For the traditional rivals England and Germany it seems that a new common enemy has been found. It always seems to be a lottery as to which Croatia will emerge from the tunnel at the start of each game, but if it is the industrious, creative and brave Croatia that defeated Germany then they need fear nobody. The team must be careful to avoid suspensions through two yellow cards to the same player since without the likes of Modric and Srna they could be toothless. We all had our faith shaken a little after the Austria game but now we can get back to dreaming. Could it be possible for Croatia to go all the way?

24 Sata match report
BBC match report
UEFA Euro 2008 article

Of Serbia’s three tennis stars of the moment, only one of them, Dokovic, has actually won a Grand Slam event. This is not a criticism, merely a warning that we should not get ahead of ourselves. Whilst it is possible that all three could continue to play for many years to come, it is not fair to expect them to be able to continually challenge for tournaments every time they play. Unlike Roger Federer or Pete Sampras before him, none of these players are robots. As Martina Hingis retired at the age of 22, then made a comeback at the age of 25 only to retire again at the age of 27, tennis players no longer play on the same circuit as Ivanisevic did, when a top player could remain competitive into his thirties. Having said that, Dokovic is only 21 and has won the Australian Open, reached the final of the US Open and got to the semi-finals of both Wimbledon and the French Open.

Whilst Dokovic can appear on countless billboards throughout Belgrade advertising banking services, it is a slight shame that he, as well as Ivanovic and Jankovic, does not actually live in his country. Based in Monaco, Dokovic clearly benefits from avoiding the taxes and countless autograph hunters who would plague him in Belgrade, but at the same time he has made it perfectly clear that his Serbian identity is very important to him. Humorously, at a tournament which he won last summer in Canada, during the presentation of his trophy the announcer mistakenly said that he was from Croatia. On a more dubious note, in February Dokovic sent a video message to the riotous crowds who had convened in Belgrade following Kosovo’s independence. To what extent Dokovic should be becoming involved in such debates is questionable.

For British tennis fans Jankovic may be of particular interest. Whilst tabloid coverage often highlights how Ivanovic is considerably prettier, Jankovic has been romantically linked with her doubles partner, Jamie Murray, with whom she won the mixed-doubles at Wimbledon in 2007. Dokovic, Ivanovic and Jankovic seem to be here to stay for sometime given their high rankings and consistently excellent form. The Jankovic-Ivanovic semi-final means that one Serb will definitely be in a final, and whilst Raphael Nadal seems to be the man to beat on clay, it is hardly inconceivable that both trophies could be Serbia bound. Beyond the immediate, will the success for Serbia stop with this holy trinity or will it become sustainable with equally talented players emerging over the coming years? Time will tell.

Novak Dokovic official site
Ana Ivanovic official site
Jelena Jankovic official site
Serbia on Davis Cup official site
Croatia on Davis Cup official site

The United States does have a justly deserved infamy for gun crime, and a quick perusal of the most elementary figures shows that this is indeed with good reason, whilst any such similar claim made against the Balkan region is undeserved. In America the massacres seem to be part of a trend which repeats with worrying regularity and is matched by gun based murders, robberies and other such crimes on a daily basis. In the Balkans, whilst the gun was evidently the weapon of choice during the wars, such crimes are so rare as to be of no concern to average citizens and usually only entail mafiaesque hits against politicians, Ivan Stambolic for example, and other even more shady types, such as Arkan.

The United States can stand with blind pride as it defends the right to carry arms with one side of its face while mourning the victims of massacres such as Virginia Tech, Columbine, Waco, Thurston, Platte Canyon, Lane Bryant, Oklahoma City Bombing, West Nickel Mines... the list goes on seemingly forever. In its moment of respite it can cast a glance over the Atlantic to the filthy Balkans and question why the people there are so primitive, so prone to killing each other and why they can’t just get along. It is not just the United States that has seen more than enough massacres to dispel any right to patronise the Balkans on its levels of violence. Finland is widely regarded as a country with a wonderful standard of living yet last year it saw the massacre of nine students at a school in the town of Jokela. Britain too has seen its own fair share of mass killings, the Dunblane massacre carried out by Thomas Hamilton with 18 victims and the Hungerford massacre carried out by Michael Ryan where 17 people died.

