The Balkan Tragedy: Independent Kosova is the Answer

by M. A. Bari

‘Never Again' or Once More?

In the closing days of the 20th century when the world is looking for a new millennium Europe is once again being haunted by the spectre of holocaust. But this time it is termed as ‘ethnic cleansing'. As the Bosnians, and now Albanians, are predominately Muslims, although white, ‘Muslim cleansing' would probably be an appropriate terminology. The systematic eviction of a nation from their homeland is reminiscent of the savagery carried out by Hitler and Stalin in the 1930's and 40's. In the wake of Hitler's experiment with ‘inferior races' the world woke up and defended the victims from annihilation. The second world war, of course, paved in a new world with the shackles of colonialism torn apart in the four corners of the globe.

But the world created by the victors could not guarantee peace as it was not based on justice and equality. In the shadow of the cold war inhuman atrocities were being recreated in many parts of the world, e.g., Soviet Union, Palestine, Cambodia. Cold war was characterised by a ‘cold peace'. With the fall of Berlin wall the world lost whatever balance it had. Wars erupted like wild fire in many places. The extinction of one million Tutsi by extremist Hutu militiamen failed to move the so-called leaders of the world. The destruction, killing and rape in Bosnia by the Serb hyenas in the gaze of world media shocked the world, but the western appeasement of Milosovic was matched by dismal impotence of the Muslim regimes. The blood bath in Srebnenica, the so called UN ‘safe haven', was a disgrace to the UN powers who decided not to act because of ‘inhospitable terrain', of Balkan and the fear of ‘bloodshed'. The reason was, of course, well understood by over one billion Muslims.

Now the West has come out from its ‘wait and see' policy. Since the Bosnian crisis the UN and NATO had one only tactics, i.e., clear evasion from their responsibility as the victims were born Muslims, although of European stock. This encouraged Milosovic to continue his barbaric cruelty. What has now clicked the West to start a ‘strategic' bombing campaign on Miloscovic's army? What course the Balkan conflagration will take? To understand the present crisis we need to look at Kosovan history.

The Background

Kosova, a land of 4,203 sq. miles with a population of two million is the powder keg of Balkan. It is rich with mineral resources, but deliberately kept poor by the Yugoslav authority over the decades. Ethnic Albanians, most of whom are Muslims, are absolute majority (90%). Kosova is different form Serbia. Albanians speak in old Indo-European language which is far removed from Serbo-Croatian. Albanian culture has roots that differ from those of the Slavic people. It has central importance for the three types of people ­ the Serbs, the Albanians and the West. The Ottoman victory over the Serbs in the famous battle of Kosova in 1389 was a watershed in the Balkan history. Following another Ottoman victory over the Crusade army at Varna in 1444 the fate of Kosova was once and for all sealed, as ethnic Albanians accepted Islam in droves because of its humane characteristics. But the Serbs never accepted the reality and had always tried to pass on their hatred against the Muslims to their descendants. Kosova remained Ottoman for many centuries.

As Ottoman khilafah became weak, the European powers secured the independence of Serbia at the Berlin Congress of 1878 after almost 500 years of Ottoman supremacy. Kosova was not part of Serbia then. Later on, the European powers' acceptance of the Serbian occupation of Kosovo and their deliberate lack of understanding of the aspirations of the Albanian population created today's Kosovo problem. Historian Noel Malcolm's 1998 book 'Kosovo, a short history,' (p. 266) mentions that Kosova, according to international law, is not part of Serbia, but rather a part of Yugoslavia according to the Ankara Treaty of 1925. Even within Yugoslavia, the Serbs never considered Kosova Albanians as equal. As a result Kosovans did not obtain their own Republic in the Yugoslav Federation after World War II, whereas minority people such as the Montenegrins, the Macedonians and the Slovenes did.

The earliest Albanian resistance against the Serbian military took place in 1918-19 and resulted in their massacre by the Serbs. Nearly a quarter million ethnic Albanians were driven from Kosova between the two world wars and another quarter million emigrated to Turkey following World War II. Former Prime Minister Tansu Ciller and current President Suleyman Demirel of Turkey are descendants of Albanian immigrants. During the 1970's, the situation of the Kosova-Albanians gradually improved a bit. An Albanian university was established in Pristina in 1970, and the Yugoslav Constitution of 1974 gave Kosova a level of autonomy nearly equal to that of the Yugoslav Republics -- but without the right of a Republic to secede from the Yugoslav Federation.

The Present Genocide

In the late 1980's, after the death of Marshall Tito, Serbia rescinded its autonomy and took direct control of it. In 1989, current Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic annulled the autonomy of Kosova in violation of the Yugoslav Constitution. He sent in Serbian police forces and closed the university of Pristina to Albanian students. Being desperate, the Kosovan Albanians voted overwhelmingly in 1992 to secede from Yugoslavia. The Serbian dominated government of Yugoslavia tightened its control and sent occupation army in response. Under the leadership of Ibrahim Rugova, the 'Gandhi of Kosova', the population managed to remain calm until 1998, in spite of the ever-increasing Serbian oppression. The people of Kosova have formed their own cultural and social institutions, including a university which is housed in private homes. Instead of softening Milosevic this Gandhi-style peace policy encouraged further Serb atrocity.

