Saturday 1 March 2008

Serious points about Kosovo's self declared independence hardly mentioned by others

Kosovo's Albanian leaders have declared independence from Serbia. But what has happened since?

Albanians in the province-turned-self-declared-state celebrated it, along with fellow ethnics in Europe and America. Serbs in Kosovo, on the other hand, have demonstrated against it, along with their fellow ethnics in Serbia, Bosnia and elsewhere. Both reactions were to be expected, just not some of the actions we've seen, such as the burning of other countries' embassies in Belgrade.

Many countries in Europe - read, in the European Union (EU) - were keen to recognise Kosovo's independence from Serbia, convinced that it is the best solution for the province, as does America. (The EU, of course, has recently sent in EULEX to help form a new legislative infrastructure in Kosovo.) Russia opposes it, convinced that it could set a dangerous precedent for the rest of the world, and Spain within the EU opposes it, along with a few other EU countries, due to internal problems with separatists of their own.

Serbia doesn't want to recognise the self-declared republic of Kosovo; a large body of Serbs don't want to recognise it. And you know what? They don't have to. It's their right not to recognise it, just like it is the right of other countries like Albania and other private individuals around the world to do the opposite.

There are many problems with the unilateral declaration of independence, however peaceful and dignified the ceremony in Priština was. However, I want to share other reasons that I have never heard specifically mentioned by any one else. Maybe alluded to by others, but not explicitly and not with great focus.

But first of all, let me tell you what I think isn't the problem, or isn't just the problem. It's:

1. NOT Koštunica, and I have to say this, because there are people who are actually blaming him for the way Serbs in Kosovo and Belgrade have reacted to the declaration! At the recent rally in Belgrade, he gave a very patriotic, even nationalistic, speech against Kosovo's independence and separation from Serbia. But I can't take such an accusation seriously. You see, what these people are forgetting is that Vojislav Koštunica represents what many Serbs already think and feel about Kosovo and other issues without him having to mention anything openly. Those young men who attacked the embassies in Belgrade might have felt encouraged to do so by the rally, which was attended by hundreds of thousands of people, if not a million, and many famous people from Serbia and neighbouring countries spoke there - not just Koštunica. But Vojislav himself can't be held personally responsible for such vandalism. (By the way, I don't agree with many of Dr. Vojislav Koštunica's views; some of them are just not impractical and thus, not helpful/beneficial for Serbia.) Also it's

2. NOT JUST Milošević, who, as we know, caused a lot of the modern-day problems that the people of Kosovo face, both Serbian and Albanian though in different ways and for the other minorities. And of course,

3. it's NOT about "Greater Albania", even if some Albanians want it! (Actually, Kosovo Albanians prefer the independent state option and no doubt Albanians in Albania do as well, presumeably seeing such a state as a "natural ally" in the region.)

This issue is, of course, a statist issue: specifically, a region within a state has declared independence from the mother state, which in turn doesn't recognise its declaration nor its new-found existence. Being an anarchist, I don't believe in the concept of states. In fact, because of what is happening with Kosovo, my belief in the anti-state principles of Anarchism is that much justified.

For me, the problems in Kosovo between Serbs and Albanians, which I hardly hear anyone mention are these three things:

1. Lack of TRUST;

2. Lack of INTER-ETHNIC DIALOGUE.
And hence,

3. Lack of INTER-COMMUNAL UNDERSTANDING.

Kosovo Albanians have wanted independence for a long time, and no doubt with even greater determination since the Kosovo war that ended almost ten years ago in 1999. Because of the recent events in history, and also before, they don't want to be part of Serbia any more. Kosovo Albanians don't trust Serbia, which is, considering the history, understandable. But what doesn't seem to occur to many of them and even other people (!) - or at least I haven't seen that it substantially has - is that Kosovo Serbs don't trust them, i.e. Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo governmental institutions.