Earlier this year, Croatia saw a spree of murders in its usually peaceful Zagorje region in the north of the country. These were quickly attributed to the retired army General Ivan Korade. During his time in the army Korade had distinguished himself as a strong and respected leader and commanded the unit which reclaimed Knin during Operation Oluja. Unable to re-adapt to life outside of the army, Korade suffered from bouts of anger and was a heavy drinker, all too often ending up in brawls but seemingly receiving meagre punishments because of his respected role in the liberation of Croatia. In a bizarre chain of events, Korade killed four residents of his village, including a teenage boy, an elderly woman and his former assistant. The police were baffled and began to search for the retired General who was nowhere to be found. Sightings came in of a man fitting his description and the Croatian media became obsessed with wall-to-wall coverage of each twist in the story, speculating on motives and attempting to find reason. Once they discovered Korade’s hideout deep in a forest, a special police unit descended on the area and a shoot-out took place in which one policeman was killed and Korade took his own life. Whilst this was a senseless event it should be noted that it shocked the Croatian public, showing that in no way was Korade’s behaviour representative of the country as a whole. Whilst Croatia has made good efforts to look after its retired army personnel, the Korade case goes to show that there is probably a need to spend more time with those who are so affected by their former lives that they have slipped through the net that has already been cast out by the state.

We can therefore clearly see that today’s massacre was a one off which will likely haunt the village in which it occurred for many years to come. This will most likely not be understood by the majority of the people who might just read the headline that a mass killing took place and presume that after having already a couple of articles about Srebrenica and Vukovar that this is just more of the same, ignorant to the fact that events such as today’s killing probably happen more often in their own country than in Bosnia. With regards to day-to-day living, the Balkans are a very safe place to live, the night-time streets of its capital cities having no areas that aren’t safe, compared with the shocking spate of knife-crimes that have rocked London in the last few months. Neighbourhoods such as Hackney, Camden and Tower Hamlets in London are far more threatening places to find oneself late at night than Tresnjevka, Dubrava or Crnomerec in Zagreb. Whilst the Balkans is for the most part out of the news coverage now that the wars are over, the unfortunate consequence is that outsiders will stop learning about the region. During the negative years many people became familiar with towns like Tuzla and Srebrenica and leaders like Milosevic and Tudman, albeit for the wrong reasons, whilst now that there are truly reasons to be happy about the overwhelming majority of people will have turned away. Nevertheless, if we assume that people will not change their habits then this lack of interest is far more favourable than the gory and morbid fascination which people held during the 1990s.

BBC article on Tuzla shootings
24 Sata article on Ivan Korade
New York Times article on Columbine and Virginia Tech killings

Last summer there was a similar uproar as Thompson’s “Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj” tour rolled into Zagreb. This was one of the most eagerly anticipated concerts in the country’s history and was a true extravaganza of both music and patriotism. The waving of Croatian flags at Thompson’s concerts is nothing new, neither is the wearing of t-shirts featuring the face of Croatian General Ante Gotovina, but the Zagreb concert, held at the huge Maksimir Stadium was something different. Zagreb is viewed as the intellectual centre of Croatia, in tune with its Austrian heritage preserved in the cities architecture and somewhat detached from the more provocative nationalism found in Dalmatia and Hercegovina. To generalise entirely and call the concert provocative would be too strong, but it could have very provocative for those whose families did suffer as a result of the Second World War Ustasa regime. The overwhelming majority of fans were in a patriotic mood, carried along by the music, but a very small minority went beyond the boundaries of what was acceptable, wearing Ustasa hats or t-shirts featuring Ustasa insignia. Obviously, Serbian mainstream media and independent websites and blogs who have a pro-Serb agenda were quick to carry photos of the controversial fans, portraying it as though these were the only people who attended the concert, and not picturing the thousands of average respectable people who also went along for a night of great music and entertainment.

