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“Greater Kosovo” in the Vision of Albanian Narco-Terrorist Clans

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“Greater Kosovo” in the Vision of Albanian Narco-Terrorist Clans NBP 2020, 25(3): 31-45 Original scientific paper Submitted: 2020-07-01 doi:10.5937/nabepo25-27336 Published: 2020-12-08 THE IDEOLOGY OF “GREATER KOSOVO” IN THE VISION OF ALBANIAN NARCO-TERRORIST CLANS Saša Mijalković, Marija Popović Mančević1 University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies, Belgrade, Serbia Abstract: The paper reviews the evolution of the ideology and the path of cre- ating the Albanian state in the Balkans, from the moment when it did not exist at all (during the Ottoman Empire) until today, when Albanians live in an internationally recognized state (the Republic of Albania) and in one self-proclaimed state (the so-called “Republic of Kosovo”). In that regard, this paper is based on two theses. According to the first, the focus of the original so-called state-building ideology about the need for all Albanians to live in one state, “Greater Albania”, today is radically changed and diametrically op- posed: “Kosovo Albanians” now do not want to join the Republic of Albania, but want an independent state - the so-called “Greater Kosovo”, which would include parts of the territories of central Serbia, Montenegro, Northern Mac- edonia and Greece where Albanians live. The reason for the essential change of ideology is that the drug bosses of Albanian criminal clans that control the territory of Kosmet, and who were previously commanders of Albanian terror- ist organizations, want their own “drug state”, in which they would control all social flows and enjoy immunity from criminal prosecution. The second thesis on which this paper is based is that the attack on the Albanian mafia is at the same time a blow to the so-called quasi-statehood of the so-called Republic of Kosovo, i.e. on the levers of financial power, which is the backing for political power and international support for the so-called Republic of Kosovo. Keywords: Kosovo and Metohija, Kosovo Albanians, terrorism, organized crime, “Greater Albania”, “Greater Kosovo”. INTRODUCTION Although there were state-building im- Peninsula did not have their own state. pulses before, until the beginning of the It was only in 1913 that the Principality 20th century, Albanians on the Balkan of Albania was formed, as a consequence 1 Corresponding author: [email protected] Mijalković, S., Popović Mančević, M. (2020). The ideology of “Greater Kosovo” in the vision of Albanian narco-terrorist clans of making a new political map of the In the second half of the 20th century, the Balkans after the expulsion of the Otto- irredentist-unitarian ideology of the Al- mans, which was also argued by the in- banians was upgraded with the autono- vitation of the Albanians to the so-called mous-(con)federation ideology of the cre- right of the people to self-determination. ation of the “Republic of Kosovo”. Thus, Even during the creation of the Princi- within the existing Socialist Federal Re- pality of Albania, an irredentist ideology public of Yugoslavia, the Autonomous was born with the admixture of unitarism Province of Kosovo and Metohija would for the creation of “Greater Albania”, in receive all the attributes of a republic such a way that parts of other states in- member of the federation, which would habited by Albanians would secede from facilitate its secession from the Federa- the motherland and join the Principality tion. of Albania. Figure 1. Irredentist ideology of Albanian extremists in Kosovo and Metohija development Furthermore, just before the end of the However, the appetites of the bearers of second and at the beginning of the third this ideology were not satisfied, because millennium, the Kosovo Albanians in- the “drug-profit” ideology of creating a vested serious secessionist-terrorist ef- “Greater Kosovo” was born. This crea- forts in the realization of the “Independ- tion would include territories outside ent Kosovo” project. The culmination of the administrative borders of Kosovo this extremist-separatist project was the and Metohija where Albanians live, and state self-proclamation of the so-called it would be an independent state, even independent “Republic of Kosovo”. from the Republic of Albania. Thus, the drug bosses of the Albanian crim- NBP • Journal of Criminalistics and Law Vol. 25, No. 3 32 Mijalković, S., Popović Mančević. M. (2020). The ideology of “Greater Kosovo” in the vision of Albanian narco-terrorist clans inal clans who control the territory of “drug state”, in which they would enjoy Kosmet, and who were previously the immunity from criminal prosecution. commanders of the Albanian terrorist Those same drug bosses are now the so- organizations, would create their own called Republic of Kosovo political elite. A REVIEW OF THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE KOSOVO ALBANIANS EXTREMIST IDEOLOGY Kosovo and Metohija are deeply rooted Turkey, when the insurgents occupied a in a national identity, but also in the na- significant part of Kosovo and Metohi- tional pride and