After their scorched-earth campaign in Bosnia, when the Milosovic army smelled blood of Muslims, they decided to lynch Kosovo in 1998. They systematically attacked and destroyed village after village on the pretext of destroying a small armed resistance group, the Kosova Liberation Army (KLA). The continuous evasive policy of the western power led to a nightmare scenario. The unashamed Russian support for Serbia today is due to the feeling of solidarity with the culture, language and orthodox beliefs of the Serbs.

The fanatic nationalists of Serbia consider Kosova as the ‘centre of their world', ‘a frame of reference', a holy place ‘holier than Jerusalem to the Jews' and ‘cradle of their civilisation because of its rich heritage of orthodox monasteries'. These ultra-nationalistic feelings have created a myth in the Serb psyche that the Muslims are outsiders. The Serb paranoia for Kosova has resulted in their policy of extermination of the Muslim majority. Milosovic's sadistic regime has created record in broken promises and has brought disgrace to the whole Slav race. The hysteria surrounding Kosova has also muzzled conscientious voice in the Slav world. The policy of hate against anything linked with Muslims has isolated Serbia and made her a pariah state in the world community. At the same time Russia, with her vain glory, has lost all her credibility by allying herself with the Serb genocide.

By the time this article is written, more than half a million people, one third of the entire Kosova Albanians, have been uprooted from their homes by the Serb military machine within a spate of few days, according to UNHCR. ‘They are systematically stripped of everything - nationality, citizenship, homes, possessions, money, valuables, and every scrap of paper that gave them human status'. ‘They are too many to count, too many to take in, too many to understand. They are a sea of humanity who have been terrorised from their home'. These are just couple of quotes from two senior western journalists who are telling the tales of the world's worst human catastrophe after the second world war. Kosova Albanian intellectuals and senior leaders are also being hounded and eliminated by the Serb militia men. ‘This is unimaginable', mentioned one senior western politician. But in a continent which offered humanity with two catastrophic world wars, nothing is impossible.

What is for Kosova Now?

What is going to happen to Kosova and its Albanian people? Some prophets of doom are already spreading the fatalism that Kosova would ‘probably' be divided with disproportionate amount of land for 10% Serbians, the rest for the Albanians under a NATO or UN ‘protection'! Nobody yet knows what is in NATO's sleeve. But if another flagrant injustice is done in the Balkans, on the hidden pretext that the victims are born Muslims, the seed of unprecedented backlash will definitely grow further in Europe.

Peace and stability of Balkan and, for that matter, whole of Europe depends on whether Kosova gets its basic right of self-determination. It is unfortunate that many western politicians, even after this continuous dehumanisation of Kosova Albanians refuse to accept their universal demand to form their independent state on the pretext that Kosova can not sustain her independence. These people forget that there are many independent countries in the world which are smaller and less resourceful than Kosova. They probably are fearful that an independent Kosovo could unite all the ethnic Albanians of the Republic of Macedonia and the Albanian Republic to form a "Greater Albania". A bigger Muslim state in Europe! Some of them are quite open in their expression of intolerance with Islam.

The NATO intention is marred with ambiguity. One KLA commander has already accused NATO of deceiving Kosova Albanians by asking them not to mobilise themselves on the understanding that NATO would protect Kosova. Even if cynicism about NATO action is put aside, the effect of ‘strategic bombing' on Milosovic's military capability has proved disastrous to the Kosova Albanians. This has in effect strengthened the Serb intention of creating an Albanian-free Kosova. The civilised world is once again witnessing a re-creation of another Palestine in Europe as a result of brute force by one rogue country and political intrigue by the western powers. Many military and strategic experts, like Zbigniew Brzenski, are voicing their dismay at NATO's apparent ‘no risk' enterprise and asking for clear and well defined objectives.

The Kosova Albaninas are an ancient race who know how to survive. They are tough and ingenious. The table can be turned on the Serbians if the Kosova Albanians are given the opportunity to fight back. The following are the only options left to save Kosova and also to retain NATO credibility; 1) arming KLA with armour and heavy artillery to defend their land, 2) tactical bombing on the Serb military machine to reduce their capability so that they lose the stomach to commit crime and, if necessary, 3) putting NATO ground troops in Kosova to deny the Serbs of their appetite for an absolute military victory over innocent people.

The third action can easily be avoided if the first two actions are taken seriously and quickly. They will be more effective and less troublesome for the NATO governments as well. As the Kosova Albanians are facing the prospect of total extinction they will make better soldiers than their NATO counterparts. Patriotism and knowledge of the land are determining factors in any war which the NATO ground troops will definitely lack. Moreover, they can be done quicker than the effective mobilisation of NATO forces.

Arming KLA is now an international obligation. Only then a replay of Srebnenica on a larger scale can be avoided. Once the humanitarian catastrophe is thwarted and the Kosova Albanians return to their ruined homes, the mechanism to create an independent Kosova should be devised. Massive international help will be required to rebuild the country. It will be farcical to think of dividing Kosova or handing it over to Serbia again. Historically, rationally and morally Serbia does not have any legitimacy over Kosova. The clock can not be turned backward. International community must accept the reality and go for a lasting solution based on justice.

Every Injustice has its End

Power deceives people. Tyrants and brutes do not learn from the past and end up in ignominy and destruction. Like a rotating wheel history has its ups and downs. If human retribution fails to take revenge, divine one comes in. Some of those who found pleasure in crucifying weaker communities were mummified as learning resources, for people to come. In the Balkans victims of genocide will also have their day, insha'Allah.