It is nearly five years since the outburst of ethnic Albanian violence in Kosovo on March 17, 2004, when 19 people killed and 954 wounded and when 35 Orthodox holy sites were ruined in two days. This pogrom got its prize a year ago on February 17th when Kosovo Albanians unilaterally – but orchestrated by western powers - declared independence of this province. The events showed way to all separatist movements on the globe that violence is accepted method to attain political goal. They also uncovered the EU’s nonexistent skills with crisis management and designing anything else than already dead road maps for conflict resolution.
Those two dates are well remembered in all ethnic groups in Serbia and its separatist province, although from different perspectives. Also international community, especially EU should remember them as they have lost their perspective in West Balkans long time ago.
March 17th 2004 
Almost 4,000 Serbs were expelled from their homes, six town and nine villages were ethnically cleansed, 935 houses belonging to Serbs and 10 public institutions (schools, health centres, post offices…) were ruined or torched in addition to 35 Orthodox churches (total 150 since bombings 1999) . March 17th violence was sequel to the ethnic Albanian terror and war in Kosovo as a result more than 200.000 refugees or better say internally displaced persons (IDPs) from province.
March 17th showed the total failure of international community in Kosovo. Fabricated, biased or optimistic reports were singing the praises of conflict management and progress, intelligence – lacking touch with local community - didn’t know anything about planned terror. The response of peacekeepers and police was also delayed. The commanders were unreachable, drunk or had hangover due the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations after buckets of Irish whiskey and Guinness.
March 17th finalized IDP problem
After 72 days illegal bombing campaign 1999 international community started wide housing program for refugees and IDPs and with Albanians it was a success while Kosovo accommodated nearly half million more Albanians than before bombing (don’t ask from where those extras came). Serbs instead were afraid to move back – like it was situation also with refugees from Croatia – so today Serbia is suffering one of the biggest (326,853 refugees and IDPs) refugee/IDP problems in the whole Europe (More in my article “Refugees and IDPs in Western Balkans” )
According to statistics from the UNHCR there are about 206,000 IDPs from Kosovo living in Serbia. This fact has mostly ignored in western mainstream media. Their attitude is understandable since this media from the very beginning had fixed their one-sided picture about good and bad guys so Serbs somehow deserved their fate. The outcome is that Serb Refugees and IDPs from Kosovo are one of the forgotten and forsaken victim groups in the former Yugoslavia.
After pogrom 2004 new housing program was planned but it is questionable if more people from non-Albanian ethnic groups moved in or out because lack of security. March 17th guaranteed that Serbs are not considering to come back to their earlier homes and those who still live in enclave ghettos are planning to move anytime.
Dream of “European” standards and forgetting them
After reverse ethnic cleansing during Summer 1999 UN started to administer its protectorate. Autumn 2002 UN started to plan and later launched a “standards before status” –policy, 8 milestones to achieve before starting status talks. The first independent review about these “European” standards came public October 2005 in Karl Eide’s report to UN . Latest then it was clear that Kosovo will not reach European standards in foreseeable future. However growing frustration among Kosovo Albanians made international community to fear that March 17th pogrom could repeat again so status talks started regardless of standards.
On the behalf of UN Martti Ahtisaari - unofficial lackey of U.S.State Department and Nato - held ten rounds of pseudo talks with Pristina and Belgrade during 2006. Ahtisaari published his biased report which soon found itself in garbage bin and UN started new negotiation round. This time facilitators were better balanced in sc. Troika including representatives of U.S., Russia and EU. This time real alternatives for future status were on table such as Åland and Hong Kong models, partition, confederation, new autonomy model. Albanian side did not see necessary to negotiate anything because U.S. had already promised independence for them so also this round lead to stalemate. (More about negotiation events here)
February 17th 2008
In December 2007 NATO and EU started to implement coordinated declaration of Kosovo’s independence. Its elements were e.g. following:
The EU would build a “unified” position by creating a framework which would allow for Kosovo’s independence, but decisions on recognition would be subject to national decisions, procedures and frameworks, meaning that EU members would not be obliged to recognize it.
This scenario was implemented and February 17th 2008 Kosovo declared its independence regardless international law and UN. The first recognitions came from Afghanistan, U.S. and other its lackeys followed.
Everything didn’t go like planned in Washington and its Brussels allies. Bribing of Serbs wasn’t successful; Russia with other rising BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries had their say in U
N, recognitions stopped.
When Albanian majority declared Independence Feb. 2008 the idea was to transfer international administration from UN to EU. However the only internationally accepted UN Security Council resolution 1244 - which says that Kosovo is part of Serbia - stayed valid. So that about independence which in mistake has accepted through some 50 countries.
The UN General Assembly was backing Serbia’s draft to request an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) about the legality of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo. October 8th UNGA, by a recorded vote of 77 in favour to 6 against (Albania, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, United States), with 74 abstentions, adopted a resolution drafted by Serbia and now the case is in Haague.
Today the actual situation on the ground is big mess without any clear exit strategy. EU is administrating in Kosovo under UN umbrella. Albanian dominated southern part is continuing its life under EU supervision while Serb dominated northern part will formally continue to be an UN protectorate de facto integrated to Serbia. However a wider framework is international law and UNSC resolution 1244 ar valid before new resolution will replace the existing one.