The distrust that Kosovo Serbs have for Kosovo Albanians has existed for a very long time. Even during Tito's Yugoslavia, there was, let's just say, nowhere near as much social cohesion - read, "Brotherhood & Unity" (Bratstvo i Jedinstvo) - between them as there was between Serbs, Croats and Muslims in Bosnia, where there were plenty of mixed marriages.

And just to set the record staright, it wasn't Milošević who created this distrust that Kosovo Serbs feel for Kosovo Albanians; he infamously utilised it! (Remember "Niko ne sme da vas bije" and the revocation of Kosovo's autonomy? There you go.) And neither did Koštunica create it; he just doesn't have either the ability or the will or both of which to remedy such sentiment.

And so, Kosovo Albanians have declared independence for Kosovo without truly and meaningfully securing the trust of Kosovo Serbs. That is really amazing. I don't know whether they know how to encourage Kosovo Serbs to trust them or whether they even want to. But it's amazing how even now that Kosovo Albanians have declared independence, Kosovo Serbs still look to Belgrade. And although it is true that Dr. Vojislav Koštunica and others have discouraged Serbs in the region from participating in Kosovo institutions lest they tacitly recognise its independence and separation from Serbia, I repeat that he is NOT to blame for the distrust that Kosovo Serbs feel and have felt for a very long time for Kosovo Albanians and institutions run by them. Period.

And this is where the second problem I mentioned above has prolonged this problem.

A major problem that no-one seems to have considered (!) is the utter lack of inter-ethnic dialogue between Serbs and Albanians. Sure, Kosovo Albanian leaders and Serbian leaders from Belgrade have done many rounds of negotiation regarding the future status of Kosovo over the past few years. It's good that there was even that kind of dialogue! But what about dialogue between ordinary Kosovo Serbs and Albanians, the civilian populaton? Hmm?

Even in Israel/Palestine, further southeast of the Balkans, there is some form of interethnic relations between Jews and Arabs in the heart of the Middle East, while virtually nothing - NOTHING - of the sort can be said for Serbs and Albanians in southern Europe! Indeed, for many Serbs and Albanians, Serbo-Albanian relations don't even exist.

And so I ask myself, are Serbs and Albanians not ashamed of themselves? Israelis and Palestinians who live on the centuries disputed Holy Land have better relations with one another than Serbs and Albanians who live in the heart of southeastern Europe! Israelis and Palestinians get on much better with one another than Serbs and Albanians!!!

Many Serbs view the Albanians of Kosovo as a completely "alien" group of people, no better than "interlopers", even though the overwhelming majority of them have ancestors who lived in the region going back hundreds of years. On the other hand, Albanians look at Serbs from Kosovo as somehow eternally "influenced by Belgrade", even when they are expressing deeply rooted fears that they have felt throughout their lives living there.

(Oh, it's easy to blame Serbian leaders from Belgrade for such sentiments Kosovo Serbs harbor! But actually, dear readers, such attitude is highly short-sighted and grossly ignorant.)

As you've seen on the news, Kosovo Serbs wave Serbian flags, proclaiming "Kosovo is Serbia!", and most importantly, they wholeheartedly reject the independence of Kosovo that other countries perhaps blindly recognise, and make it clear that Kosovo is still territorially part of Serbia and that they recognise no separation from Serbia. Kosovo Albanians wave Albanian flags and flags of other countries, proudly proclaiming "Kosova is free!", and no longer consider their towns and villages to be part of Serbia (of course, they haven't done so for a long time).

I saw the rally in Belgrade, Serbia, attended by hundreds of thousands of Serbs, maybe even a million, voicing loudly their great opposition to Kosovo independence. In Priština, Albanians were dancing and singing on the streets and scribbling on the newly erected "New Born" sculpture.