Essentially, what must be decided is whether the accusations that Thompson is a glorifier of the holocaust are true. This can be decided through his music and his comments far more convincingly than through some misguided teenagers who wear a controversial hat without fully understanding its meaning. Giving an interview to Hrvatski Radio Frankfurt, in his own words, Thompson says “I’m a patriot, not a Nazi” and if one is to look at the set list from the Maksimir concert then it would be impossible to find anything to support the claims that Thompson is the rabid Nazi that some would wish to see him categorised as. His most recent album, “Bilo jednom u Hrvatskoj”, is a celebration of Croatian myth, beauty and history while his most famous and popular song “Lijepa li si” is a geographical tour around the lands of the Croatian nation. And whilst some people will still come to Thompson’s concert’s wearing Ustasa emblems, Thompson has himself said live on stage, such as before his concert in Vukovar, “Wear the emblems of the victorious Croatian army, and not of the Ustasa!”, because, after all, it should not be forgotten that Thompson was himself one of the men who fought for Croatia against the invading Serbs.

Of course, Thompson has made mistakes with comments he has made, but these, given his huge public profile, are relatively old and sound like the words of a man who speaks his mind a little too freely. It is not surprising that Thompson feels a prejudice against Serbs, and nor is he the only Croat to have such feelings. Having fought in the war, Thompson literally put his life at risk to defend Croatia and the threat he faced was a faceless Serbian army. This more or less explains one of Thompson’s controversial songs, “Anica Kninska Kraljica”, in which he sings “I’ll set fire to two or three Serb headquarters, for my trip not to be in vain”. Those lyrics seem shocking, but let us not forget that the song was written in 1993, at a time when the city of Knin, where the song is set, was held by an illegal Serbian paramilitary organisation despite Croatian sovereignty of the land.

The motives of those who so virulently protest against Thompson should equally be put under scrutiny if they are to demand this treatment of Thompson. It seems clear that on occasions Thompson’s reputation precedes his, as shown by the B’nai B’rith organisation which released an entirely unfounded statement claiming that Thompson had sung a song claiming that both he and his father were proud Ustasa members. Equally, when Thompson’s Sarajevo concert was disrupted by Serbian bomb threats it seems obvious that it is his position as a Croatian nationalist icon that forces him to court controversy.

It can be argued that as Thompson looks to avoid international bands which would prevent him performing abroad, as is already the case in the Netherlands, he has had to tone down his nationalist and controversial rhetoric. It would be hard to dispute this, but in the context of the events of the Balkans during the 1990s this still does not make Thompson a Nazi. When Thompson comes to Zagreb on 30th May, it would be best if those who wish to go and enjoy his music attend the concert while those who wish to embroil it in controversy and those who wish to moan because it does not fit their personal views stay away.

Thompson official site
24 Sata article
Feral Tribune selection of controversial quotes

Despite having a fully functioning league that has been the cradle for many of the squad’s star players, only three players from the league were able to impress the coach enough to make his twenty-three man squad. Nobody would be foolish enough to suggest that the Croatian league is on a par with its Italian, English or German counterparts but it nevertheless seems that several extremely talented players have been left out who could have expected to make the squad even if they would not have started games. Players like Mario Mandzukic, Anas Sharbini and Bosko Balaban could certainly be forgiven at questioning their own omissions when places were found for Hrvoje Vejic and Robert Kovac. Balaban did himself no favours openly criticising Bilic in the Croatian media, and while it might be argued that he is past his best and has had his chance, he is an old warhorse who does manage to score goals. Greater sympathy must be felt for Mario Mandzukic and Anas Sharbini both of whom are young players and should have been given a chance. Sharbini has at least made Bilic’s reserve list, but there was no such consolation for Mandzukic. Of course, Hrvoje Vejic and Robert Kovac play in different positions to these two up and coming stars, but their inclusion should be questioned irrespective of who it kept out of the team. Vejic plays in Russia for the less that glamorous FC Tom Tomsk, located deep in the oppressive Russian interior and carries the ignominious 84 as his shirt number. FC Tom Tomsk slowly rose to Russia’s top league but in the few seasons that they have been there they have achieved nothing of note. Greater concern lies with Robert Kovac who can at best be described as unreliable at the moment. While not wishing to diminish the previous achievements of a player who has served his nation impressively, it looks as though Kovac has made the squad based on his past glories rather than current form. Since signing with Borussia Dortmund this season, a last minute deal which came about because a move to Dinamo Zagreb fell through due to personal reasons (for this read size of wages), Kovac has been largely anonymous. At his German club he has been entirely overshadowed by his countryman Mladen Petric who has been in scintillating form. Furthermore, cynically speaking it might be asked whether Robert Kovac has made the squad so as to keep his brother Niko happy. Niko sometimes tires after sixty minutes and by the end of games can look as though he is on his last legs, but nevertheless he is a talismanic captain, strong tackler and an example to all of the squad. Is his brother dead weight?