International situation escalated immediately by Kosovo’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence – some 5.000 ethnic groups had waited this signal that with violence one can achieve political goals despite international law. Kosovo was already good excuse for separatist movements during last Summer and Autumn in Caucasia and South America.
From frozen conflict to frozen independence
After agreement with Serbia EU’s rule of law mission (EULEX) finally started end of 2008 after half an year delay. This filling of power vacuum came in right moment before Kosovo would slide to next “failed or captured state”. Probably also local population in Kosovo has noticed during short independence experiment that for state more is needed than only flag and anthem.
In an interesting interview of John Bolton in Interfax , former US Undersecretary of State and Ambassador to the United Nations made e.g. following remarks:
Normally I have doubts with thoughts of U.S. neocons but this time Mr. Bolton hit the nail on the head - I can only agree.
Conclusions
It’s easy to blame the today’s situation in Kosovo on U.S foreign policy. After implementing its failed attempt to please Muslim countries, after increasing the profits of its military-industry-complex and after creating one of its biggest military complex in Europe U.S. is covering its track record and leaving the whole mess to its lapdogs in EU. As a result of EU’s short-sighted post-conflict management policy they must again throw away few billions of EU taxpayer money to keep flag in international protectorate and safe haven of drug cartels – in artificial unsustainable creature with no realistic visions nor exit strategy.
March 17th 2004 in Kosovo is an example for international community general and for EU missions especial about fatal failure of crisis management when they are short of right situation analysis, when practice is contrary to their ideals and when interests of local stakeholders and internationals differ. The outcome of EU’s nearly nine years efforts for capacity building to create economically sustainable multiethnic society with democratic values could be joke – unfortunately this never-ending story continued February 17th 2008 and is still continuing to unforeseeable future and it is not fiction.
More over Kosovo case in my +30 articles here!
(25 votes, average: 3.64 out of 5)
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The hallmark of intellectuals debating ALL conflicts concerning ethnic/tribal/political groups in the underdeveloped world is blaming the incipience, escalation and (unpleasant) resolution of the conflict on the “Wester powers”.
From South East Asia, to most of Africa (do you know every single of the multitude of Somali warlords blamed the US as a final culprit for their country’s misery?), and from the Balkans to Latin America.
I think it’s time to accept some responsability for one’s own mistakes and conflictual trends. And while guilt can definitely be found on both sides in the case of Kosovo, it seems obvious that Serbs have fallen into a habit of blaming anyone else but themselves for the loss of their former glory.
I know you believe in the Balkans, but if you’re going to be a skeptic about mainstream media and Western dark designs, don’t fall in the extreme of seeing all the others as victims. The March 17 killings, while tragic, are a a part of a greater conflict. Don’t forget it was Serbian tanks, provoked or not, who started using disproportionate force of Kosovar civilians that prompted the 1999 Nato campaign.
Last time I checked the Spanish army never sumarily executed Basque civilians for the fact that some co-nationals are too bored of doing some real work and chose a career as ‘freedom fighters’.
To Bogdan few remarks:
I blamed Western Powers mainly because Kosovo was one crucial event to break fundamental principles of international law. The principle of territorial integrity of states has been since Peace of Westphalia 1648 instrument to prevent armed conflicts between the states. This principle is enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The Helsinki Final Act of 1975 reinforced the principle and went further by including a section on the inviolability of frontiers.
These principles are core part of international law to guarantee of international security. By throwing this law out from window the Western Powers opened the “Pandora’s Box” for all separatist movements in the world.
Coming back to time before Nato bombings I would like to add three notes:
1) Mostly I criticize mainstream media for adopting one-sided approach - orchestrated by U.S. - to conflict during Bosnia war 1992-95 and Kosovo 1999 which highlighted the atrocities of Serbs and covered or handled with silence atrocities made against Serbs.
2) Before Kosovo bombings the Kosovo Albanians had changed their strategy from passive or non-violent resistance to armed rebel. Some 2.000 Serbs were killed, Serbia responded by sending troops to prevent terrorist acts (KLA was long in U.S. list of terror organizations, it had links to al-Qeada and criminal tribes are using al-Qaeda logistics even today in trafficking e.g. heroin).
3) Bombing against Serbia started a bit similar way like later against Iraq. Collection of manipulated, fabricated one-sided reports were used,public opinion favored solution after one-sided picture in media.
Of course I don’t deny claims about using disproportionate force by Serbs neither in Bosnia nor in Kosovo - I would like only to highlight the other side of the story.
The article is so biased and propagandistic which in fact does not deserve commenting on. However, for the sake of objectivity i would like to remind the author that nither of the maps used portraies correctly the Serbian population in Kosovo. Kosovo never was populated by more than 200 000 Serbs even at its peak 1995-1999 when between 50 - 100000 Serb refugees from Croatia and Bosnia were settled in Kosovo.
Further, half of the UN nations were created in the last century, hence the Westphalian argumanet of territorial integrity is irrelevant in the current international system.
