Stability a la Kosovo
This year the world media did not dedicate much ink to the problems of Kosovo, unjustifiably eclipsed as they were, first, by violence in Macedonia and alleged supplies (or no supplies) of Ukrainian weapons there, and then by the September 11 terrorist attack on the United States and start of the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan. Because it is Kosovo that provides a sterling example the wrong treatment of terrorism and separatism, showing how the international community must not react, in general, how a real problem should not be solved. The crisis in Kosovo, which led NATO to step in militarily for the first time in its history. makes Kosovo a kind of a model for any future actions to be undertaken by the international community.
The recent parliamentary elections in Kosovo, positively assessed by the international team of observers, were described as a step forward toward building a democratic society on a multiethnic basis and strengthening stability in the region. The observers pointed to a peaceful atmosphere during the campaign and on election day, praising the fact that the Albanians and Serbs will now sit together in the Kosovo parliament. The worries of the international community seemed to have abated at this point, especially since the elections were won by the moderates headed by former dissident Ibrahim Rugova.
Meanwhile, the election results in Kosovo do not give any reason to expect a rapid return to stability in the region, with the winning parties that represent the interests of Albanian ethnic majority opting for the independence of Kosovo from Yugoslavia, understandably contrary the aspirations of the Serbian minority. The prospect of another supposedly independent country, in fact, a quasi-state, cannot be viewed as a contribution to regional stability, let alone the continuing hostility among various ethnic groups in Kosovo, something experts are saying in the West. The end result is quite hazy as instability will automatically surface in Macedonia, Montenegro remaining quite a dark horse, and given the situation the behavior of Yugoslavia’s and Serbia’s authorities remain quite unpredictable. The point is not about free elections for the Kosovars, the point is that, due to the policy conducted by the Milosevic regime in Belgrade and Washington, both Albanians and Serbs have become hostages to a no-win situation, with the losers being residents of a considerable chunk of Europe, Ukraine included.
The Kosovo elections is merely an indication that, partly disguised as it is, the problem is still there and remains unsolved. The absence of open war is no sign of peace. Meanwhile, there is much finger- pointing at Kosovo as a breeding ground for drug lords and those of illegal migration, something the whole world seems to be seriously committed to curbing. Meanwhile, nobody knows the amount of weapons, in many cases most sophisticated, held by numerous groups of Albanians, nor their supply routes, nor how the weapons are later delivered to Macedonia and Southern Serbia.
It seems that the processes going on in Kosovo cannot be harnessed, as everything has been done before to chose among the meager assortment available the options least desirable from the standpoint of their stability and security.
Kosovo is still posing more questions than answers. Consequently, the international peacekeeping force which includes Ukrainians will not be withdrawn from the region for quite some time, with the number of similar conflict zones growing as the Kosovo model for solving ethnic problems continues to dominate.
