KOSOVO: A BIRTH OF A NATION

SETTING THE STAGE

Since beginning my summer travels seven weeks ago, I entered into Kosovo, the newest country to be recognized in Europe.  Less than a decade since the ethnic Albanian majority that make up 95% of Kosovo's population declared independence from Serbia.  This tiny country, that could easily fit in the southernmost tip of Florida, has had just as much a tumultuous past as any other ethnic people that call the Balkans home.

Diverse groups have settle, migrated, conquered, and occupied Kosovo throughout it's history, as the population slowly shifted toward a Albanian majority.  Like in Bosnia, the decline of the Serbian Christian population over the last century has projected a “fear” of losing one’s country over the course of time.  With the breakup of Yugoslavia during the 1990’s, Serbians minorities were experiencing separatist movements by their ethnic neighbors.  Kosovo was just another region added to the list.  The region of Kosovo has been traditionally seen as the heartland of the Serbian medieval state and once the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church.  To Serbians, Kosovo is it's "Thirteen Colonies".  It holds great to significance to Serbians throughout the Balkans.  At the same time, Albanians see Kosovo as a part of greater Albania.

Orthodox Church

So, how do Serbians legitimize their connection to Kosovo, while the demographics continue to shift out of their favor?  The Albanians prefer to speak their language over Serbian.  Mosques greatly outnumber Orthodox Churches.  How long does this continue before a Serbian nationalist movement begins to gain momentum?

Memorial for two Albanians killed during the war with Serbia

REMINISCENT OF THE AMERICA'S ALT RIGHT

ALT RIGHT USA

I imagine, this is in part, the root of the resurgence of White nationalism today in the US.  Hearing the chants of young White men in Charlottesville, Virginia in the summer of 2017, screaming “We will not be replaced!”  is haunting and disturbing.  I can understand how a people who have only known privilege and power will react in fear, paranoia, and aggression at the idea of “losing” their majority and privileged status.  The massive appeal President Donald Trump has had with so many conservative White Americans is directly related to his coded message of "Make America Great Again".  We all know how this phrase has two very different impressions depending on who hears it.

During Yugoslav times, the country's dictator suppressed all ethnic and nationalist movements.  When he dies in the 1980’s, the economy was hit hard.  Ethnic groups like Bosnians and Albanians were easy scapegoats.  By the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, ethnic tension boiled over throughout the former Yugoslavia and acts of genocide were occurring.  

PRISTINA, the KOSOVAR CAPITAL 

So, the capital of Pristina lacked the older architectural feel you’d find in most European cities and towns.  The city is quite ugly to be begin with.  You realize quickly it's lacks the easy selling points, such as: fine museums, historical sites, abundant cultural and entertainment activities, fine dining, great places to party.  You will find a simple "sample" of things to do but nothing that would blow you mind away.  

You come to Pristina to learn and understand a chilling tale of how a multiethnic nation experiencing a massive demographic shift can descend into civil war and genocide.

KOSOVAR WAR

Albania flag in a Kosovo cemetary

Today, Kosovo is over 95% ethnic Albanians.  There are pockets of Serbs that have remained, but for the most part, leading up to the height of the conflict, Serbians forces were forcing mass migration of Albanians throughout Kosovo.  In spite, their smaller population they maintained a lot of political power within Kosovo and used their power to discriminate against Albanians in schools and workplace.  Segregated schools.  No Albanians in the police force.  Often, Albanians experience police harassment.  In fact, Serbs passed laws that banned Albanians from speaking their native language in schools or publicly displaying Albanian symbols like their flag in public.  After forcing thousands of Albanians from their homes, confirmed reports of massacres of civilians by UN inspectors were rumored.  This put pressure on the UN to prevent another genocide, like the ones that happened in Bosnia and Rwanda just ten years earlier.

NATO airstrikes

During the Kosovo war, I was in the Air Force, stationed in Germany, when US President Bill Clinton ordered NATO airstrikes against Serbian forces.  For seventy-eight days, from March to June 1999, Air Force airstrikes destroyed Serbian targets until they agreed to a ceasefire and withdrawal. 