dignity of the Serbian ja, the northern parts of today’s Alba- people. The collapse of the “Serbian Em- nia and a large part of today’s Northern pire” after the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 Macedonia. Forced to negotiate, Porta is one of the most painful points in Ser- promised the insurgents the formation bian history. It was not only the Serbian of an autonomous “Albanian vilayet”. Af- and Turkish armies that clashed then; ter the end of the Balkan Wars in 1912, in both Islamic and Christian civilizations which the armies of the alliance of Bal- clashed. That clash of civilizations con- kan states liberated the Balkans from the tinues to this day. Turks (the Serbian army encountered The thesis about the clash of civiliza- strong armed resistance from Albanian tions is confirmed by the bloody con- armed groups), a peace conference was flicts during the First and Second World held in London for territorial demarca- Wars, and most of all during the 1990s, tion. In the same year, a decision was precisely in the areas of Bosnia and Her- made on the formation of the Principal- zegovina and Kosovo and Metohija. The ity of Albania, which was formally done state-building idea of the Albanians was in 1913. Thus, one nation, guided by programmatically shaped by the forma- state-building ideology, created an eth- tion of the Albanian Committee in Jan- nic state (Avramovski, 1989: 61–68). jina in 1877 and the Prizren League in However, a large number of Albanian 1878, with the idea of forming a large tribes remained dissatisfied, despite the “Albanian vilayet” within the Ottoman proclamation of the Principality of Al- Empire, in which all Albanians would bania. The reason is that the territory of live together. This would imply the unifi- the Principality included “only” half of cation of four Ottoman provinces: Koso- the territory that Porta promised to the vo, Skadar, Janjina and Bitolj (Borozan, Albanian insurgents in 1912. As a result, 1997: 390). Academician Ljubodrag almost half of Albanians remain living Dimić evaluates this idea, known as in Serbia, Montenegro, Northern Mac- “Greater Albania”, “Natural Albania”, i.e. edonia and Greece. This created great as “Real Albania”, as “a very dangerous, dissatisfaction among Albanians, whose very aggressive idea for the Balkan peo- extremist instincts were beginning to ple” (according to: Lazić, 2019). flourish. They were first manifested as An important event in the realization of the cultivation of an irredentist ideology, the idea of the “Albanian vilayet” was the which aimed to secede from the territo- Great Albanian Uprising in 1912 against ries of the four states inhabited by Alba- NBP • Journal of Criminalistics and Law Vol. 25, No. 3 33 Mijalković, S., Popović Mančević, M. (2020). The ideology of “Greater Kosovo” in the vision of Albanian narco-terrorist clans nians and their annexation - unification ideologically “fed” by Albanian nation- with the Principality of Albania. One of al, religious and left-wing extremism, the most important irredentist move- Marxist-Leninist and Enverist ideology, ments was the “Kosovo People’s Defense and Italian fascism and occupation in Committee” (Avramovski, 1989: 71–86). the Second World War (Đorđević, 1987: Irredentists started hostile actions 180–184). against Serbia. Thus, during the with- The irredentist-violent approach to the drawal of the Serbian army in the First creation of “Greater Albania” had its po- World War through Albania, they killed litical wing consisting of Albanians, but Serbian soldiers and refugees in organ- also certain prominent politicians of the ized armed ambushes and attacks. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia goal was to weaken and even disinte- primarily Slovenian and Croatian (Slo- grate the state of Serbia, in order for its venia’s lobbying for recognition of Kosovo territory to be dismembered and taken. is a surprise for Serbia, 2018). Additional Furthermore, during the Second World support for such a political platform was War, Albania was a protectorate of fas- provided by the intellectual-academic cist Italy. Then, at least for a short time community of Kosmet (primarily Alba- (1941−1943), the project “Greater-Unit- nians from the University of Pristina), ed Albania” came to life in part: all ter- which was supported by the Albanian ritories inhabited by Albanians, except Academy of Sciences and the Albanian parts of Greece, were placed under the University. In such a “whirlpool of irre- rule of fascist Albania. During and im- dentist currents” there emerged auton- mediately after the Second World War, omous-(con)federative ideology of creat- Albanian extremists and armed gangs ing the “Republic of Kosovo” (Petkovic, also committed crimes against the Serb 1997: 40–44; Krstić, 1994: 38–42). population: they were killed, displaced, The goal of the mentioned ideological their property was confiscated or de- current was for the Autonomous Prov- stroyed, symbols of religion and culture ince of Kosovo and Metohija to get all were destroyed (Antonijević, 2005: 157– the status characteristics of a constituent 166).
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