Okay, first thought: there is not going to be a “Greater Albania” in the political sense.
The Albanians of Albania, Kosovo, and Macedonia are evolving away from political union, not towards it. Kosovo’s new Constitution has “no union with any other state” as Article One, and that’s not just wallpaper for the internationals; the Kosovar Albanians, having finally gained their independence, have no interest in being ruled from distant Tirana. Meanwhile the Albanians of Albania are discovering the Kosovars are… well… poor. They’re happy to greet them as cousins, but aren’t interested in adding a large, poor, backwards and densely populated northern province. Macedonia is the only place you can still find enthusiasm for “Greater Albania” , and even there it’s increasingly marginal — the two large Albanian parties both are seeking their advantage within Macedonia, not outside it.
So why the post? Well, because even though there won’t be a “Greater Albania”, the Balkans are seeing a completely new phenomenon: the emergence of Albanians as an important political force.
Twenty years ago, Albania was a Communist hermit kingdom. The large Albanian minority in Yugoslavia was part of Yugoslav politics — dominant in Kosovo, negligible elsewhere. Albanians were not a significant political, social or economic force anywhere outside of Kosovo and Albania itself.
Today, Albanians have two countries of their own and a big chunk of a third. They’re a key minority in Montenegro. And in Greece, they’re set to be a huge minority in a country that doesn’t deal well with minorities. So the 21st century history of the Balkans is going to be, to a great extent, the history of the Albanian Question.
I think this will be a two-post series. In the second post, I’ll look at individual countries. In this one, I want to look at just one question: why do the Albanians suddenly matter?
There are two answers to this.
1) The fall of Communism. It’s a gross oversimplification to say that Communism “froze history”. But there’s a grain of truth to it. And in the case of Albanians, it’s particularly relevant. The Albanian Question first emerged in the wake of the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, when Europe suddenly realized that the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in Europe had left behind a large, distinct ethnic group without a country of its own. Albania was cobbled together quickly (in large part to deny Serbia access to the sea,), but its boundaries bore little relation to where Albanians actually lived.
In the interwar period, the Albanian kingdom fell more and more under the dominance of Mussolini’s Italy, until the Duce outright colonized it on the eve of WWII. Greece and Yugoslavia, meanwhile, “solved” the problem of their Albanian minorities by a combination of treating them badly and ignoring them. Unsurprisingly, in WWII these minorities tended to favor the Axis; and unsurprisingly, at the end of WWII they suffered accordingly, especially in Greece, where the Greeks seized the opportunity to ethnically cleanse their “Cham” Albanian minority out of existence.
Still a broad belt of Albanian settlement remained, stretching across the penninsula through Kosovo to Macedonia. Most of it was now in Communist Yugoslavia, which solved the ethnic problem about as well as Communist Yugoslavia solved any of its other ethnic problems. So when Communism collapsed and Yugoslavia disintegrated, there the Albanians still were.
That’s half the answer. The other half is,
2) Albanians have kids.
Lots of them.
Oh, they’re slowing down. A generation back, the typical Albanian family had six or eight kids. Today they’re down to two or three, and falling. Basically they’re following the same track as their Balkan neighbors, just a generation or two behind.
But that generation makes a huge difference. Here’s a list of TFRs (Total Fertility Rate, expected number of children per woman) for the Albanians and their neighbors:
Albania — 2.37
Montenegro — 1.83
Serbia — 1.75
Macedonia — 1.56
Greece — 1.56
Bulgaria — 1.39
The difference is actually bigger than these numbers suggest, because of the phenomenon of “demographic inertia”: Albanian communities have younger populations, with more young women in their peak child-bearing years.
So, while all of Albania’s neighbors have aging and declining populations, the number of Albanians continues to grow. The growth is slowing, and will probably flatten out to zero in another fifteen or twenty years. But in the meantime, the relative number of Albanians will continue to grow.
(Let me pre-empt a stupid comment here. No, it’s not because the Albanians are The Muslim Menace, determined to overwhelm decadent Europe with their savage fertility. About a quarter of Albanians are Christians, and the three-quarters that are nominally Muslim are notoriously irreligious. Their fertility rates are high because they’re poor and socially conservative. Note that they were even higher back in the days when Albania was the world’s only official atheist state, with religious practice strictly forbidden.)
The impact of Albanian growth was most obvious in Kosovo, where Albanians went from about 68% to 82% in two generations — partly because of differential emigration, but mostly because of all those children. It’s also a factor in Macedonia, where the Albanian minority has grown from just under a quarter of the population back at the time of independence to more like 30% today. But 20 years from now, it’s going to be a particular concern in a country that’s currently not much worried about it: Greece.
But that’s a story for another post. Meanwhile, key point: while the Albanian communities of the Balkans are not interested in political union, they are intensely interested in each other. “Greater Albania”, as I’ve said, is a silly idea; these days it’s mostly a scare image, a bogeyman for Serbian and Greek nationalists. But there is what we might call an Albanosphere.
Albanians travel freely across the various borders; they listen to the same music, read the same articles republished in various newspapers and magazines, and are quick to each others’ defense. Albanians in Albania follow Macedonian politics with interest, arguing over which party better represents ethnic Albanian interests there, while Albanians in Montenegro can speak for hours on the difference between (current Albanian PM) Sali Berisha and (former Albanian PM) Fatos Nano. Albanians in Kosovo — I can say from firsthand experience — have an intimate knowledge of slurs and bad treatment directed at Albanians in Greece. Albanians everywhere vote for the Albanian Eurovision entry, cheer the Albanian football team, and stayed out all night celebrating the independence of Kosovo. And they all eat burek, drink rakija, and can bore you senseless with stories about Skanderbeg.
The Albanosphere: it’s here, and the rest of us will have to get used to it. Because it’s going to shape Balkan politics and society for a long, long time to come.
Pingback: » A Fistful of Euros thote se nuk ka Shqip … bota.shqipo.com
Finally, a somewhat balanced view on Albanians and on their future role in the Balkans!
However, i disagree over the future demographic development of Albanians. Albania and Kosova remain rural countries. The same can be said about the part of Macedonia populated by Albanians. Despite the urbanization of these countries over the last decade the main part of the population is still rural. Both Albania and Kosova faced massive emigration in the last 20 years. Rough estimates suggest that only in Albania over 1 million people (mostly young) have emigrated since 1990. However, despite this massive exodus of young people, Albania has managed to keep a moderate population growth from 3.4 million in 1990 to currently 3.6 million. And it still has the second youngest population in Europe (surpassed only by Kosova).
