The world woke up to the conflict between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians too late – when Kosovo erupted into full-scale war in the spring of 1999. But many Balkans watchers were surprised war in Kosovo did not happen sooner. In Civil Resistance in Kosovo, Howard Clark argues that war had been avoided previously because of the self-restraint exercised by the Kosovo Albanians and their policy of nonviolence.
Prior to the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)'s taking up of arms, Kosovo Albanians had had a long history of civil resistance in the face of Serbian ultra-nationalism. They were committed to a strategy of nonviolent resistance even as they were harassed by Serbian police, vilified in racial terms, and excluded from jobs, education and government benefits. Excluded from the 1995 Dayton Agreement, Kosovo became a breeding ground for frustration and ethnic strife, ultimately leading to war and the NATO bombings.
The author traces the historical evolution of the Kosovo Albanians' struggle, from peaceful demonstrations to the KLA backlash, covering the 1980s to the present day. In assessing the achievements and limitations of nonviolence, Clark explains why the policy was ultimately abandoned and how it could have been made more effective. Importantly, this book draws on the lessons of Kosovo to provide suggestions for future peace-building. Introduction
Notes on terms, pronunciation, glossary and acronyms
Background
Map
Chapter 1: Serbia - When a dam breaks
1. The demographic battlefield
2. After the fall of Rankovic
3. The rising swell of nationalism
4. Milosevic mobilises
5. Lazar's curse: 'Whoever does not fight at Kosovo'
Chapter 2: Albanians in Kosovo
1. The Ottoman Empire
2. The First World War and the First Yugoslavia
3. The Second World War
4. A resistant culture
5. Tito's Yugoslavia
6.. Concessions but no republic
7. 1981 and afterwards
8. An afterword on Communism in Kosovo
Chapter 3: The turn to nonviolence
1. Miners defend autonomy
2. The Party crumbles
3. Organisation and pluralism
4. The Campaign to Reconcile Blood Feuds
5. Military realism
6. Nonviolence in Kosovo Albanian identity
Chapter 4: Two sovereignties
1. A Serbian recipe for Albanian 'separatism'
2. Wholesale dismissals
3. Police and paramilitary
4. The contest for legitimacy
5. The electoral boycott
6. International support
7. Independence: a non-negotiable goal?
Chapter 5: Parallel structures
1. Schools in struggle
2. Open but illegal
3. The University of Prishtina
4. Funding education
5. The lesson taught
6. Medical care
7. The media
8. Arts and sport
9. Economic survival
10. Politics 'as if'
11. A state-in-embryo
Chapter 6: Pointers to an alternative
1. A strategy of empowerment
2. Altering Serbian will
3. New impulses: women
4. New impulses: youth
5. The Dayton effect
6. Contacts with Serb oppositionists
7. The student movement of 1997--98
Chapter 7: When the World Takes Notice
1. Diplomacy: The failure of prevention
2. Options for negotiation
3. A civil society approach
4. The crisis erupts
5. OSCE - too little, too late
6. Nato bombs for credibility
Chapter 8: Reflections on civil resistance
1. The balance sheet on nonviolence in Kosovo
2. Power and will
3. Victim behaviour
3. Leader syndromes
4. Goals and processes
5. Civil resistance and conflict resolution
6. Early warning, civil resistance and small nations
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Extrait
Civil Resistance in Kosovo
Howard Clark
P Pluto Press LONDON • STERLING, VIRGINIA
First published 2000 by Pluto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA and 22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166–2012, USA
The right of Howard Clark to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Clark, Howard. Civil resistance in Kosovo / Howard Clark. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–7453–1574–7 1. Kosovo (Serbia)—History—1980– 2. Albanians—Yugoslavia—Kosovo (Serbia)—History. 3. Passive resistance—Yugoslavia—Kosovo (Serbia) 4. Kosovo (Serbia)—History—Civil War, 1998– I. Title. DR2086 .C58 2000 949.71—dc21 00–0085
ISBN 0 7453 1574 7 hardback ISBN 0 7453 1569 0 paperback
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Designed and produced for Pluto Press by Chase Production Services Typeset from disk by Stanford DTP Services, Northampton Printed in the European Union by TJ International, Padstow
To those who work for peaceful co-existence in Kosovo
‘If I were free, I would have much work, I would help those that are suffering more now. Now it is not Albanians that are suffering the most, now it is others, and I would work with all my strength in order to help them. ... I would do anything so that the Serbian community and the Albanians reconcile.’