These two people just don't talk to one another! And when they do, they're just rude and abusive to one another, and such dialogue can never be described as "civilised". Serbs relate the things they know, heard of, believe and feel about Kosovo, and are bewildered by what Albanians recount to them; and Albanians are likewise bewildered at what Serbs tell them, and share with them what they know, heard of, believe and feel. Rudeness, abuse, inconsideration and ignorance abound, and they are seen on and come from both sides. There is therefore a lack of basic understanding between the two, or like I mentioned above, lack of inter-communal understanding.

Kosovo Serbs don't understand why Kosovo Albanians don't feel safe under Belgrade and Serbia; while Kosovo Albanians, and perhaps other countries, don't understand why Kosovo Serbs feel that only under Serbian sovereignty and Belgrade can they feel safe.

And yet, should you try to explain to the other side what they other side thinks, there is sheer dismissal from both sides; the other side is either deluded or just tells lies. No compassion and no understanding. Appalling.

So along with distrust, there is a lot of contempt as well: Albanians have a lot of contempt for Serbs, based on their own historical experience; and likewise, Serbs have contempt for Albanians, but not based on the same historical experience.

I'm not going to beat around the bush. I have never supported Kosovo independence before, and now that its Albanian leaders have declared it, not to mention unilaterally (which means without either the consent of or based on any agreement with Belgrade), I can truly see how it is in no way the solution to the above-mentioned problems.

In my opinion, only one country can give the self-declared republic any legitimacy, and that's Serbia. Not America or the EU, and certainly not Albania or the Turkish Republic of Cyprus! It's Serbia's inherent right as a state to either accept or reject the secession of a region within its sovereign territory, without being pressured either way.

The only true solution to the Kosovo issue is not for Priština or Brussels to force Kosovo Serbs and Belgrade to accept the self-declared independence, or God forbid another war, but inter-ethnic dialogue between the Serbian and Albanian people, through which the two people can raise their concerns to one another in a civilised and non-abusive manner. Everything that could be helpful and prove beneficial for both peoples, will come from that.

----------------------------------------
Of course, it would be better if there were NO states on the planet and hence no borders. But even I acknowledge that we don't live in such a world.

We are dealing with people's emotions here, you know. I have seen so many times how national pride is something so strongly linked - inextricably so - to one's own sense of personal dignity. So let us bear that in mind when dealing with Kosovo and other issues throughout the war-torn Western Balkans, the former Yugoslavia.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Alan, thank you for leaving a comment at Srebrenica Genocide Blog. I responded to your questions. All the best to you.

Anonymous said...

Quote: "The only true solution to the Kosovo issue is not for Priština or Brussels to force Kosovo Serbs and Belgrade to accept the self-declared independence, or God forbid another war, but inter-ethnic dialogue between the Serbian and Albanian people, through which the two people can raise their concerns to one another in a civilised and non-abusive manner."

And that's what democracy is all about. Think about it: borders are just imaginary lines. Don't worry too much about borders. As long as everybody is guaranteed top freedoms and human rights, borders don't matter too much.

Balkan Ⓐnarchist said...

Daniel,

That's exactly what I think. I am not bothered by borders and Human rights is most important with me. Unfortunately, thanks to these lunatic wars, borders for new states became all the rage!

On a serious note, there is the issue of refugee return, which concerns me. With Croatia, and specifically with Croatian Serbs who fled the fallen Krajina (my people), many of them have never been back since 1995. That bothers me that many of them don't want to set foot on their own land again, but I have to be understanding to them too.

I was in England at the time of the wars, and I remember the media coverage an' all (I could tell you about that some time). I went to my homeland in 2004, the first time since 1990 when I was four! I'm attached to my ancestral land, which we call a "hearth" (ognjište), and am not bothered in the slightest that it is, according to the map, a part of the Republika Hrvatska! What does bother me, among other things, is the lack of young people of my ethnic background there, and my hometown in southern Lika is especially "pusto", along with the surrounding villages.

Alan.

Anonymous said...