The problem which exists around Robert Kovac can also be said to affect other members of the team. What has Dario Simic done to deserve his place in the squad? At AC Milan he is nothing but a bit player, trotted out in the final minutes of games when the result is already assured, win or lose. In Croatia it is akin to blasphemy to speak a bad word about Dario Simic, the country’s most capped footballer, is a player who has defined the Croatian national team for over a decade. But is that not maybe the problem? Simic is part of the old guard, players who have played their best football and now need to move over and make way for the exciting new generation that includes Vedran Corluka, Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar.

Of the three players who bucked the trend and managed to come from Prva HNL clubs into the national team, one of those, Luka Modric, has already signed a contract to play for English club Tottenham Hotspur next season. Nobody can blame Modric for this, he has achieved all that there is to achieve with Dinamo, with the exception of helping the team play in a European competition after the new year, but this is why he has made the move. Of course money plays a part but Modric is such a humble man that the opportunity to test himself against Europe’s best, both in the League and in Europe (Tottenham secured a place in the UEFA Cup thanks to winning the Carling Cup), is what made the move essential. His team-mate Ognjen Vukojevic, a firm tackling midfielder and likely star attraction at Dinamo following Modric’s exit so long as he does not accept Celtic’s advances, also made the squad. He has played well this season, showing himself to be both hard working and reliable even if he lacks the pure skill of Modric. Vukojevic is one of Bilic’s favourites, but has done enough to prove himself. The third and final domestic talent making the journey to Austria is Nikola Kalinic. Having attracted the attention of both Chelsea and Schalke thanks to some sublime goals, Kalinic will be looking to impress, if a move abroad is indeed his aim. Kalinic will be under no illusions regarding his position in the pecking order though, only making the team due to the injury to Eduardo and having four other more proven strikers ahead of him. He is likely to only get a run out if Croatia win their first two matches and can relax for the third game or if everything goes wrong and Bilic has to resort to desperation tactics. Vukojevic and Modric will get time to show themselves, but Kalinic on the other hand should look back to the last World Cup in Germany. At that tournament there were again only three Croatian based players, and one of those was striker Ivan Bosnjak (the other two being Modric and Kranjcar). Bosnjak’s contribution to Croatia’s World Cup was four minutes at the end of the game against Japan where it seemed that Croatia would never have scored even if they had drafted Maradona, Pele and Linekar into the team.

Of course, it is entirely Bilic’s prerogative to select the players he feels comfortable working with since he is the man who brought Croatia to the finals. That is not to jump on the Bilic bandwagon which in the Croatian mass media which has got to the stage that nobody would bat an eyelid were they to suggest Bilic be sainted, for example several publications voted him their “2007 Man of the Year”. No, wiping away the mist of public idolisation, which could easily vanish if Croatia perform poorly, it is Bilic’s job to do what he feels right during these championships. The time for reflection and criticism is after the final whistle of Croatia’s final match, whether that be after their final group match against Poland on 16th June in provincial Klagenfurt or after a dream final against Italy in grandiose Vienna on 29th June. Bilic has shown he has great potential and even more passion, he must just remember that his players were what got him to the final and that public opinion can be painfully fickle come the end of the summer.

