Guardian on Kosovo - an opinion

A friend of mine just asked me about my opinion and thoughts on this piece about the 1999 Nato action in Kosovo that appeared in the Guardian today. This is what I had to say:

I don't have any problem with the article. I actually find it very good. I have never liked how instead of supporting peaceful and genuinely democratic movements like Ibrahim Rugova's Gandhi-inspired Kosovo independence movement, the West chose to support a violent band of criminals (the KLA) who terrorised Kosovo's population (regardless of ethnicity) and were no different from Serb paramilitaries such as Arkan's Tigers. For all the paramilitaries in the Balkans, the nationalist ideals they ostensibly defended were just a powerful tool to easily sway their kinfolk into believing they were actually doing 'good', which in turn coerced the population to participate or ignore the actual crimes they were committing. The ensuing chaos ensured an environment in which such criminal activity could flourish. The fact that Arkan and the KLA, mortal ethnic foes according to the nationalist diatribe of the time, worked together proves this (they divvied up who controlled what parts of Kosovo in the petrol smuggling trade). The 2001 conflict in Macedonia was not a fight for Albanian rights but a cigarette-smuggling turf war between Macedonian and Albanian criminal groups.

I'm particularly glad that this point was made in the article:
But if the west had wanted to act morally in the Balkans and to protect the people in Kosovo there were solutions other than war with the Serbs, and options other than backing the KLA – the most violent group in Kosovan politics. They could have backed genuine multi-party negotiations, or offered to lift sanctions on Belgrade if a peaceful solution to the problem of Kosovo could be found.

Yes, the point could have been made of Milošević's past genocide-inducing actions in Bosnia and that Serb para-militaries were operating in Kosovo, but the bottom line is that the West should not have backed one criminal group and painted them as 'good' in order to fight against another bunch of criminals.

Kosovo leader head of 'mafia-like' group - Council of Europe report claims

Why can I hear many in the Balkans, including Albanians, saying 'told you so'. The shit will be hitting the proverbial fan once this article by the Guardian makes itself known in the Balkans. With attention focused on the disputed country/province (depending who you talk to) after last weekend's not-so-transparent elections, a Council of Europe (CofE) report into crime in Kosovo has confirmed allegations that members of the Kosovo Liberation Army kidnapped and killed Serbs, whose kidneys were then later sold.

The CofE report, tabled by human rights investigator Dick Marty, will not be news for people in the Balkans. They have known about these 'revelations' now for years. However, in a true display of the ever-persistent colonial, patronising and superiority complex attitude of the West towards the 'uncivilised' Balkans, now they are being taken seriously. One of the main (not-new) points highlighted was that former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and current Kosovo president Hashim Thaçi's links with organised crime date back more than a decade, when those loyal to his Drenica Group became the dominant faction within the KLA.

Marty has pointed out Western double standards towards human rights in Kosovo. Since 1998 the West has been purposely blind in its support for the KLA and, consequently, for the Kosovo government led by Thaçi. The West has chose to ignore suspected war crimes by the KLA, "placing a premium instead on achieving some degree of short-term stability". He concludes that during the Kosovo war and for almost a year after, Thaçi's forces meted out revenge against Serbs, Roma and ethnic-Albanians accused of "collaborating" with the enemy.

This inquiry was commissioned after the former chief prosecutor for war crimes at The Hague, Carla Del Ponte, said she had been prevented from investigating senior KLA officials. Del Ponte's claim has grounds in that only four Albanians have faced the War Crimes Tribunal, one of which was former KLA commander-turn-politician (or crime boss to others) Ramush Haradinaj, who was first acquitted but now is facing the dock again after the 'revelation' that his thugs intimidated witnesses.

No matter what the West says, an overwhelming majority of people in ex-Yugoslavia see the Tribunal as a politically-motivated show trial with no legitimacy, whereby a disproportionate number of Serbs have been tried, of the two Macedonians tried the 'clearly innocent' nobody gets 12 years while the 'guilty-as-hell' former Interior Minister is acquitted of all crimes, while so few Albanians have been tried. Then the West has the audacity to criticise Balkan countries for their less-than-transparent judicial systems!