No serious person will deny that Serbs were victims of ethnic cleansing in Croatia. And I aboslutely agree with you - they should come back to their homes. Croatia should do more to bring these people back. Everybody feels more comfortable in their home, farm, village, town, whatever. There is a saying in the Balkans: "Metar Moga Sela, Amerika Cjela!" (one metre of my village is worth all America)

Please understand that my activism is never oriented against ordinary Serbs who mean no harm to anyone. I only hit hard propagandists who will do everything they can do diminish significance of Srebrenica genocide.

For example, they justify Srebrenica genocide by claiming that 3,000-4,000 Serbs died around Srebrenica - a claim that does not meet reality according to the ICTY, RDC and even Serbia's own Human Rights Watch.

Borders don't mean much to me, as they are just imaginary 'walls' which exist only in our minds - politically. Take a look at Google Maps, click on "Satelite" without borders and you will see that Balkans represent one natural geographic area... borders were just invented. They do not exist in nature.

Srebrenica Genocide said...

Alan, Owen has just replied to your comment at Srebrenica Genocide Blog.

Balkan Ⓐnarchist said...

Thanks Daniel. I've replied to him.

I've heard that phrase "Metar moga sela…". Very modern linguistically, yet its meaning belongs to all periods.

I understand that your activism is aimed against Serbian nationalist revisionism and its propagandists. Because of that, I think you should bear in mind that thanks to such propaganda, many Serbs truly believe what they say, including ordinary Serbs who mean no harm to anyone. Seriously.

Like I mentioned in my blog post about Slobo, living in the diaspora with access to satellite TV, I heard the "Western version" of events and the Serbian one. I was young back then (post-Bosnia & Croatia, pre-Kosovo), and I was learning about my cultural identity and language. So I naturally believed my side, because it presented itself as such and other people around me treated it as such.

Of course, now I know better. But it wasn't easy for me discovering that a great deal of what I had long believed to be true was actually untrue, and all of what I thought was really made up of lies was true afterall!

Also for many Serbs, what they've heard from the Western media genuinely doesn't make sense to them. And so, it is easier for them to believe that the West and the secessionists from the break-away republics made it all up.

Again, there are Serbs who lived through the wars in Bosnia and Croatia, and they did experience the wars in different ways compared to the opposing sides.

And finally, there are those Serbs who hated and fought against Milošević, who are less likely to doubt that his politics brought great harm to people outside Serbia as well as inside, because they suffered under him. Nevertheless, even many of them have felt baffled, confused and demoralised by what they were hearing, even unsure about it.

Regarding the issue of Srebrenica, there are Serbs who still believe it's not true and prefer to believe what certain revisionists claim, while there are Serbs who do think something terrible happened there but are in doubt about the extent of the crime. Your blog helped make it clear for me what really happened in Srebrenica, therefore removing all doubt I had about what occurred there in July 1995.

I too strongly believe that the Balkans constitute one geographic area, hence the name "Balkan Anarchist"! Coming from the Tromeđa, I understand and appreciate regional diversity, which includes geographic and geological diversity, and cultural and linguistic diversity. So along with my personal and Serbian identities, I have some kind of Lika identity and a pan-Balkan identity. But most of all, and above all else, I consider myself a human being! :-)

Cheers.

Anonymous said...

Alan, I take all your points, but the problem at the end of it is that not only do so many Serbians continue to reject the "Western" version of events, they turn their eyes away from the reality exposed to them at home - not just the mass graves in Bosnia but the truckloads of bodies in Serbia as well, the Topcider killings and Natasa Kandic's video of the Scorpions. Surely by now they are starting to see a pattern emerge?

Balkan Ⓐnarchist said...

They should. But there is so much apathy, disillusionment and withdrawal from politics with people in Serbia and amongst Serbs in the diaspora. Many Serbs don't know what to believe, and even prefer that they don't know (!) to avoid getting into trouble. Also, many Serbs have seen and experienced things that in some way(s) justify what they think.