At least in Albania and Kosova young people now prefer not to leave the country. The great emigration waves of Albanians seem now to be over and the decline of the population growth is also likely to stop or even reverse.
The demographics of Albanians will ultimately be determined by the rate of urbanization of their respective countries (Albania, Kosova, Macedonia) which is a process that will take more than a generation to complete. This means that the population growth of Albanians is likely to continue beyond the next generation (20-25 years).
Pingback: Global Voices Online » Albania, Kosovo: “Important Political Force”
“At least in Albania and Kosova young people now prefer not to leave the country. The great emigration waves of Albanians seem now to be over and the decline of the population growth is also likely to stop or even reverse.”
That might be the case in Albania, but is that the case in Kosovo? Albania has made significant economic progress at a time when Kosovo has regressed and remittances have come to fuel domestic consumption. In these circumstances, I’d expect emigration from Kosovo to surge. Look at the Moldovan exodus if you’re curious for a precedent.
More generally, rural populations aren’t necessarily more fertile than urban ones. In France, Ile-de-France has a higher TFR than rural Auvergne, while in eastern Europe the fertility difference between rural and urban areas is negligible and often cancelled out by emigration. Culturally rural areas with distinct mores really no longer exist; there’s just urban areas and culturally urban areas.
As a kosovan Albanian, I must admit that this article is pretty well balanced and I am pleased that finally there are internationals authors emerging with a more indepth non-biased knowledge about the albanians in the Balkans.
However, when it comes to the current and future albanian influence in the Balkans I must emphasise the role of albanians living elswhere in Europe, US, Canada, Australia etc. Since 1990 hundreds of thousands of albanians emigrated from Albania, Kosova, Macedonia and Montenegro. This is in addition to albanians that had emigrated before that period as well. Most of these are still very connected to their place of origine and undoubtedly are actively involved in economical support and political issues around albanian regions. This is in addition to the lobying overseas about the albanian cause. As an example, during the 1990’s, about 500 thousand albanians left Kosova as a result of Serbia’s opression. Then, this turned out to be a boomerang for Serbia because in 1999 it had realised that 500 thousands of albanians which they ‘got rid off’ and most of which were uneducated and unskilled, turned out to become an army of graduates from universities around world and tradesmen. They also financially supported Kosova during the 1990’s and many of them returned to fight the war in 1998-99.
Doug,
A factual error: your Serbia 1.75 birth rate probably includes Kosova, which has declared independence on February 17 and otherwise has a 3.8 birth rate. If you take Kosova out, then Serbia situation is worse than you thought.
Serbia had the option to develop the cities, education and industry in Kosova but they didn’t because those things bring political awareness. So Albanians remained rural and beat them with natality instead. It’s amazing how this stuff works. And no, Albanian’s didn’t get together in a room and decide to have plenty of babies, as some Serbs have suggested.
Serbia used to have a policy of subsidizing 3rd and onwards baby per family. Of course, if you included Albanian babies, Serbia still had some decent growth, but Albanians didn’t count so this policy makes for a good indicator of Serbia’s apartheid back then.
I wish Albanians were as together as you claim we are. There is plenty more to be done in this regard – just knowing the difference between Berisha and Nano doesn’t suffice.
Albania and Kosova (and hopefully Macedonia) should start by creating a single market in every way possible. Today Kosova (UNMIK really) imposes tariffs on trade with Albania while having no tariffs on Serb products and even allowing about half of the imports to enter illegally from that country.
Textbooks are different in Tirana from those in Prishtina although it’s the same language across the borders . Durres-Prishtina highway has still not been completed 17 years after the fall of communism. Passports are still required out of touristic season.
We have to develop the economies of scale if we want to outmatch our neighbors in fields other than birthrate and get some points in return from the EU for good neighborly relations. But birthrate is a good start.
Brief responses:
@eni, “Albania and Kosova remain rural countries.” — This is changing. Both Albania and Kosovo are going through rapid urbanization. Prishtina has more than doubled its size since 1990. Tirana is ringed by new blocks and shantytowns. The villages of northern Albania are emptying out. Even in Macedonia, Albanians are drifting into the cities, especially Skopje.
“The great emigration waves of Albanians seem now to be over” — I don’t think so. Certainly Albanians are still leaving Kosovo in large numbers. If you have cites or hard information, I’d be very interested.
@Kreshnik Hoti — Yes, the role of the diaspora has been crucial. And the diaspora is also evolving rapidly; it’s very different today from what it was twenty years ago. But that probably deserves a post of its own.
@Ari, UNMIK could hardly impose tariffs on Serbian goods when Kosovo was still officially part of Serbia. The new Kosovar government may choose to do this (but I wouldn’t recommend it).
Also, note that Albania, Serbia and Macedonia are all part of CEFTA, the Central European Free Trade Agreement, which is… sort of like practice for joining the EU. (Hungary, Poland, Romania and other transition countries were members of CEFTA in the past.) So, presumably any trade liberalization would be worked out through CEFTA. Of course, this will be complicated by the fact that Kosovo isn’t formally a member yet, and Serbia will of course object…
The Durres-Prishtina highway will probably be completed next autumn. It should have a significant effect (though it would have been better if they’d added a rail line alongside).
Doug M.
@Dug: It is very hard to find reliable data over the dynamics of Albanian emigration overall. Even more so to find data over recent trends. There is a survey on Albanian students abroad which is far from representative for all emigrants however it might give some clues about the current trend of young Albanians leaving their country (See especially the charts of their year of birth and time until graduation which suggest a declining rate of new students)
Pingback: eurealist.co.uk » Reading the Blogs April
“…are quick to each others’ defense. Albanians in Albania follow Macedonian politics with interest, arguing over which party better represents ethnic Albanian interests there…”
Of course, among all others said above; I agree to all of them, but I have a hard time to understand the logic line followed in them;
What makes it so difficult as to consider it impossible the fact that Albanians might as well have the right to recompose their nation (state where ethnic Albanians should be ruled by one single government represented)?
