DOOMED to FAIL? Kosovo and Serbia Conflict Through a Multicoloured Lens
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
DOOMED TO FAIL? Kosovo and Serbia Conflict through a multicoloured lens Word count: 22584 Cato Bequé Student number: 01503057 Promotor: Prof. Dr. Rozita Dimova Master thesis submitted to Ghent University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in East European Languages and Cultures Academic year: 2018 - 2019 Preface This dissertation has been written to complete the Master in Eastern European Languages and Cultures at Ghent University. I was engaged in researching and writing this dissertation in the second semester of the academical year 2018/2019. During the initial phase of my master's thesis, I actually had a slightly different subject, which dealt with the obstacles that Serbia must face before joining the EU. However, when I left for Serbia as part of an internship, I already noticed after a week that this would be too broad since there is still a lot that needs to be happened. Because of the same experience in Serbia, where I did an internship at the Embassy of Belgium in Belgrade, I was completely immersed in the final theme of this thesis. Although the conflict rarely reaches Western media and this year's high point is (already) celebrating its twentieth anniversary, the Kosovo issue is still alive and kicking in Serbia. I must admit that my knowledge of this subject was limited before the beginning of my research, but my interest in Eastern European politics and my curiosity in the Serbian culture have allowed me to deepen myself. First of all I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Rozita Dimova for the good guidance and useful tips and comments during this process. Thanks to my internship I had the pleasure of discovering the issue from the front row. That is why I also wish to thank Ambassador Koenraad Adam, who guided me during my research and internship. Katleen Cruypeninck and Jonathan Cholewa deserve a special thank for the practical and mental support. Their counsel and kind words have served me well, as did translator Jo Bequé in proofreading. I Table of content Preface ......................................................................................................................................... I List of abbreviations .................................................................................................................. IV Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Body ............................................................................................................................................ 5 1. Kosovo’s significance for Serbia ............................................................................................. 5 1.1 The historical role ............................................................................................................. 7 1.2 The religious role .............................................................................................................. 9 2. The conflict ........................................................................................................................... 12 2.1 1920s-1990s ................................................................................................................... 12 2.2 1998-1999....................................................................................................................... 19 2.2.1 Role of the west ...................................................................................................... 22 2.3 1999 – present ................................................................................................................ 26 3. Ethnic minorities................................................................................................................... 29 3.1 Serbian minority in Kosovo ............................................................................................ 29 3.2 Albanian minority in Serbia ............................................................................................ 30 4. Border change ...................................................................................................................... 34 4.1 Potential land swaps ...................................................................................................... 34 4.2 Reasons........................................................................................................................... 36 4.3 Opinion locals ................................................................................................................. 37 4.4 Historical comparison ..................................................................................................... 38 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 41 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 44 Appendices ............................................................................................................................... 59 Maps ..................................................................................................................................... 59 Appendix 1: Map of the current borders of Kosovo and Serbia ...................................... 59 Appendix 2: Map of the Slavic tribes between the seventh and ninth centuries ........... 60 Appendix 3: Map of the Serbian territory from the twelfth to fourteenth centuries ..... 61 Appendix 4: Map of Kosovo in the Kingdom of Serbia and under the Albanian occupation in the Second World War .............................................................................. 62 Appendix 5: Map of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ................................... 63 Appendix 6: Map of the number of dropped bombs by place ........................................ 64 Appendix 7: Map of Kosovo municipalities with a Serbian majority ............................... 65 II Appendix 8: Map of the cities where most ethnic Albanians live in Serbia and possible territory swap ................................................................................................................... 66 Texts ..................................................................................................................................... 67 Appendix 9: The Fall of the Serbian Empire ..................................................................... 67 Appendix 10: Slobodan Milošević’s 1989 Gazimestan Speech ........................................ 71 Appendix 11: Resolution 1244 ......................................................................................... 75 III List of abbreviations CIDR: Conflict-Induced Displacement and Resettlement. This is the forced displacement of persons due to conflicts in the area they come from. EU: European Union. ICJ: International Court of Justice in Den hague. IRLR: “Impoverishment Risk and Livelihood Reconstruction” framework, created by Michael Cernea. JNA: Jugoslovenska Narodna Armija or the Yugoslavian National Army KFOR: Kosovo Force: peacekeeping force, led by NATO. KLA: Kosovo Liberation Army. A paramilitary organisation in the Kosovo war. Sometimes also referred to as UÇK, following the Albanian name of the organisation Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës. In this thesis, the abbreviation UÇK will not be used. KOS: Kontraobaveštajna služba or the Counterintelligence Service. The counterintelligence service of Yugoslavian army (JNA). Kosmet & KiM: Kosovo and Metohija. The Serbian reference to Kosovo. Metohija emphasizes the numerous monasteries on Kosovo’s territory. Nor Kosmet or KiM will be used in this thesis. Kosovo will be referred to as Kosovo without Metohija. LDK: Lidhja Demokratike e Kosovës or the Democratic League of Kosovo. A Kosovo Albanian political party, led by Ibrahim Rugova. LPK: Lëvizja Popullore e Kosovës or the People’s Movement of Kosovo. A Kosovo Albanian political party, which created the KLA. NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. NSA: Nacionalni savet Albanaca or National Council of Albanians. An organisation of self- government for Albanians in Montenegro. OAF: Operation Allied Force. The name of the NATO intervention between 24 March and 10 June 1999. OZNA: Odeljenje za zaštitu naroda or Department for People's Protection. This was the security agency of Yugoslavia until 1952. RTS: Radio Televisija Srbije or Radio Televsion Serbia. This is the Serbian public broadcaster. RTS will be written cursive when it is used as a source, accessed at the new agency’s website. SANU: Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti or the Serbian Academy for Sciences and Arts. The organisation set up a memorandum, which was published in 1986. In the memorandum the writers criticize the change in the 1974 constitution and the discrimination of Serbs in Kosovo. IV SL: Srpska Lista or the Serbian List. A Serb minority political party in Kosovo. SNS: Srpska napredna stranka or the Serbian Progressive Party. The current ruling political party in Serbia, led by Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić. UDBA: Uprava državne bezbednosti or the State Security Service. The secret police organisation of Yugoslavia. Also referred to as UDSA, but this abbreviation will not be used in this thesis. UN: United Nations. UNMIK: United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. A mission of the United Nations in Kosovo to create peace in the former province.