BBC article
UEFA team news
24 Sata article

Despite the similar names held by the parties of Tadic and Kostunica, a large gap has opened up between them, which itself lead to the need for the election as their coalition fell apart. In Serbia, being “pro-western” is all very relative. Tadic’s Democratic Party is the one which promotes integration with Europe, but in comparison with pro-European parties in Western Europe, Tadic’s Europhile credentials are rather thin. Kostunica on the other hand is the man who can be seen as having betrayed the 5th October Revolution which removed Slobodan Milosevic from power. For those of us who had not closely followed Kostunica’s career during the Milosevic years, we were swayed by a sentimental belief in democratic principles, believing him to be made from the same mould as the Buddhist monks of Burma or Morgan Tsvangirai in Zimbabwe. We were misguided. Whilst Kostunica has not lead Serbia into any more disastrous wars, he has nevertheless continued Milosevic’s rabble-raising practise of cheap-nationalism. This is the type of nationalism which one can get by waving a flag, spewing forth empty rhetoric and blaming the rest of the world for your country’s problems, rather than a sincere nationalism that looks to make the difficult decisions necessary to better people’s lives in the long term, even if that may make you look like the bad-guy at that point in time. In a country that has suffered so many problems and is so politically unstable it is understandable, though not forgivable, for a clever man like Kostunica to take the easy path, after all, come his retirement he will no doubt have more than enough money to live comfortably. Many other Serbs will not.

The difficult decision which needs to be made is letting go of Kosovo. Despite his faults, Tadic is at least the best hope which Serbia has. His men have portrayed the election as a choice either for or against Europe, but it would be interesting to see how the results would change were this instead depicted as a vote for or against continuing the Kosovo charade. Watching thousands of people stand outside the Skupstina, listening to Kostunica and other public figures speak about how Kosovo is the heart of Serbia and will always be part of Serbia was pitiful. When there is nothing to lose these people will be happy to join the masses, just as many of them did the same when they ousted Milosevic. It should be maybe asked though how many would continue to care about Kosovo (a region that the vast majority of Belgraders have no interest in visiting, let alone living in even were it to be part of Serbia) if they thought that it could be exchanged for a better life. Obviously this is hypothetical and infeasible in practise, but if offered the opportunity to work and study abroad with ease, take home pay cheques on a par with Slovenes and have a stable functioning democracy, the majority of people in Serbia would happily demand that their government recognise Kosovo’s independence immediately. The irony here though is that all of that is on offer. The EU is so keen to hush-up and talk that Serbia is being victimised that it is showing real flexibility on the issue of Serbian war criminals still at large that Serbia could, were it to cooperate and show a little humility, become a fully fledged member within a few short years.

This election will not augment a great deal of change in Serbia though. It is likely that we will see a continuation of the clanking system that has brought the country to its current pedestrian speed of development. If the culture of victimhood could be despatched with then Belgrade could become a locomotive. For the moment, if the woeful candidates who will assume office following 11th May are anything to go by, announcements by the government that the country will become a fully fledged EU member within four years seem patently ridiculous.

Slovenia already has a smoking ban in enclosed places and cigarette packs carry health warnings similar to those in the United Kingdom, far more visible than the discreetly placed messages on identical brands across the border in Croatia. For Macedonia, a country where one third of the adult population smokes at least twenty cigarettes per day, this is extremely progressive, and acts as further evidence to call into question the orientalising quips of the Greeks. Of course, a rebuff could be that this is action being taken by the government, an elite few, and does not reflect any change in public opinion against smoking. Further credence is offered to this line of thought following a survey which showed that only 5% of Macedonian smokers actually plan on giving up the habit. When forced to look at blackened lungs and diseased hearts though, maybe a few more will change their minds.

Of course, one should not be too quick to accuse the Macedonian government of cashing in politically on the smoking issue. There is the chance that the country’s leaders are entirely altruistic in their drive to decrease tobacco use, hoping to create a healthier nation. Sadly though, we do not live in the 1930s, and ideas such as creating a fit society seem to be anachronistic, belonging to 1930s propaganda films rather than the modern day given the huge number of other vices which exist and are tolerated in the country. Alternatively, maybe the government is attempting to make an investment for the future, hoping that by decreasing the number of smokers it will make healthcare easier in the years to come. Given the woeful lack of investment in basic healthcare when compared to industry and the military all across south-east Europe this also seems a little too idealistic to be true. When we look at the list of countries which already have smoking bans, including newer European Union members like Malta, Lithuania and Estonia and bedrock members such as France, Spain and Italy, it is not unreasonable that Macedonia wants to be in their company. The greatest for of flattery, after all, is imitation.

