There is a really irksome letter to the NY Times today regarding Kosovo's independence. It says that Kosovo should not be "rewarded" with independence because it has not learned how to protect the minorities in its community. True, last March there were terrible riots against the Serb minority. Kosovars shouldn't have done that, and relations remain tense. But the letter rubbed me wrong because it implies that the Kosovars are blood-thirsty and vindictive, and should not get autonomy until they learn not to be. When the reality is probably much closer to the Kosovars becoming increasingly resentful as long as their autonomy is withheld.
(It also seemed grotesquely ironic that the letter was written by the Serb Ambassador. "Serbia remains committed to a multiethnic and multicultural Kosovo that is safe for all its citizens..." he wrote. Great. But unfortunately Serbia wasn't so committed 7-8 years ago when it tried to cleanse Kosovo of the Kosovars, thus creating this mess in the first place.)
The situation isn't good, and Kosovar leaders may be culpable in the attacks. But the major defect of the situation has to do with the incredibly inept and unconstructive governing of the region by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). UNMIK governs Kosovo, not the Kosovars. They still don't have their autonomy, and UNMIK is hardly an effective ruler. It is supposed to help keep the peace, but it fails. The March riots last year happened on UNMIK's watch, and many reports suggest that the greatest damage occurred right under UNMIK's nose. (For example, UNMIK was supposed to protect the historic monestary in Prizren, but seems to have abandoned its post when the rioters showed up.)
I wrote last summer about the fact that it was impossible to find anything in Kosovo that was made in Kosovo. There is no economic growth, and there can be no investment as long as Kosovo remains in this limbo. So people remain poor, villages remain ruined, electricity and water remain off, and people become increasingly desperate and bitter. And yet we seem surprised by all this.
I saw a telling quote in an article from last summer:
"'The international community is not here to develop Kosovo’s economy,' one senior official told IWPR. 'We are a temporary peacekeeping mission that answers to the Department of Peace Keeping Operations in New York, not a government answering to the pleas of voters or citizens.'"1
It is absurd to pretend that there is no connection between economic and political stability. Consciously failing to develop the former inherently dooms the latter. Even the most cheerful, optimistic, peaceful Kosovar is going to become frustrated and embittered after years of no electricity, no water, and constant poverty. While there may very well be "extremists" among the Kosovars, they wouldn't have such traction if people weren't so desparate.
1. "Kosovo Braced for Autumn of Discontent," by Arben Salihu, Muhamet Hajrullahu and Zana Limani. From the Institute for War Reporting Balkan Crisis Report #509, July 30, 2004.