I don’t think I am making a political error here if I openly state that Albanians are bound to unite. Foreign impediments and obstacles make it even more desirable than ever, no matter how much one should try to demonize such a move.
When we talk about Albania, we all, immediately, imagine the internationally recognized republic (state) of Albania. Uniting Albanians into one state is not a matter of sick nationalism that springs in Albania, or in some circles in Kosova or the backward rural community of Macedonia; – you as an author of this article, you should know very well, and first hand, that there has been a tragedy of this Albanian nation in the past, a great, vile injustice inflicted to the Albanian nation at gunpoint. We don’t need to be historians, archeologists or scientists to know what happened to Albanians in the treaty of Versailles, the Conference of Ambassadors in London, or even before that, Treaty of San Stefano and Congress of Berlin. We literally witnessed, – and this can be very easily proven historically, – there’s a dramatic amount of facts and evidence for this, – the unjust and arbitrary partition of the Albanian nation/territories among their neighbors, i.e. Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia/Bulgaria.
It comes therefore very natural to understand the need of this nation to recompose.
This has nothing to do with notions such as Greater Albania. You can imply “greater Albania” when by “Albania” you mean the internationally recognized republic of Albania; and this is just a simple comparison between these two realities.
In historical terms, Greater Albania is far difficult to achieve, as during the Treaty of Versailles, Albanians lived in an area of about 91 000 sq km, Albania today is roughly 28 000 sq km, add here Kosova, or even the whole of Macedonia, you would never get 91 000 sq km.
By saying this, -I explain that vast territories once inhabited by ethnic Albanians have been ethnically cleansed completely since then. Example of Greece, Cameria; Sandjak, Serbia-B.H..
By uniting Albanians in one state, might be difficult, but the idea is of Ethnic Albania, rather that of “Greater Albania”, which means that at whatever end or goal, Ethnic Albania could never reach the size implied, i.e., will always remain the truncated little Albania.
This concept, is not fairly understood by the international community, and it is not because it is the bogeyman of greeko-serbian ultranationalists, it is just a concept they use by means of disinformation and slanderous propaganda to poison the international community with radical, although nonexistent concepts.
We could talk more fairly rather about concepts such as that of Greater Serbia, or Greater Greece, both of which have nothing to do with any injustice of the past, nor with the extent of their ethnic territories, or even any wild dreams of them. We still have existing projects and goals of ultranationalist circles in Greece that aim to chop off half of Albania, and still other homologue circles in Serbia that dream of the other half of Albania(north of river Shkumbin onwards).
Now, to be fair, the idea is far from becoming reality, seen from any side you wish.
But still we have to understand here that genocide against Albanians has not happened only once in just an isolated area. Greeks, for instance, have committed a continuous genocide and ethnic cleansing over Albanians, ever since the time we could hold them legally responsible, the creation of Greece in the 1820s.
Here you may find some description of the ethnic composition of Greece in those years, published in the Eclectic Magazine: http://books.google.com/books?id=Xfd3pQ_8BAEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+eclectic+magazine
Now naturally we can come up with a volley of questions as “what happened to all those Albanians”, “where are they now” etc,
And the Cam declaration: http://www.empoweredbuilder.com/aacl/files/chameria.htm ; but this is not my point; my point rather is: What gives us the certainty that history will not be repeated??? We have no guarantees, and even worse than that; considering that Greece is a member of NATO and the EU, although is one of the most criticized and denounced countries by the Amnesty International for the abuse of Human Rights and the worst treatment of ethnic minorities or emigrants?
Nevertheless, any eventual composition of Ethnic Albania would never be made to counterbalance this reality, and is not that hard to understand that it is a mere and simple, natural tendency that people that speak the same language, have the same traditions, understand the same mentality, culture, folklore, a common history and background, the same heroes and bow before the same flag and symbols, have to come and live together. This is a very simple notion and astronomically distant from dangerous idea.
So, the danger actually rests in the reaction of Serbian and Greek ultranationalists that the international community has never ceased to appease, their interests, their mythology, their partly fulfilled dreams.
Can we say that all this is fairly easy to understand?
The idea that the international community has “never ceased to appease” Serbian and Greek ultranationalists is a work of comedy genius.
Zotrules, what makes it so difficult to consider that Albanians have the right to recompose their nation is the fact that the last few times that ethnic groups have tried to do this in the Balkans, lots and lots of people died. Historical injustice is not an excuse to commit modern injustice.
Paul, yes, I agree with you. But I have to add, that a lot of people have died exactly because of the very same ultranationalism and extremism that i explained above. The SERBIAN side. PERIOD. The serbian dream of domination and supremacy. Do you have any objection to this? What better example do you want?
Thence, the idea of an Ethnic Albania is not dangerous because of Albanians, but because of the serbian and greek greedy ultranationalism.
Never in the European, or Balkan’s history will you find one single example of one single interethnic or interreligious conflict started by Albanians. Not a single one, never, ever.
There’s no reason to appease a peaceful nation with minimal to zero requirements, champion of the world in interethnic and interreligious relations and ethnic/religious tolerance.
“Never in the European, or Balkan’s history will you find one single example of one single interethnic or interreligious conflict started by Albanians.”
Do you know, the Serbs say exactly the same thing?
Of course, it’s nonsense when they say it, too.
Doug M.
Well mr Doug… You and I happened to have a small device at home called “TV” (see from afar, distance) and had the chance to witness it all.
T At least they could back their “exacly the same things” with some 300 000 (three hundred thousand) of bosnian “casualties”, some 15-20 thousand albanians, and some 4 conflicts in less than 10 years.
Well, what do you know… i guess we weren’t that unbiased after all.
Pingback: buzz
Albanians have always mattered… You may imply anything you wish here; but the matter of fact is that Albanians and Albania has proven to be a crucial point, a breaking point, an imperative “must” to every single empire that has ever closely crossed the Balkans.
Bring you some milestones?
The war of Peloponeses was started because of Albanians; the Greeks managed to slaughter each other, but the conflict never crossed the border.
Alexander the Great, fought against illyrians up to the point where he reseized what illyrians had seized before from Phillip, and there he stopped; but not with Greece, which he razed to the ground.
