MASARYK UNIVERZITY Faculty of Social Studies Department of International Relations and European Studies PhD Dissertation Brno 2018 Michaela Strapáčová MASARYK UNIVERZITY Faculty of Social Studies Department of International Relations and European Studies Mgr. et Mgr. Michaela Strapáčová The Influence of the Diaspora on the Statebuilding Process in a Post-conflict Enviroment in Kosovo PhD Dissertation prof. PhDr. Vít Hloušek, Ph.D. Brno 2018 2 Acknowledgements I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Vít Hloušek for his patient support and helpful comments and suggestions that guided me throughout my PhD studies. 3 4 Author’s declaration I hereby declare that this PhD dissertation is my own work, that it has been written on the basis of the sources listed here, and that these listed sources have been referred to and acknowledged in the text. Den Haag, 20 April 2018 Michaela Strapáčová 5 6 CONTENT List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................ 10 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 11 2 Theoretical points of departure ............................................................................................. 20 2.1 Constructivism ............................................................................................................... 21 2.2 From ethnic identity to Diaspora .................................................................................... 23 2.3 Culture ............................................................................................................................ 32 2.4 Statebuilding ................................................................................................................... 37 2.5 Postconflict reconstruction ............................................................................................ 40 3 Methodological basis ............................................................................................................. 43 3.1 Significance of the research ........................................................................................... 44 3.2 Aim and Objectives ........................................................................................................ 45 3.3 Research Questions ........................................................................................................ 46 3.4 Conceptual Framework and Design of the Research ..................................................... 47 3.4.1 The case study ......................................................................................................... 48 3.5 Operationalisation .......................................................................................................... 50 3.6 Collecting data ................................................................................................................ 53 3.6.1 Semi-structured Interviews ..................................................................................... 53 3.6.2 Observations ............................................................................................................ 56 3.6.3 Written documents and secondary literature analysis ............................................. 58 3.7 Data Processing .............................................................................................................. 59 3.8 Ethical considerations .................................................................................................... 61 3.9 Limits of the research ..................................................................................................... 62 4 Reconstruction and building of a new Kosovo state ............................................................. 63 4.1 Historical overview ........................................................................................................ 64 4.1.1 Early history ............................................................................................................ 65 4.1.2 Kosovo in the 20th century ..................................................................................... 68 4.1.3 1990s ....................................................................................................................... 72 4.1.4 Kosovo after the conflict ......................................................................................... 74 4.2 The critical challenges of the process of Kosovo state-building .................................... 79 4.2.1 Geopolitical bases of the state ................................................................................. 80 4.2.2 Institutional base of the state ................................................................................... 86 4.2.3 The idea of the state................................................................................................. 91 7 4.3 Chapter Conclusions ...................................................................................................... 96 5 Kosovo Diaspora ................................................................................................................... 99 5.1 Historical overview ...................................................................................................... 101 5.2 Character of diaspora ................................................................................................... 107 5.2.1 Character of the diaspora in different locations .................................................... 111 5.3 Relations toward Albania ............................................................................................. 113 5.4 Role of Diaspora in the process of dissolution of the SFRY ....................................... 116 5.5 Diaspora during the Kosovo Conflict in Kosovo and afterwards ................................ 117 5.6 Diaspora today .............................................................................................................. 121 5.6.1 Economic relations ................................................................................................ 122 5.6.2 Political and institutional connection .................................................................... 128 5.6.3 Societal and cultural connection ........................................................................... 133 5.5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 138 6 Analysis and Interview Reflections ..................................................................................... 140 6.1 Kosovar Society and Masculinity ................................................................................ 141 6.2 Diaspora Identity .......................................................................................................... 150 6.3 Relations Vis-à-vis the Serbian Minority and Serbia ................................................... 162 6.4 The Social and Economic Environment ....................................................................... 167 6.5 The Political Consequences of Diaspora Perceptions .................................................. 170 7 Discussion and Conclusion ................................................................................................. 176 7.1 Discussion of research findings .................................................................................... 176 7.2 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 185 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 192 Appendix 1 Interview Protocol ............................................................................................. 209 Appendix 2 Codebook .......................................................................................................... 210 8 9 List of Abbreviations AAK Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (Aleanca për Ardhmërinë e Kosovës) IMF International Monetary Fond EU European Union KFOR Kosovo Force KLA Kosovo Liberation Army LDK Democratic League of Kosovo (Lidhja Demokratike e Kosovës) OSCE Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe MoD Ministry of Diaspora Republic of Kosovo NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization PDK Democratic Party of Kosovo (Partia Demokratike e Kosovës) PISG Provisional Institutions of Self-government SFRY Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia UN United Nations USA United States of America UNMIK United Nations Mission in Kosovo WB World Bank 10 1 Introduction Due to their geographic location, the Western Balkans have been influenced by many different directions throughout the different periods of their tumultuous history. This mixture of the involvement provided a culturally rich environment, where different beliefs, cultures, ethnicities clash with opposing political goals and interests. Kosovo has gained a specific role in the history of Albanians as well as Serbs, and shortly after the disintegration of the Socialistic Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), this area escalated into brutal civil conflict. The end of the 1990s made the location of Kosovo ingloriously infamous for the worst possible reasons. Media attention to tragic stories of war refugees leaving their homes to save their own lives made Kosovo