Kosovo gained independence because of:
First it was the constitual part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a state which no longer exists.
Second,Serbian military and para-military mashinery killed between 12000 - 15000 Kosovaa Albanians, mainly elderly men, women and children.
Third, Serbia forcefully expelled up to 1 000 000 Albanians out of their country, and destroyed their identity documents hopeing they’ll be unable to return.
Fourth Serbian Criminal forces, burned or otherwise destroyed 250 000 Albanian Houses between 1998-1999.
Fifthly, Kosovo was put under UN protectorat for nearly eight years,
i could further go on and on but as a so called expert i would suggest you read the report prepered by your fellow citizen Mr Ahtisaari, which you might have already read but unfortunately you seem to be in denial.
Cheers
Sorry for some spelling, comment was done in a rush.
The article is so biased and propagandistic, thus it does not deserve commenting on. However, for the sake of objectivity I would like to remind the author that neither of the maps used portrays correctly the Serbian population in Kosovo. Kosovo never was populated by more than 200 000 Serbs even at its peak 1995-1999 when between 50 - 100000 Serb refugees from Croatia and Bosnia were settled in Kosovo.
Further, half of the UN nations were created in the last century, hence the Westphalian argument of territorial integrity is irrelevant in the current international system.
Kosovo gained independence because of:
First it was the constitutional part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a state which no longer exists.
Second, Serbian military and paramilitary forces killed between 12000 - 15000 Kosovan Albanians, mainly elderly men, women and children.
Third, Serbia forcefully expelled up to 1 000 000 Albanians out of their country, and destroyed their identity documents hoping they’ll be unable to return.
Fourth Serbian Criminal forces, burned or otherwise destroyed 250 000 Albanian Houses between 1998-1999.
Fifthly, Kosovo was put under UN protectorate for nearly eight years,
I could further go on and on but I would suggest you read the report prepared by your fellow citizen Mr Ahtisaari, which you might have already read but unfortunately you seem to be in denial.
Cheers
To Noel:
Sorry that you were upset by my article that’s common when conflicting arguments are disturbing well organized picture of the world. As many times earlier I have never claimed to be unbiased, I try highlight other side of story so that reader could have more comprehensive and multi-sided idea of the topic.
You were calling objectivity so lets compare some arguments:
Here some Census Data:
Nationality: year 1961/1971/1981/1991
* Albanians 646.805 / 916.168 / 1.226.736 / 1.607.690
* Serbs 227.016 / 228.264 / 209.498 / 195.301
* Montenegrins 37.588 / 31.555 / 27.028 / 20.045
* Gypsies 3.202 / 14.593 / 34.126 / 42.806
To clarify figures about people who fled the violence of Kosovo Albanian’s. The were not all Serbs, also Montegerins were Gypsies targets of Albanian mob.
I see Westphalian argument still valid because it describes principle, which later has adopted in UN Chater, Helsinki Final Act etc. New states are coming whole the time but the idea is that local stakeholders/authorities agree about them. So it was case e.g. when Serbia and Montenegro separated couple of years ago.
1) Kosovo was autonomy not republic like other parts of Yugoslavia which separated.
2) The number game with death tolls has always been popular in recent Balkan Wars. The figures vary quite a lot and here some of them: In June 2000 the Red Cross reported that 3,368 civilians (2,500 Albanians, 400 Serbs, and 100 Roma) were still missing, nearly one year after the conflict. In August 2000 the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) announced that it had exhumed 2,788 bodies in Kosovo, but declined to say how many were thought to be victims of war crimes. Earlier however, KFOR sources told Agence France Presse that of the 2,150 bodies that had been discovered up until July 1999, about 850 were thought to be victims of war crimes. According to a Serbian government report, from January 1, 1998 to June 10, 1999 the KLA killed 988 people and kidnapped 287; in the period from June 10, 1999, to November 11, 2001, when NATO had been in control in Kosovo, 847 people were reported to have been killed and 1,154 kidnapped.
3) Before Nato bombings some 250.000 Kosovo Albanians was displaced, after bombing started UN estimated that 850.000 mostly Kosovo Albanians had left their home (BTW some Albanian convoys were destroyed by Nato with lot of civil casualties) .
4) I don’t have better figures how many Houses was destroyed by fighters or by Nat bombs. When the bombing ended June 1999 so by November 1999, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 808,913 out of 848,100 Kosovo Albanian refugees had returned.
5) Kosovo still is UN protectorate and according UNSC Resolution 1244 part of Serbia
You proposed Mr Ahtisaari’s report for me to read. Why? My opinion about him should be clear in article and if not I can recommend two of my earlier articles about him (”Do you hear Mr Nobel rolling in his Grave” and “500.000 Bodies or Sign“. And I have read his both his report and plan related to Kosovo.
Related to expertise I have mentioned in my profile to be development project expert. If I look Kosovo case as a project of “humanitarian intervention” or “capacity building of civil society” or “marketing European values” I must say that mistakes have been made with every aspect of normal “Project Cycle Management” method. If I look the from point of view of Kosovo Albanian druglords I must admit, that they have implemented their project successfully.
Cheers
I love this article! Ari, keep it up.
Very informative post. Thanks!
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