Since then, there has been UN Peacekeepers in Kosovo.  In fact, the United States has a military base that can hold up to 7,000 military personal.  The American presence has prompted Russians to be just as provocative.  Right across the border, the Russians have their own military presence in Serbia.  The geopolitics of the Cold War has never ended.  It continues to play out from the Ukraine to Syria, and from the Baltic to the Balkans. 

LESSONS FROM MY HOTEL

missing person

Arriving to my hotel, I was immediately greeted by an excited Kosovar owner of Albanian descent.  He expressed his extreme happiness, after learning I was a US citizen, staying in his hotel.  The three days I stayed there, I spend a lot of time speaking with him and his friend about their experiences during the Kosovar War.  We were around the same age then.  When they learned I was in the Air Force during that time, stationed in Germany, the excitement turned to a profound gratitude even thought I personally had nothing to do with any particular outcome, but still they felt honored to have me as their guest. 

Owner and employee of the hotel I stayed who I spent hours discussing their experience during the war.

They expressed, how just days before, NATO began their airstrikes on Serbian forces, Serbs began rounding up Albanians civilians, taking their ID’s and registering names and being detained.  There were rumors that they were soon to be moved to the city stadium.  They really expected they would be executed at that time, as this had been the strategy in the past by Serbians in Bosnia. 

When I wasn’t hanging out conversing with them about the wartimes, I walked the small capital and went to a beer festival with a few other North Americas from the States and Canada.  As I said, the city is quite ugly, but I will say, the women are absolutely beautiful.  There are a lot of Kosovar who live abroad and return “newly rich” and like to flaunt that bling lifestyle like so many folks with measure status and self worth with material possessions and name brands.  Dolled up in heavy make up flashy ornaments, riding around in expensive sport or luxury sedans and SUVs.  Not really my cup of tea, but I can’t hate.  After all, they have been through more life changing shit than most people in the world can ever imagine.  Who am I to judge?  

Some Kosovar make their money overseas and return to buy and live large

that's Bill Clinton

Interestingly enough, the Kosovar people love Americans, which I enjoyed.  A rarity for us to feel so loved after our fall from grace as the "shining city on a hill" many years ago.  There is a boulevard, a larger than life statue of former President Bill Clinton on one of the main avenues in the city.  There is a huge portrait of him hanging on the side of high rise, smiling and looking down on the city below.  You can't forget his wife, as there are clothing stores called Hillary... a shout out to Hillary Clinton.  To my amusement, I learned, immediately after the war, there were quite a few babies, who were born and given the names Bill Clinton. 

Bill Clinton Boulevard.  Notice his portrait hanging on the building in the background.  They love the Clintons in Kosovo.

countries that recognize Kosovo's independence

Despite the support from the US and most other European nations, there are still many nations that oppose Kosovo’s independence. For example, Serbia, Russia, Slovenia, Romania, Greece, and Spain do not recognize Kosovo’s independence.  Many people are surprised that a close ally of the US, like Spain does not, but understanding Catalan’s own separatist movement from Spain, indicates a hypocritical stance if they did.

HOW WILL KOSOVAR PEOPLE IDENTIFY GOING FORWARD?

well known Albanian folk singer.

Most of the people in Kosovo are Albanian and think of themselves first as Albanian, rather than Kosovarian.

In the end, Kosovarian people today are overwhelmingly Albanian,  and will have to decide on their national identity.  Will the see themselves solely as Albanians living in a region called Kosovo?  For now, that seems the case.  I almost never saw a Kosovar flag, but I saw plenty of Albanian flags flying in front of homes, over cemeteries, and on flag poles.  

Albanian flags are everywhere, but rarely do you see the flag of Kosovo

However, there are a few Kosovar Albanians who stated this is a problem if Kosovo doesn’t want to repeat the intolerant and unwelcoming environment of the past when Kosovo was under Serbian control.  If Kosovo wants to attract foreign people or make the Serbian minority to feel included, the idea of being a part of Kosovar society needs to be inclusive, no?  The idea of unity cannot happen with symbols of ethnic division or extreme nationalism by any particular group.  On the last day in Pristina, just before leaving the hotel and getting on my bus for the next city of Prizren, the hotel owners handed me a Kosovar flag.  It was a real honor to receive their hopes, dreams, and aspirations of this new nation.

the Kosovar flag