From the final statement of Flora Brovina, Kosovo Albanian doctor and founder of the League of Albanian Women, to the court in Nisˇ on 9 December 1999. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Contents
Acknowledgements Maps Acronyms and Abbreviations Brief Chronology Background on Kosovo
Introduction
1
2
3
4
When a dam breaks The demographic battlefield: 1912–66 After the fall of Rankovic´ The rising swell of nationalism Milosˇevic´mobilises Lazar’s curse: ‘Whoever does not fight at Kosovo’
The Albanians in Kosovo The Ottoman Empire The First World War and the First Yugoslavia The Second World War A resistant culture Tito’s Yugoslavia Everything but a republic 1981 and afterwards An afterword on Communism in Kosovo
The turn to nonviolence Miners defend autonomy The Party crumbles Organisation and pluralism The Campaign to Reconcile Blood Feuds Military realism Nonviolence in Kosovo Albanian identity
Two sovereignties A Serbian recipe for Albanian ‘separatism’ Wholesale dismissals
x xii xiv xv xix
1
7 8 12 15 18 20
24 24 26 29 31 37 39 41 45
46 46 52 54 60 64 66
70 71 74
viii
5
6
7
8
Civil Resistance in Kosovo
Police and paramilitary The contest for legitimacy The electoral boycott International support Independence: a ‘maximalist’ goal?
Parallel structures Schools in struggle Open but illegal The University of Prishtina Funding education The lesson taught Medical care The media Arts and sport Economic survival Politics ‘as if’ A state-in-embryo
Pointers for an alternative strategy The Dayton effect A framework for ‘active nonviolence’ A strategy of empowerment Altering Serbian will Empowerment: women Empowerment: youth The student movement of 1997–98
When the world takes notice Principles and interests In the absence of a peace process International solidarity takes time International support for peacebuilding The crisis erupts OSCE – too little, too late NATO bombs for credibility
Reflections on civil resistance The balance sheet on civil resistance: the Kosovo perspective The balance sheet on civil resistance: the international
77 80 84 89 92
95 96 99 100 102 104 106 108 111 112 115 117
122 122 128 131 138 145 149 151
158 158 163 168 169 172 178 181
186
186
debate Victim behaviour and nonviolence Leader syndromes Goals and transitions Civil resistance and conflict resolution Early warning, civil resistance and small nations
Appendix I: Tables Appendix II: Notes on Terms, Pronunciation and Glossary Appendix III: Leading Characters Notes and References Select Bibliography Index
MAPS
1. 2.
Regional map Kosovo
Contents
ix
189 193 198 203 206 210
215 217 220 223 258 262
xii xiii
Acknowledgements
There are some people who do not wish to be thanked by name for the help they have given me in bringing this book to publication, both in Kosovo and in Madrid. Almost every chapter in the book shows my debt to the writings of Shkëlzen Maliqi, who I have managed to visit on most of my trips to Kosovo. I would also like to thank Afërdita Saraçini-Kelmendi, her family and colleagues in the Women’s Media Project/Radio 21; Albin Kurti and others in the Students’ Union, UPSUP, especially the woman on whose organising they all relied (she and they know who I mean); Burim, Jetish, Vallon and their generation of LDK Youth; Fadil Bajraj and Ylber Hysa were also repeated points of reference; and in the diaspora Isa Zymberi and colleagues at the London Kosova Information Centre. From other parts of former Yugoslavia, I should acknowledge the encouragement I received to get involved with Kosovo from friends in Ljubljana, especially Marko Hren, and in Belgrade, especially Vuk Stambolovic´andStaˇsaZajovic´,plusthecontinuedhelpandencour-agement of others in Women in Black in Belgrade, especially Indira Kajosˇevic´whoaccompaniedtheBalkanPeaceTeam’sApril1994 exploratory visit to Kosovo. This book has grown out of political work that began when I was Coordinator of War Resisters’ International and which I have subsequently carried on through the Balkan Peace Team. I have greatly benefitted from my involvement with both these bodies. I should thank my friends throughout the WRI network for the oppor-tunities they gave me. The Balkan Peace Team has a policy of ‘non-partisanship’ and in no way can be associated with the opinions I express in this book. Nevertheless, as a member of its Coordinating Committee and through my frequent contact with volunteers, I am grateful for many insights. I would like to thank Ken Simons for the maps and the following individuals for other types of help: Alberto L’Abate, Denisa Kostoviˇcová,MartynLowe,MaryMotes,BobOvery,MichaelRandle, Mark Salter, Antonia Young and especially Andrew Rigby. This book would not have been possible without a grant from the Albert Einstein Institution (Cambridge, Mass) to research nonviolent
x
Acknowledgements
xi
struggle in Kosovo. This institution is devoted to the development of strategic nonviolence, and I specifically thank Bruce Jenkins, Ron McCarthy and Gene Sharp for their support. Two other groups have provided useful opportunities for discussion: the Committee for Conflict Transformation Support (London) and the Nonviolent Action Research Project (Bradford). Finally, I must thank everyone at Pluto Press for their under-standing about the difficulties of writing a book about an episode of nonviolent struggle in a situation that has turned into war.
S a n d j a kTrepça M O N T E-Mitrovica Podujeva N E G R O Vushtrri D r eSkneincdearaj Istog P l a i n o f D u k a g j i n i Obiliq PRISHTINA Peja Kosovo Polje Klina Gllogovc Janjevo Deçan Malisheva Lipjan
Shtime Rahovec Ferizaj Suhareka
Leskovac
Leposaviq
Gjilan
Tetova M A C E D O N I A
0
SKOPJE
Kaçanik
Map 2 Kosovo – Albanian spellings, except Kosovo Polje (Ken Simons)