Rome invaded Greece in a matter of days, just the time it took to the infantry to walk through;
with Albanians Rome remained in an almost constant conflict for 200 years; yet, 8 Roman emperors happened to be albanian, amongst which, Constantine the Great himself. The same happened with the ottoman empire, Greece was completely enslaved and devastated; it happened to Albania too, but God knows if we ever gave up; we remained the last stronghold in the Balkans. A “must subdue” to the ottomans.
In WW1, everybody fought for that tiny slice of wilderness.
When has the truth been pleasant to your senses?
I note in passing that while this is an open forum, it’s also moderated.
More bluntly, it’s not a place for nationalist cranks to go on at great length about the wondrous and unique history of their particular group.
Word to the wise.
Doug M.
this article was nice. the thing that unites countries is not temporary intention to do it, but the spirit of unity in the hearts of people. although you mentioned greater Albania as a silly idea, I see it probable to happen. can’t conclude from Albanians lack of intention that they won’t unite.
also kosovars poorness is a temporary state, due to having great mineral resources that will make them rich in future. all they need is a patriotic government and correct diplomacy to find their way through our current post-modern world.
I wasn’t a fan of independence of kosovo, but became one after researching a little. I can see how they can achieve their deserving position in current Europe and world politics. they only need to remain independent, from all other countries and act as they should. all they need is there, just need self-confidence to conquer the highest summits of success.
Perham, Iran
Sorry Mr Doug. Still, i think i have been misunderstood a little. You see, when you tell the truth today, people tend to think you have other reasons. Sometimes they will call you nationalist in order to discredit you.
You see, all I said above are simple reasons why albanians should be reunited. I personally happen to know a couple of countries where people tend to be very nationalistic even when there’s little or no truth to give their cause a kick of flavor; otherwise, when there has not been any imminent, physical or emotional danger to their identity or existence.
In addition, it is worth rephrasing here that Albanians, nationalists or not, do not build their cause upon genocide or oppression of other people. The suffering of other nationalities(non-Albanians) in the Albanian quest has never been percieved, yielded or intended or even imagined. We simply refuse to erect our country on the suffering of others, not because we don’t want to imitate our neighbors, but as simple as it may sound; – that’s what we are and we have proven it throughout our history. In other words; we are not nationalists greek-style, or serbian-style; in our mentality that is shameful.
You have been in Kosova yourself and you should know very well what i am talking about.
I do apologize for occupying such great lengths in this page. Word of a baptist.
Fascinating post. I’d like to point out that “savage fertility” would be a terrific name for a rock band. “Albanosphere” would be pretty good, too.
“Do you know, the Serbs say exactly the same thing?
Of course, it’s nonsense when they say it, too.
Doug M.”
Douglas, I think I read a piece of analysis on the bbc website which compared the serbs and their state as being in a similar situation as that of Germany after WWI. I hope we can agree most would wish they were in a situation similar to that of Germany and the germans at the end of WWII (at least say sorry etc).
Europe clearly seems to be pushing towards measures which “pacify” serbs, lifting the visa regime, signing the SAA before they meet the conditions (surrender war criminals), a book by C. del Ponte which throughs dirt on the UCK war, preventing her from publishing “serb state secrets”, ruling that the Srebrenica massacre was “not genocide” etc etc.
Where do you stand?
“Where do you stand?”
I can’t make sense of that question. “Stand”?
As for ‘pacifying’ the Serbs — I think the word you’re looking for is “appease” or “placate”. And Europe is delivering a very mixed message to the Serbs, both confusing and confused.
I note that the SAA is not going to be signed, because the Dutch (and the Belgians, when they can take attention away from their bizarre internal crisis of government) won’t allow it.
Also, “Europe” does not control Carla del Ponte, nor the court which held that Yugoslav state actions in Bosnia weren’t genocidal. (The phrase “Europe is clearly doing X” is often a prelude to very muddy thinking. The EU? The European Parliament? NATO? Who?)
Also, “Europe” is making it clear that Serbia can’t join the EU while maintaining its claim to Kosovo. While I agree with this position, I don’t think you can say that it’s calculated to “pacify” the Serbs.
Doug M.
A couple of observations.
1. While the Albanian political elites in Kosovo and Macedonia may not be keen on union with Albania, judging by the (presumably) ethnic Albanian commentators above, there is popular demand for it.
2. Every nation is, in a sense, a “Greater…”. You could claim that the current truncated Serbia is a “Greater Serbia” since it includes Vojvodina, you could claim that today’s Bosnia is a “Greater Bosnia” since it includes large territories populated by unwilling Serbs and Croats, you could definately define Romania as “Greater Romania” since it includes Transylvania, and so on. Most hoones of all is obviously the UK which is clear about being a “Great Britain”.
3. Generally, and especially in the Balkans, multiethnic states just don’t seem to work (or at least, work very poorly). Hence Kosovo and Macedonia probably aren’t ‘solved’ yet.
1. The most enthusiastic supporters of Greater Albania are found in the Albanian diaspora. That’s true generally, and it’s true in this comment thread as well — the guy who’s yelling loudest about Albanian unity is posting from Britain.
There is just not that much popular demand for it in Albania, and even less in Kosovo. If you talk to people in Prishtina, some like the idea in the abstract and many think it will probably happen someday, but nobody has any interest in pushing for it just now.
2. Really not sure what your point is here.
3. Multiethnic states are hard, no question. However, there are plenty of multiethnic states that work just fine.
And what’s the alternative? Voluntary population exchanges don’t have a great track record either — the most “successful” one, between Greece and Turkey, required that Greece first suffer a catastrophic loss in ear, and the subsequent adjustments warped Greek society and politics for two generations.
That leaves ethnic cleansing. Hmm.
So, while making multi-ethnic states work is not easy, in most situations it’s the least bad choice.
Doug M.
Douglas, maybe I was not clear and my knowledge of English is not up to this blog. Sorry, no pun intended.
So,
Do you think Serbia is in a similar position to that of Germany at the end of WWI or WWII? If you think WWI, why? Please chose one:)
Agreed, “EU” can be seen to mean all those you mention. Let us then say “western pressure” or “external” or “the high representative”.
You missed the lifting of the visa regime (very important to the serbs) and the surrender of war criminals. Every time they have elections they should get a cookie because otherwise 50% of the votes go to the radicals (I hope you know what the radicals of Serbia stand for). It is surprising the serbs have not chosen (yet) to match the political stability of the Italians. Guess what, the radicals keep enjoying cookies, still remain radicals and soon could be roaming freely around. Wow.