The wars have made a lot of people rather selfish, meaning they keep themselves to themselves, looking after number one. Of course, it shouldn't be that way, and I find such selfishness unpalatable. But one thing the wars have done to people from Croatia and Bosnia is create a loss of trust between the warring sides and also within the warring sides. (Compare this recent loss of trust with an outstanding lack of trust in Kosovo, where there was not as much social cohesion (read, "Brotherhood & Unity") between the ethnic groups even before the war there.)

I'm an eternal optimist! But God knows when we'll see the light at the end of the tunnel. Obviously, we should do something ourselves to make things better. But the problem with me - and I don't believe I'm the only one - is that I have a desire, but not the means; in fact, I'm not even in a position to improve things for people there. :-(

Alan.

Anonymous said...

It's individuals with honesty and optimism who open up the possibility of trust. They can't guarantee it, but they can offer the hope of it.

Anonymous said...

>>In my opinion, only one country can give the self-declared republic any legitimacy, and that's Serbia.<<

I am not sure why you recognise certain rights for the Republic of Serbia but not the Autonomous Province of Kosovo created by the Yugoslav constitution in the 1970s.

Maybe as a anarchist you should consider either entity as legitimate? I don't know as I'm not an anarchist. But surely you should recognise the rights to self-rule of those who live in Kosova as much as the rights of the people who live within the borders of Serbia proper.

I'd like to see a Balkans without borders but until then we should support the rights of citizens to sel-rule in civic, non-ethnic states based on the entities of former Yugoslavia.

Balkan Ⓐnarchist said...

Hello anonymous,

"Maybe as a anarchist you should consider either entity as legitimate? I don't know as I'm not an anarchist. But surely you should recognise the rights to self-rule of those who live in Kosova as much as the rights of the people who live within the borders of Serbia proper.

I'd like to see a Balkans without borders but until then we should support the rights of citizens to sel[f]-rule in civic, non-ethnic states based on the entities of former Yugoslavia.


Anarchists generally believe that states shouldn't exist. Many Anarchists believe in concepts like "Libertarian municipalism", which proposes to replace the state with a "confederation of free municipalities", an idea proposed by the late Murray Bookchin.

I used to believe in Statism in the past. But considering all the violence and the dispossession experienced by so many people in the Balkans in the 1990s and before, I oppose the concept. One wonders, however, why people in the Balkans haven't en masse rejected the concept of Statism. Then again, many people are just disillusioned and apathetic with politics and politicians. :-(

As for "sel[f]-rule in civic, non-ethnic states", Croatia and Slovenia are not terribly non-ethnic, and Kosovo is a majority ethnic-Albanian region or state. And regarding "entities of former Yugoslavia", should only the six republics be given recognition as states, or can this also apply to Serbia's two provinces (I'm thinking of the Badinter Commission here)? Considering which, EU countries' recognition of Kosovo's independence represents a reversal of the commission's original reccommendations.

I don't oppose the will of the Kosovo Albanian people, I just don't believe that independence will resolve the issue of inter-ethnic relations between Serbs and Albanians, an issue I discuss in this blog post.

All the best,

Alan.

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Hope you're busy rather than you've given up.

Balkan Ⓐnarchist said...

Owen, thanks for the concern. Haven't been bothering to write recently; been too lazy!!! Not good! Today I did edit one of my previous posts, added a sentence and a few words to it.

Hopefully I'll be writing something new soon!

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Good news - but equally, never be a slave to blogging!

Panorama de Fortim visto por Alida said...