What this report will signal is that all the suspicions many in the Balkans have had that the West were taking sides in the Balkan conflicts, despite the West's denials, are true. It has mainly been nationalist political groupings who have been the most vocal advocates of these former conspiracy theories now exposed as fact. The unwitting consequence of this is that it will increase the credibility of other political theories and tales of Western intrigue that many in the Balkans believe and propagate. However, they are not to blame. The West should not have supported criminals who are callous enough to fan the popular nationalist notion of 'regaining greater Albania' to disguise their organised crime and maintain the power structures which allow such illegal activities to thrive. The point is that this current system of governance in Kosovo is how Serbia under Milošević operated. The West rightfully was quick to at least vilify Milošević and Serbia; however when it comes to Kosovo now, they not only have looked the other away but have fully supported and protected its leaders and the corrupt system they have created!

I'll be keeping a close watch to see what the political fallout will be from this report. I hope that Kosovo's long-suffering population will finally be able to rid themselves of these corrupt criminals so that they can finally have leaders who will look past personal interest and deliver a decent standard of living for all of Kosovo's population and beyond.

At the end of the day... saying it as it is

The US State Department cables published by Wikileaks have shown the true face behind the sweet talk and spin that characterises diplomacy and international politicis. An interesting and frank conversion was reported by the US embassy in Paris with an official of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Roland Galharague, which gives a true and blunt account about Serbia's aspirations for EU membership and Kosovo.

Historically, the French have been keen allies of the Serbs, with Jacques Chirac being initially against the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, for instance. However, with Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in 2008, France forsake Serbia's pleas and recognised the fledgling state. Despite much legal wrangling over the legitimacy of Kosovo's independence, the Serbs have found that their case being rebuked by large international organisations and legal institutions. However, as Galharague stated to the Americans, Serbian Foreign Minister Jeremic "seems to believe Serbia can win on Kosovo and win EU entry. We need to let him know this is not true". So no matter what Serbia does, it won't win anyway.

Serbia's current 'pro-western' government maintains eventual EU membership as its primary goal. However, the fact that Serbia claims Kosovo as a constituent part even though effectively it's now a separate, independent entity recognised as such by 22 out of the EU's 27 member states, and the legal ambiguity this creates, makes EU accession near impossible. In true 'carrot and stick' style, the EU superficially maintains the position that the issues of Kosovo and Serbian entry into the EU are not formally linked. However, this concept is beleived by no one, but still, rather naively, that they are fooling the Serbs nonetheleess. The State Department cable reveals that Western diplomats and Serb politicians alike know that there are no illusions. "There was no formal conditionality," Galharague said, adding that the Serbs now understand that to be a member of the EU they must eventually recognize Kosovo. "We told them we do not want another Cyprus," he explained, referring to Cyprus' controversial EU accession in 2004 as a divided island where EU legislation remains partly "suspended" in the northern part of the island which is outside of the government in Nicosia's control. Nonetheless, Galharague predicted the Serbs will likely go ahead with the U.N. resolution in any case, and the USG and the EU will be forced to oppose it.

So why do they keep on playing the public with this idea that Kosovo and EU membership are not linked when essentially they are for Serbia? Well, it's to ensure that the EU and Serbian government can impose what otherwise would be unpopular changes, all with the cynical excuse that 'this is a long-term good in preparation for EU membership'. The image is sold that EU membership will mean the dawning of an age of immense and immediate prosperity. However, the reality has shown that this is far from the case. Just ask anyone in Greece and Ireland, let alone Bulgaria and Romania as to what prosperity EU membership has bestowed them.

Nevertheless, the reality is that Serbia will not join the EU. Serbia, by its very nature and core identity cannot see Kosovo ever being separated again, even though essentially it already has. Along with this reality is Galharague's blunt but honest claim that "At the end of the day, though, Serbia must recognize Kosovo if it wants to join the EU". I can tell you now Galharague, that's just not going to happen. That's if, unless, some Serbian premier wants a bullet to his head like Zoran Djindjić.

Tony Blair with the Toniblers

Silly names for children is not just the preserve of Hollywood stars or chavs/bogans. Former UK prime minister Tony Blair made a visit to Kosovo, where he has his ego fed when he was introduced to 9 Kosovan boys, all aged around 10 years old, whose name is 'Tonibler'. All these boys were given their ludicruous name thanks to the hero status Blair enjoys for being a firm advocate and supporter for bombing Serbia and Kosovo in 1999 - the 'Humanitarian' bombing, which saw many innocent people, Kosovar and Serbian, being killed. But there were absolutely no NATO fatalities (that were reported in the West - people in the Balkans claim they witnessed otherwise), so it was a 'nice' campaign. In this giant kitschfest, the Tonibler choir sang 'We Are The World' to a jubilant Blair. My big question is how many Kosovan children have 'Bilklinton' or 'Medlinalbrajtë' as a name?