The point is, the Russians intervened at the right moment in time to pressure the serbs to end the war with NATO and UCK. Because of that, Serbia is in a very similar situation to that of Germany at the end of WWI. It needs to be “appeased”, sometimes at any cost (including to refuse saying “sorry”). Otherwise, had it been “properly” defeated, it would now have been in a situation similar to that of Germany at the end of WWII, it would have said sorry to Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Kosova, moved on, surrendered war criminals and so on.
But, the EU (allow me) would rather pay the money for any kind of mission that postpones solutions, keeps financing governments that do not surrender war criminals, high levels of corruption (in most countries of the region) and so on.
Throw them a bone.
There is some truth in the words of Doug that Albanian political unification (so called “Great Albania”) is much more popular in the Albanian diaspora than it is in Albania or Kosova.
However, even in the diaspora itself political unification is popular only among the old emigrant generation. More generally Albanian diaspora should not be thought of as a cohesive and homogeneous body capable of lobbying etc. In fact with few exceptions (maybe Albanians in the east coast of America) it is still too early to even speak of an Albanian diaspora in the same meaning that we refer to lets say Jewish diaspora. Especially in Europe, where the majority of Albanian emigrants reside, the process of diaspora-creation is only at the beginning. In the last two decades, Albanian emigrants have impacted Albania, Kosova or Macedonia mostly individually through remittances or in times of extraordinary circumstances (such as the war in Kosova) through emergent and temporary structures. In my belief new agents among Albanian emigrants such as Albanian students abroad (belived to be around 30000-35000 in number) have just kickstarted something that we may call a diaspora-creation process. Here is a short article that emphasizes the impact that Albanian students abroad already have and might have in community-building among emigrants.
@Oscar
It would be better to say:
Generally, and especially in Europe, multiethnic states just don’t seem to work (or at least, work very poorly).
It is funny hearing European representatives preach multiethnicity in Macedonia, Kosovo and elsewhere while most western Europe is divided along more or less rigid ethnic lines in a process involving two world wars.
Anyway yes, multiethnic countries are under circumstances the least painful solution. The only chance for such countries to not explode into violence is to secure the same standards to all its ethnicities hoping that equality would build the basis for mutual trust and ultimately in some point in the (distant) future a common identity. However, consistant discrimination of certain groups removes the legacy of such multiethnic countries and dooms them to violent disintegration. Protecting, holding or even worse supporting such a kind of multiethnicity in the name of the “status quo” is nonsense.
“In addition, it is worth rephrasing here that Albanians, nationalists or not, do not build their cause upon genocide or oppression of other people.”
Care to explain what happened to the Gypsies of Kosovo when the KLA took over? Sorry, but there’s no ethnic group in the Balkans (or elsewhere) without some blood on it’s hands.
Mr Doug… Let’s set aside all prejudice and allow me to let you into a little secret;
Yes, I am writing from London, but to your surprise, I did not become Albanian here. I came to London fully equipped, with love for my nation/country and knowledge of prehistoric, ancient, medieval and recent history. These topics are nothing new to me. I am sorry you were misled into the idea of me writing from the highplace of a nationalist. It shouldn’t be difficult to you to accept that I did not gain conscience of my viewpoints/reality by coming to England. If I told you that lots(I mean, LOTS) of Albanians in Albania proper cherish the idea of unity. Not only that of economic and political premises, but of the territory/nation as a whole. And I mean simply that. I could also say, to my fullest and sincerest convinction, according to my personal experience, that the Albanians who don’t want to reunite are as few as to count by the toes of my left foot. This is my personal experience; and being an Albanian myself, this automatically should imply the idea that “I know thousands of them”.
In a simple sentence: just don’t consider me an Albanian from Diaspora at all. It just won’t make any difference. I loved my country then, i love it now; 10 years in Europe, 5+ foreign languages have not had any impact whatsoever; neither inflating, nor deflating.
My point throughout my comments was one single:
Albanians have moral, political, human, international or even divine right to reunite, and by saying this, I rephrase it again: It is not a political blunder to show this kind of honesty at this point.
Germanies reunited, why shouldn’t Albanians.
As for Greece. If i didn’t get it right, sorry, but still, you are making a big mistake in caluculations.
Exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey was a bogus and a catastrophe. But it wasn’t neither to the Greeks, nor to the Turks; it was to Albanians.
Reasons:
1. Christian Orthodox Albanians living in Turkey lost their identity in a permanent manner as they were shovelled into Greece as “Greeks”,(they still believe to be of Greek pool) and on the other side,
2. Muslim Albanians of Greece were shovelled in Anatolia as “turks”. This is a very well known fact. More than 500 000 Muslim Albanians were forcefully displaced from Greece to the infamous ends of creating an ethnically homogenous Greece. Genocide in Chameria did not start with the end of WW2; it rather was a continuous process since the very rise of Greece from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire by Albanian patriots that led the whole “Greek” revolution.
@ Mr Laert and Mr Doug…
Serbia today really is just like Germany, post WW1, but rather more WW2.
After all 4 bloody conflicts that produced some 400 000 dead and a bunch of countries in ruins and a mass production in-line of war criminals, Serbia has been granted more than 5 billion of Euros since, indeed.
But unlike Germany, there was no Marshall plan of reconstruction; the money went in grants to the hands of criminals that rule today from Belgrade. It’s the finest way to give developing countries clues on how to get financial aid from the west. All this, despite the havoc and helter-skelter they managed to raise and despite the external debt that ammounted to some $23 billion. On the other hand, unlike Germany of WW1,2, nobody ever imposed realistic military sanctions(shrinkage/containment of military power) to Serbia after the conflicts, even to similar ends such as “avoidance of future conflicts”.
Then, yes: WHY SHOULDN’T WE REUNITE!?!
I don’t know what happened to the gypsies, but I think I might have an idea…
Serbia started and waged war to Slovenia, then Croatia, then Bosnia, the Kosova… thousands of Croatians died, hundred of thousands of Bosnians, tens of thousand of Albanians, all this in less than 10 years… – care to take a wild guess my wise man?
“care to take a wild guess my wise man?”
the KLA drove them out. It was well reported at the time.
