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The Inter-Ethnic Relationship Between Serbs and Albanians a Field Study in Kosovo

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The Inter-Ethnic Relationship Between Serbs and Albanians a Field Study in Kosovo The inter-ethnic relationship between Serbs and Albanians A field study in Kosovo Alex Johansson Bachelor thesis, 15 hp Programme for International Crisis and Conflict Management, 180 hp Spring term 2018 Acknowledgement Without the financial support from SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) and their scholarship Minor Field Studies, this study would not have been possible. Equally vital was my interpreter and contact person in field, Dritan Neziri. I would like to thank him for his networking and involvement prior to and, during this study. I would also like to thank Maja Edfast at the Embassy of Sweden in Pristina, for contributing with helpful contacts. Additional acknowledgments go to my tutor Elisabeth Olivius and associate professor Dzenan Sahovic for their guidance. Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to the 12 respondents who took their time contributing to this study. My best wishes to all the inspiring people I got to know during my six months of field study in Kosovo. Alex Johansson 2018-08-22 Abbreviations EU - European Union KLA - Kosovo Liberation Army (Alb. UÇK) MPs - Member of Parliaments NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization NGO - Non-governmental organization OSCE - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe UN - United Nations UNMIK - United Nations Mission in Kosovo UNSC - United Nations Security Council 2 Abstract The inter-ethnic conflict between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo have persisted since the war in Kosovo in 1999, even though it has been improved in recent years. A friendly relationship between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo is vital for the future of Kosovo, and for the security in the Balkan region. The aim with this study is to explain how the relationship between Serbs and Albanians has changed since Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008. Interviews have been conducted with six Serbs and six Albanians living in Kosovo. The interviews were mainly based on three key moments which were considered to have had an influence on the inter- ethnic relationship. The results from the interviews showed that these three key moments have resulted in antagonism between, but also within the two ethnic groups. However, the growth of antagonism seems to have been a consequence of how politicians and media on both sides in Kosovo have handled these key moments, rather than as a consequence of the key moments per se. Key words: Inter-ethnic relations, Kosovo, Serbs, Albanians, Brussels agreement, Ahtisaari plan, Serbia-Kosovo train, Reconciliation, Conflict resolution 3 Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 5 1.1 RESEARCH PROBLEM ................................................................................................................................ 5 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 5 1.3 OUTLINE ............................................................................................................................................... 6 2. THEORY .................................................................................................................................................... 6 2.1 HISTORICAL INSTITUTIONALISM................................................................................................................... 6 2.1.1 PATH DEPENDENCE .......................................................................................................................... 8 2.1.2 OPERATIONALIZATION ....................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 GALTUNG’S CONFLICT TRIANGLE ............................................................................................................... 10 2.2.1 ACTOR CONFLICT AND STRUCTURAL CONFLICT ....................................................................................... 10 2.2.2 USE OF VIOLENCE ........................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.3 OPERATIONALIZATION ..................................................................................................................... 12 2.3 PREVIOUS RESEARCH .............................................................................................................................. 12 3. METHOD................................................................................................................................................. 13 3.1 DESIGN ............................................................................................................................................... 13 3.1.1 SELECTION OF KEY MOMENTS ............................................................................................................ 14 3.2 DATA COLLECTION ................................................................................................................................. 16 3.2.1 INTERVIEWS .................................................................................................................................. 16 3.2.2 SELECTION OF RESPONDENTS ............................................................................................................ 17 3.2.3 ETHICS ......................................................................................................................................... 18 3.3 DATA ANALYSIS METHODS ...................................................................................................................... 19 4. EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................. 19 4.1 KEY MOMENTS ..................................................................................................................................... 19 4.1.1 TRAIN INCIDENT ............................................................................................................................. 19 4.1.2 BRUSSELS AGREEMENT .................................................................................................................... 23 4.1.3 AHTISAARI PLAN............................................................................................................................. 27 5. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................... 31 5.1 FURTHER RESEARCH ............................................................................................................................... 33 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................... 34 APPENDIX 1 – INTERVIEW GUIDE ............................................................................................................... 36 4 1. Introduction Since the end of the Kosovo war in 1999, the relationship between Serbs and Albanians have constantly shifted between hostile and peaceful. Various incidents since year 2000 have had different kinds of influence on inter-ethnic relations. The First Agreement of Principles governing Normalizations of Relations signed by Serbia and Kosovo in year 2013 was, according to EU, UN, NATO and OSCE, “a historic break-through for Kosovo- Serbia relations and stabilization processes in the rest of Western Balkans”1. An incident with a negative outcome was when Serbian authorities attempted to operate a direct train to Mitrovica (Kosovo) from Belgrade with nationalist slogans which provoked the Albanians in Kosovo.2. It was considered as one of the most hostile exchanges since the war in 1999 between Serbia and Kosovo. Violence, distrust, segregation, nationalism and claims of territory are examples of crucial factors that affects the relationship between the two ethnic groups. 1.1 Research problem Several studies regarding the relationship between Serbia and Kosovo exists, but not as much involving the relationship between the two ethnic groups, Serbs and Albanians. A lot of tension exists between Serbia and Kosovo, Serbia has for example not recognized Kosovo as an independent state, which is considered to be hampering the possibility for negotiations and agreements, not to mention peace amongst the two ethnic groups. The study of how and why the relationship between Serbs and Albanians changes is vital, in order to identify factors that contributes to a hostile relationship. This study will hopefully contribute to the reconciliation process between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo. 1.2 Purpose of the study and research questions The purpose with this study is to analyze how the relationship3 between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo has changed over time and why these changes have occurred. The aim is to explain which factors influence the relationship, in a positive or negative way. • Which key moments influencing the Serb-Albanian relationship can be identified during the period 2008 to 2018? • How have these key moments influenced the Serbian-Albanian relationship? • In which way has the relationship between Serbs and Albanians changed since the declaration of independence in 2008 until 2018? 1 Demjaha, Agon. Inter-ethnic relations in Kosovo. SEEU Review. Vol. 12 no 1. (2017): 191. DOI: 10.1515/seeur-2017-0013 2 Ibid 3 Relationship is defined
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