Hi there :)

I enjoyed reading your blog, especially on Kosova issue. I do not agree in all you write about but, I admire the way you treat the topic.
I know that Kosova's unilateral declaration of Independence could never please Serbs living there at least for the moment. But I wonder whether there would be a perfect solution, tell me if you can because, I honestly do not believe in it.
You speak about Albanians-Serbs inter-ethnic relations, it was, as it is very soon to put these two people together. There are still mothers mourning over their son's death, everything is still fresh there. I am Albanian from Albania, but being born in north east Albania, town of Kukes I can be as realistic to say that it is not easy to overcome such painful events. And let us not forget that it is not a conflict that started 20 years ago, unfortunately it had deep roots, the 1999 was only the top of an iceberg. So yeah comparing between Palestine and Israel even though I do not see peace there (at least for the moment) their conflict started only in 1948 let us say, while between albanians and Serbs it had centuries that was going on.
Thus, I believe deeper root a problem has, more difficult it becomes to find ideal solutions. Education is added on all this, family stories from generation to generation. Hate among Albanians and Serbs only grew with the time especially helped by the discrimination within Yugoslavia.

I try to be as detached as possible judging upon the Kosova issue , my being Albanian might influence me but still there are many who support Kosova's independence.

I believe that it was the best possible solution and I am sure that time will testify it.

Still problems and conflicts will always exist when judging upon cultures, religions, skin colors ,
There is no superiority on races and nations sooner people understand sooner peace will bloom in those countries.
If not "the holy people" terminology will always lead to problems and wars.

Hopefully we are in a new era in Balkans, and, with the time nations will learn to respect each other.
We respect someone by recognizing him, by recognizing his differences not by ignoring him or by imposing to him what he isn't.
I love Balkan cultures, and I think it is time to go further.
Peace from Tirana

Balkan Ⓐnarchist said...

Mirdita Alidea!

I am glad you enjoy my blog, and I hope you keep on enjoying it!

Earlier today, I was actually reading some ugly comments from some Serbs and non-Serbs on a blog about Kosovo. So, I'm glad to read a nice comment from someone in Albania!

No, Kosovo's unilateral declaration of Independence is not the best solution, but I do understand that Independence from Serbia and Serbian rule is something that the Albanian people of Kosovo have been yearning for throughout the last century.

Perfect solutions for many complicated problems are, of course, hard to find! But for Kosovo, I think there should be strong links between Kosovo's Serbs and Belgrade (including other minorities), and most importantly, like I've mentioned in this article, inter-ethnic dialogue between our two peoples, the Serbs and the Albanians. And that can be achieved, only if we can find in our hearts and souls the strength to let go of our prejudicies and to listen to one another's stories and opinions and not judge and be rude to one another, as has been and is unfortunately still the case between us.

Of course, the Kosovo issue is very different from the Israel/Palestine conflict. The point I was making was that between Jews and Arabs, there exists far greater inter-ethnic and inter-faith dialogue between them than exists between our two peoples. And although that conflict is not as "ancient" as ours, many Arab and Jewish mothers have fresh memories too, not to mention burning hatred that will be passed on and has already been passed on.

It's true that people should try to detach from their emotions when reaching reasonable and rational conclusions! However, this month, Serbia is having elections, and there are many politicians that are playing the Kosovo card in their electoral campaigns ("Kosovo je Srbija"), not to mention trashing the European Union and calling certain people like the president of Serbia "traitors"! And to tell you the truth, I'm quite pissed off by such nationalistic rhetoric and hope that pro-European elements succeed and form government!

And like you, I don't think there are any "superior" peoples, "chosen" peoples or "heavenly" peoples! If us Balkanians were anything like that, we surely would not have fought wars against each another! And I completely agree you on this:

Hopefully we are in a new era in Balkans, and, with the time nations will learn to respect each other.
We respect someone by recognizing him, by recognizing his differences not by ignoring him or by imposing to him what he isn't.


That's something we Balkanians will need to do for ourselves and each other, and also for our children and our children's children.

I've had a look at your blog and I've added it to my list of links!

Tungjatjeta Alidea!

Alan.

Panorama de Fortim visto por Alida said...