My point isn’t to argue that Milosevic wasn’t an SOB. He definitely was one. Rather, it is that your idealized vision of Albanian nationalism being unique in never having oppressed anyone else is fantasy, not reality.
Not only did the Albanians (not just the KLA) drive them out, but they continue to keep them out. The Roma (and a couple of other small ethnic minorities) have been sitting in some rather horrible resettlement camps since 1999. The Albanian community won’t allow them back.
Doug M.
Doug & Alexander
I read a troubling piece of research on “why during WW2, neighbors of different nationalities killed each other despite having lived side by side for decades” (I think it was Hungary, I am not sure). The answer was even more troubling, “they did it because they could”. Rolling eyes. Maybe the Albanians “never” oppressed anyone because we could not (less powerful etc). That does not disqualify us from making the claim of being “more peaceful”. I. Rugova pursued a peaceful solution for many years…We can objectively argue that our nationalism never oppressed others by the sort of measure we had to endure. So much for me putting myself in your shoes.
Now, look at the situation of gypsies/roma in rich EU states…
Please don’t jump from one topic to another when you run out of arguments.
Mr Doug, I’m surprized with the swiftness you jumped from objectivity to street hear-say.
At this point, whatever I say won’t make any difference; convinced as you are.
By the way, did you happen to hear the REASON “why” they aren’t allowed to return?
When Albanians leave their homes, they’re immigrants, or emigrants; somehow, if that albanian is a gypsy, emigration turns to persecution, discrimination.
Please, Mr Doug, stay with us, the hoi polloi.
Doug,
1. I agree Kosovo is extremely unlikely to be allowed to ever join with Albania proper. However, what will the intl. community do if they allow free movement for people between the two countries, establish a free trade area or start deeper military cooperation?
2. “Greater…”: I just wanted to say that one persons “Greater” Albania is another persons “natural” or “real” Albania.
3. Sure multiethnic states are difficult and th alternatives (ethnic cleansing) aren’t that attractive. However, multiethnic states usually work a lot better if they’re not dominated by one ethnic group (since the majority usually want it to become a “nation state”). I guess that was the strenght of the old Yugoslavia (of course, once the Slovenians left, the Croatians followed suit and then there were no options left for Bosnia, and so on).
However, in my mind the second best alternative is actually Wilson’s old strategy of partition and self-determination along ethnic lines complemented by voluntary population exchanges where necessary.
That’s what should have been done in Kosovo.
The only reason France, German, Italy or the UK work as nation states today is that local minorities have been crushed/assimilated by the majority culture. Roma and Jews are typically the only historical minorities in these countries which have avoided assimilation. Instead the majority has usually tried the ‘crush’ strategy.
“By the way, did you happen to hear the REASON “why†they aren’t allowed to return?”
Yes — the local Kosovar Albanians won’t let them.
In most cases, their homes have been destroyed. Kosovo was home to two large Roma settlements, Fabricka Mahala in Kosovska Mitrovica and Roma Mahala in Pristina. Both of these held thousands of Roma. Both were completely destroyed in 1999; neither has been rebuilt.
In other cases, their homes been taken over by local Albanians. This possession has been backed by intimidation, threats, and, if necessary, violence. In the last 18 months, the Kosovar government has been gradually reviewing land titles and, in some cases, expelling the squatters — but they’re getting to the Roma properties last.
It’s not hard to confirm this. Two minutes with google will give you a bunch of articles. (If you really want to be sickened, google “Kosovo Roma lead”) Or you can just look up the various reports — UNHCR, Human Rights Watch, and the rest.
Here’s the European Commission:
“[T]he situation of socially vulnerable persons, particularly of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities… remains a cause for concern.â€
“Overall, there has been little progress in improving the situation of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities which continue to face very difficult living conditions and discrimination, especially in the areas of education, social protection, health care, housing and employment.â€
Or the US State Department:
“Official and societal discrimination persisted against Kosovo’s ethnic Serb, Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities with respect to employment, social services, language use, freedom of movement, the right to return, and other basic rights… violence and other crimes directed at minorities and their property [remained] a problem.â€
@Oskar: “The only reason France, German, Italy or the UK work as nation states today is that local minorities have been crushed/assimilated by the majority culture.”
This will come as news to my Welsh and Scots friends.
Doug M.
@Zotrules
I disagree that lots of Albanians are for a political unification of Albania, Kosova etc. I am an Albanian too and at least in the past 5 years I have traveled more or less regularly in Albania due to projects with student organizations.
In my opinion most Albanians either do not support union with Kosova or they just say they theoretically support it knowing that it is extremely premature or even impossible. You must rest sure however, that as soon as you ask a little deeper you understand that the people that express support for the union with Kosova are not ready to take ANY kind of political or other risks. This means that their support is only superficial.
I am not arguing about the moral or historical right of Albanians to political union. I am saying that Albanians support much more what is referred here as the development of the “Albanosphere”.
Doug,
The problems of the Roma in Kosova today are similar to the rest of the Balkans. In fact, they live in only slightly better conditions in countries like Italy. It’s absolutely not true that they are not being allowed to return; maybe they prefer the social services of Germany and UK instead of Kosova’s which are almost nonexistent no matter what ethnicity you are.
True, some Roma were persecuted after the war, and that was usually what Albanians call Serb Gypsies, i.e. Serb-speaking ones. I was an eyewitness to their looting of Albanian property and burning of homes. Some of them participated in the fightings as well. Some of them were involved in cleaning up the crime scenes, loading the bodies, burying them, and digging them again for shipment to Serbia. Some of them were part of the Serb regime even before that and were considered collaborationists. It’s sad that they had to choose sides but when they were asked to they sided with the Serb machinery. Imagine my neighbors coming back from Albania to find their homes razed to the ground but most of their appliances “warehoused” at the Gypsy mahala. What would you have done?
This whole charade is sickening me. I guess making readers throw up should be your forte, Mr Doug. What you started never finished. That is something like sowing in December and harvesting in January during April’s fool, if Easter there be somewhere around August.
