We created those
realities and we are in the process of creating this one by our own lack of
principles.

The Bush regime has made known that it is clearly not interested in the
Balkans -- so, while US attention wanes, quick and cheap solutions that do
not meet even the simplest criteria for equality, transparency, or justice,
are hurried through in cobbled-together inventions, like the High Group, or
in embassy meeting rooms in Belgrade and Prishtina in the hopes that the
people will be none the wiser.


- Alice Mead is an American writer and human rights activist.

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