Hey Alan ,

I do believe that no matter the similarities, all conflicts have its particularities , and we cannot put mathematical recipes to try to understand why here does not work as there when we speak about human relations (or inter-ethnic conflicts)

So every conflict has its unique side. Still, I repeat unfortunately I hear very often sad news about Israel-Palestine conflicts ( thanks God we do not hear the same news from Serbian-Albanian inter-ethnic problem), in contrary I would even pretend to say that they should maybe try to have a solution like Kosova case. This is what I believe.

I remind you also that talks between Serbs and Albanians went on for almost 2 years, and the Ahtisari Plan was the best proposal. Remember Kosova is declared a Multiethnical State even though albanians there constitute more than 92% , so it was not easy for them to leave out their patriotism and represent themselves with a Constitution were Albania as a term is almost not mentioned, it was not easy for them to give up the Albanian flag, but they did it.
Talks could not have gone on and on eternally because the economy could not improve, because Albanians there could never be under Serbia's sovereignity anyway. It was everything but not them!

Let us see it in to another angle: Serbs-Croats-Slovens-Montenegrins, Fyrom , had more in common between each-other than albanians had with them, speaking of language, religion, history etc Why did the others want to separate from Yougoslavia if the cohabitation was so good .. Montenegrins constitute something like 650 000 people, while Albanians in Kosova more than 2 million .. Why is it so weird to understand that (especially because of 1999) Independence for Kosova is not right ???

Time is very precious ,waiting longer would have had a worse impact. I remind you dear Alan, Albanians were divided unfairly in 4 states, if Kosova would not have gained Independence the Albanian question would have embraced all the nationalists and radicals, and war would have been inevitable.
Kosova case pout an end to Balkan ethnic problem. The Albanian question now is closed.

Finally ..

DRAGANA said...

Na Kosovu lezi istorija srpstva,Kosovo je srpsko bilo oduvjek...ovo sve nema smisla.....to sto svjet podrzava Siptare to je najgore od svega....KOSOVO JE SRCE SRBIJE!!!

Blackbird said...

You leave me speechless. You call yourself someone who honors his Serbian ancestry? You are 99% British and maybe 1% Serbian if one goes by what you write. Where do you get your information -- from "Serbian 'Genocide'" and Ed Vuillamy? Give me a break. You have a right to your opinions, but you do not, in my opinion, have the right to call yourself a Serb. The things you have said about Kosovo are twisted, skewed and misleading. Reading you makes me feel embarassed for you because you evidently actually believe you know something. I suggest you do some serious research and stop parroting the British media.

Balkan Ⓐnarchist said...

Blackbird, I've done too much research into the recent conflicts. So much so, I find opinions like yours quite embarassing! Sorry!

Anonymous said...

the sole dispute between panserbs and panalbanians over kosovo shld be about whether kosovo had been conquered or whether kosovo had been empty in 7th c. and thus, with permission from byzantium, serbs settled peaceably also on kosovo in, say, mid 7th c.

historical record indicates that kosovo had been occupied by albanians for at least 1.5 k yrs prior to serbs settling an area [moesia] designated for them by the e. roman empire.

i do not think that after serbs and croats were invited [or if invited?] to settle certain areas, byzantium allowed the two voelken [+ slovenes and macedonians] to wage expansionist wars.

only after powers of byzantium much waned in 13th c., serbs and croats begin to wage wars for more land.

somehow/somewhen, croats by 14th c. have taken over and almost completely croatianized the coastal byzantine walled towns.

serbs were not able to serbianize kosovars even tho serbia via conquest in early 13th c. held it for 250 yrs.

kosovars have never liked being occupied. their hatred for serbs arose solely from being occupied.

i do not think kosovars wld ever go back living with serbs. tnx

Max said...

@Alan Jakšić: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8168 http://www.balkanpeace.org/index.php?index=article&articleid=13931 http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=7996 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/561291/posts

Max said...

@Srebrenica Genocide Blog .....PROPAGANDA!!!! Was 'Srebrenica genocide' a hoax?:http://sz2604-max.blogspot.com/2011/06/srebrenica-massacre-invented-by-bill.html