Whoever doesn’t return in Kosova has one major reason and concern: Blood in their hands. Collaborationists with the butchers of Belgrade should not expect anything less than that. They were indeed promised real estates by the state organized militia in order to “corner those hares in their holes”. It is the same reason all those “civilian” serbs “refuse” to return. I “”ed refuse, because they really do want to return, they long to return to Kosova, but the Kosova they dream to return to is an Albanian-free Kosova. On the other hand, simultaneous to their reluctance, they have been urged and encouraged time and again by all the Kosovar political class to return to their homes; as whosoever considers himself uninvolved in war crimes has nothing to fear indeed. The serb reluctance has been nourished by Belgrade as well. That has happened to the gypsies too.
You, Mr Doug, tuxed and hot ironed as you may be; cannot commit a vast scale genocide, collaborate and get involved in vilest crimes against your innocent civilian neighbors and still expect to find the land of milk and honey. As for the properties that have been squatted by Albanians… You have the same situation in “Kosovska Mitrovica”. Just before the war, the population ratio in Mitrovica, was 70/30, where 70 was Albanians. And it is a matter of proven fact that Albanians were an overwhelming majority in the north of Mitrovica. This north was then seized by the serbs, Albanian houses were seized and the Serbs’ ones who left south Mitrovica and other areas of Kosova were filled with homeless Albanians; forcefully displaced fom the North. You, in your comfort, dove in your barcalounger, make believe here, that if your house was razed to the ground by a foreign and extremely hostile, brutal and cruel army, you’d just keep cool and move on by telling your dosen of hungry starving raped and horrified kids a fairy tale; and that’d make everything right.
Where, where really is the problem? You have been in Kosova yourself, and in first person you happened to learn nothing at all. You had to go to the St Dept, or the EC to find the data… which, surprized or not, have been provided by people just like you, who in first person reject any other instruction.
School yourself Mr Doug, and let’s approach the reality slightly differently, maybe frontally this time… Let’s give Serbia, or any other country an Ahtisaari 10 commandments. Let’s sit back then and enjoy the show. Did you really have to show redneckedness?
`T’was a good article untill you showed other intentions, or maybe you were “swung by the billows” afterwards…
You really do want to try to discredit me, just because we now find out there’s no real substance in your article? I really wanted to wait for the second,maybe a possible third part of your article, but really, what else could it be… Escaping my questions didn’t provide any answers, frankly and “investigating” like this won’t make you any more than a seasonal fisher.
Enjoying a dish is a little different from knowing the cook.
……
Eni, maybe it’s time you met the first one(me).
It just could be that we’ve frequented different people, still I strongly doubt what you said. You may have frequented people who pick their country by the quality of eating.(still should’ve been Albania, damnit!)
You see, I am not afraid to admit openly that Albanians want their country done. I can say it openly, because on the other bank of the river is just people who do not know A WHOLE LOT of things, no matter how encouraging they might pretend to be. The best excuse to their impotence so far has been “the other side claims different things”.
Zotrules, you’re babbling. You’re not being actively offensive, just silly (“tuxed and hot ironed”?) and very long-winded. So I’m not deleting you. But please take up less space with future comments.
Ari, I notice your comment follows a very common pattern: first you say that there’s no problem, the Roma can return if they want to… then you say that they deserved whatever they got, for being arsonists, collaborators, thieves, etc.
Anyway. I strongly disagree that Roma live only slightly worse in Kosovo than in (say) Italy. For instance, even in Italy — even in Serbia! — Roma were not forced to live for years in a tent camp on top of contaminated mine tailings that caused nerve disorders and birth defects.
From discussions with Kosovar Albanians, it appears to me that all Roma are suspect — “Serb” or not. Nobody likes them and nobody wants them back. In addition to the usual stereotypes (dirty, thieves, etc.) there’s also a belief that all the Roma cooperated with the Serbs. While it’s clear that there’s some truth to this — many Roma were on the Serb side — it also appears that this opinion is a convenient way to keep all Roma out whether guilty or not.
You say “it’s absolutely not true that they’re not allowed to return”. No: I’m sorry, but this is just not true. Returning Roma face, at best, fierce discrimination, and at worst vandalism and violence.
The numbers speak for themselves. There were around 80,000 Roma residing in homes in Kosovo; today there are less than 7,000. Also, the displaced Roma are not enjoying a luxurious life in Germany or wherever: more than half of them are in IDP camps in Kosovo itself.
Roma issues are, as usual, at the bottom of everyone’s priority list. Even UNMIK never cared much about them. But if Kosovo wants to build a fair and multi-ethnic society, then they’ll have to let the Roma come home.
Doug M.
Lots of jumping from topic to topic…Again…
Well as far as I understand, the article was mainly about the here called “Albanosphere” and its future role in the Balkan which is a fine and interesting theme, certainly worth of discussing as thoroughly as possible. So please.. please, let us not jump for too long to other topics.
I suggest Doug opens another thread or directs us to another one of his/his fellow bloggers articles where we can discuss minority rights in Kosova.
Well, as threads go, this one has drifted less than many.
I’m planning at least one more post, and maybe two, about the “Albanosphere”. Inevitably, nationalists will pop up on these threads. So far it’s just been Albanians talking about how wonderful Albanians are, how they’re peace-loving and too trusting and totally deserving of a much larger country, blah blah blah. I won’t be surprised if some Serbs and Greeks appear to yell about how Albanians are dirty thieving mafia terrorist human trafficking mujahedeen. That’s pretty normal, unfortunately.
As to minority rights in Kosovo, it’s a moving target. Things are changing, and might get better. But the record so far is not good.
Doug M.
@zotrules and others
well if we generalize about public opinion in Albania around the question of ethnic Albania or Albanosphere solely based on our personal experience it is difficult to convince anybody. But let us look at some facts which can speak for themselves and are much easier to interpret.
In the last parliamentary elections in Albania in 2005 there were four main parties/coalitions with political potential. The Party/coalition around the Albanian prince Zog which is the strongest party which stands for an ethnic Albania didn’t even get into parliament. LSI a party with a program that suggest a foreign policy based on the development of the Albanosphere won around 7% of the seats. The parties with most votes PD (Democratic Party) and PS (Socialist Party) and their respective coalitions stand for even less than the Albanosphere.
So, compared with Serbia where radicals came out as the strongest party in the last elections despite the cookies 🙂 from the EU, Albania and its public opinion have a much more realistic and moderate approach on foreign policy and its relationship with its neighbors. Political union with Kosova is not popular in Albania. And only a constantly radical Serbia could change that.
