Rather than analyzing the situation piece- meal, as people have wanted to do the last few months in regards to the present situation in Kosovo, people should consider a wider scope of recent Balkan history. Since 1987, Slobodon Milosevic has been leading a campaign of radical nationalism in an attempt to maintain his strangle-hold of power in Yugoslavia. Rather than representing the people, he has shut down newspapers, radio stations, and any other organization that dares to offer an alternative to his program of destruction. He has been responsible for three previous wars (against Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina), although other Western powers share some blame in the chaos. The rush of Germany to recognize Croatia and Slovenia contributed to the feeling in Bosnia that Western support would come upon independence. As it happened, such support did not materialize until 1995.
The present situation in the Balkans is as chaotic as it was at the turn of the century when several Balkan Wars provided budding correspondents such as Ernest Hemingway and C.L. Sulzburger ample human suffering to write dispatches about. The influx of refugees can only spell the doom of Albania, a country already teetering on the brink of anarchy. Traveling through the country last month prior to the start of the air-campaign, I was struck by the sheer poverty of the country. Albania appeared in worse shape than Bosnia, a country which had suffered a three-year war! And that was before the refugees came. In fact, the current round of violence in its northern neighbor has its roots in the anarchy of Albania.
In 1997, the government-backed pyramid schemes in which most Albanians had trusted their meager funds collapsed. A wave of civil unrest began in Vlora, a town on the southern coast, and rapidly spread everywhere to include Tirana, Durres, and Kukes. As part of the civil unrest the military armories were raided and the arms became freely available. Eventually these arms ended up in Kosovo. From 1989, Kosovar Albanians had practiced a program of peaceful civil disobedience in order to attempt to influence changes in Yugoslav policy to the formerly-autonomous province. With the influx of weapons, it became possible for armed struggle to commence. Hence, the Albanian origins of the present crisis.
The situation in the Balkans needs a comprehensive approach to peace that includes representatives from the involved countries, such as Albania, Yugoslavia, and FYRO Macedonia, and such neighboring countries as Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria. Bringing in leaders from the entire region will open channels of communication that have been closed for quite some time. Peace will not come from bombs, nor from Western European troops. Our experience in Bosnia has taught us that much. Peace can only come from bringing responsible leaders to the table and focusing on issues such as the development of regional economies and democracy.
Peace cannot come simply from above.