@zotrule
Please do not degenerate into personal offenses especially to the author of the article. This article is a fine one as it breaks away from most “taken for granted” stereotypes about Albanians which are obviously wrong. The author shows a depth in Albanian matters which is highly unusual among western commentators. This is something which should be given credit. Even if you strongly disagree keep a high standard in your comments and don’t be so verbally aggressive. You can express your thoughts without being offensive.
Well, Eni and others. Do not confuse word definitions here. You too, comprising Mr Doug, start at personal experience. It then becomes a matter of opinion, just like you said. But word definitions are not a matter of opinion, and there is a huge difference between nationalism and truth. In many cases their courses might cross each other, but the meanings remain the same.
And, Yes, let’s be frank, it is derogatory, degenerative, offensive and despicably loathesome to parade criminals as victims. Mr Doug did not tarry to jump to these points as there could be nothing consistent to back his article, of which, on the other hand, i expressed high esteem since the beginning. My previous comment had nothing or very little to do with the article itself; it was just a reaction to the latter “brushes” of Mr Doug; and honestly, he should have expected it. Also, when you brandish such claims, you should know forehand that they might become subject to objection.
Still my question remains unanswered.
Mr Doug, you say that Gypsies are not having any better life in Germany either… Escapologist as you want to be, you should admit that it is not an Albanian matter anylonger. Rather, it should be the topic of another discussion board, probably entitled: Why are Gypsies discriminated worldwide. Whilst Germany(or “wherever”), that has over 60 years of established democracy, treats them like that, the wors you can do is imagine the better could happen in Kosova overnight, just after 10 years of bloody massacres, rape and genocide. I would ecourage you to come back to reality.
With respect to participants this discussion has taken upon a mind-boggling turn.
Some of the comments here are extreme enough to be beyond the pale. I deplore the idea that the Roma somehow deserved to be cleansed / murdered persecuted on the basis of the actions of some Roma that supported the Serbs (not going into the motives of said Roma). Its ridiculous to suggest that the ethnic / racial group of those that participated in the crimes against Kosovo Albanians means that the rest of that group lose their rights. Morally and legally these people are not to blame. Apart from this even criminals have rights, even criminals can be victims.
I support the rights of those Albanians, Serbs and Roma to return to their homes and condemn crimes committed against them. On the other hand the law exists to prosecute war criminals / criminals – notwithstanding the effectiveness of the whichever judiciary we are referring to.
I’m sorry to get derailed from the main subject but this point had to be made.
“Its ridiculous to suggest that the ethnic / racial group of those that participated in the crimes against Kosovo Albanians means that the rest of that group lose their rights. Morally and legally these people are not to blame. Apart from this even criminals have rights, even criminals can be victims.”
Fine comment. Really needed to be made.
I think the main problem is that in Kosovo there is no judiciary system functioning. I don’t recall UNMIK courts in Kosovo condemning people for war crimes, or inter-ethnic provocations or land seizure: Serbs, Albanians, Gypsies, whatever. I don’t mean high profile criminals which are being handled in international courts but smaller ones. Such a vacuum leaves a lot of space for self-justice or a reasoning similar to “serbs are all criminals” or “gypsies have all collaborated” etc. I think the temporary mandate of UNMIK (turned less temporary than expected) combined with the UN’s missions typical inefficiency and corruption have had their role in the whole story. It is ridiculous reading UNMIK reports on minority rights and having the impression these reports are written by some anonymous NGO and not by those who were/are actually in charge. Of coarse, a foreign or international mission can not take responsibility in delicate processes such as ethnic reconciliation after an ethnic war. UNMIK simply shoudn’t have stayed in Kosovo for so long or alternatively Kosovo should have had a road-map towards independence much earlier.
An earlier road-map towards independence could have eased and hastened the path towards reconciliation. Anyway, with a clear support for their independence, politically, Prishtina has granted all sorts of rights to minorities (much more rights than most/all countries in Europe, would be ready to give their minorities). This shows political maturity and represents a first step towards reconciliation. Political elites in Prishtina know very well that the discrimination of their minorities removes the legacy of the NATO intervention and thus removes directly the legacy of an independent Kosova itself. On the other hand any kind of reconciliation can not be helped by a Serbia that stirs it’s radicals in Mitrovica and refuses cooperation on any level. Serbia still refuses to take any moral responsibility for the 4 wars it started in the 90-ies with radicals being politically the strongest party and with high profile war criminals being on free foot and still treated as heroes. Serbia seems to be set for a tactic of constant and long term destabilization of Kosovo which will bring only trouble to the serb minority there. So far, how much Serbia cares for its own people.
Anyway I’m slightly optimistic. Independence should make Albanians more responsible for the minorities and with a clear EU perspective things can only improve.
P.s. Sorry for the long post. Won’t happen again 🙂
“…“Its r…-…en again ”
Just what in the world are you sweating to say.
Birth rates in Serbia are one of the lowest in the world (around 1.39). So they have a real problem.
As for Greater Albania (or Ethnic Albania, as the local map producers tend to call it) I think your focus is too static. Albanians may now be richer than Kosovars, but when Albania was flooded with refugees in 1999 it were the Kosovars who were astonished by the backwardness and poverty of the Albanians while many Albanians found the Kosovars arrogant and ungrateful. So things can change very fast.
And – as German reunification shows – in these kind of things people tend not to be stingy.
There is also the dynamics of ethnic conflict. Macedonias Albanians may now seem to resign in being part of Macedonia. But what happens when Kosovo’s status has been settled and there is now longer a need for all those unemployed fighters to stay home? They go to Macedonia, kill a few cops, the Macedonian police reacts and before you know it you have a polarisation were the Albanians are like one man behind separatist demands.
The border between Kosovo and Albania is already quite open. My expectation is that formal unification will be postponed as long as there are other more urgent nationalistic projects (recognition of Kosovo, Presevo, Macedonia). Whether we will see in the end a unification may also depend on local politics: maybe Berisha will find it one day an easy way to extend his northern power base.
“Kosovars were astonished by the backwardness and poverty of the Albanians while many Albanians found the Kosovars arrogant and ungrateful.”
I was in Albania during the Kosovo War and I was not aware of locals finding Kosovo Albanians arrogant and ungrateful. On what ground do you base your assertion?