SEE Times article
B92 article
New York Times article

Srbljanovic has never minded courting controversy and putting her neck on the line, sometimes with mixed results. She has had run ins in the past with Serbian figureheads of politics and society, eminent director Emir Kusturica and current President Boris Tadic being two notable examples. Srbljanovic, in spite of her indomitable personality which can sometimes get the better of her judgement nevertheless offers an alternative which has been lacking from Serbian politics for sometime. She, with her liberal European ethos would represent a return to the legacy of assassinated Prime Minister Zoran Dindic, a man who himself was once Mayor of Belgrade.

It is with a certain irony that we should note that Srbljanovic is actually a relative of Radovan Karadzic, the war criminal who directed most of the atrocities from the Bosnian war of 1992-1995. The two characters, for anyone familiar with Srbljanovic’s work, look like political caricatures of Daca and Mara from Beogradska Trilogija. Despite their blood links, Karadzic and Srbljanovic are worlds apart. Karadzic must be left to the past while Srbljanovic should be thrust into the present. She, no doubt in part thanks to her good looks, is a beacon of youthful resistance, a woman with a fiery tongue that speaks the truth all too many others wish to brush under the rug.

Srbljanovic will need a lot of luck to get elected. She lags behind others in the polls, especially frontrunners from the Democratic and Radical parties. In all likelihood, she will not be elected, but Serbia is a complicated problem and not one which can be solved overnight. One little step from Srbljanovic adds to the other initiatives which she has made and also to those of others. Some will accuse her of using her mayoral bid as just another attempt at garnering publicity, but this is too easy a put-down. Were she not to speak out then we would no doubt accuse her of sitting back on her laurels. One of Yugoslavia’s other great authors, Ivo Andric, once said “Art and the will to resist are victorious over all evil and even death”. Given the worrying trend for many of Serbia’s cultural figures to tread the nationalist line during the war years, it is with even greater praise and respect that we should look to Srbljanovic as a model carved in the tradition of Andric.

SEE Times article about Srbljanovic
Srbljanovic’s B92 blog
urtain Up review of Beogradska trilgija

Dinamo in the hunt for Modrić’s successor
On Sunday 3rd February this year, Luka Modrić left Dinamo preparing in Turkey and departed for the gathering of the Croatian national team who then played against the Netherlands in Split. With a greeting to the Croatian journalists he said: “I believe that I’m leaving in the summer and... full stop!”

That’s how it will be, even though they don’t wish to officially recognise that at Maksimir. Dishonestly, besides, they would say that Dinamo is not prepared for the departure of Modrić. One option in the search for his successor are the young guys from its own backyard. Sammir has been here more than one year, has played for the Brazilian Under-19 national team and all who have seen his skills say that he will be better than Diego. But, Sammir is still a potential, a player who knows how to excite with moves, but does not seriously look like a player who would be able to dictate a game. In the summer Guela arrived, but his story till now is similar to that of Sammir.

The second option is buying. With the sale of Eduardo, Ćorluka and Pokrivač, the tills of the club from Maksimir are full and the door is ajar for an input of strengthening this summer... Urgently reacting to the excellent games of Ivo Iličević in the national youth team. If there was no too great an appetite in Bochum, the uniquely talented player would already be in a blue shirt. On the market are the interesting Brazilians Manuel Morais, Wellington Brito da Silva, and Otto Barić has recommended the young Albanian national team player Jahmir Hyku, but it is not impossible either for the input of Anas Sharbinij from Rijeka.

Dinamo’s coach Zvonimir Soldo has a third option in the life of Dinamo after Modrić’s departure.
-Modrić will be hard to replace, but there is plenty of time till the transfer deadline. If Luka goes, maybe it will change the style of play, but it’s too early to speak about that. Sammir really is an excellent player, but it’s necessary to see how he will react when he returns to the field.

So, in the case of a change to the style of play, for coordination will remain very little time, but Dinamo must be in top form by the end of July. When all of this is today counted, maybe it would be cleverer for Dinamo to sell Modrić this winter. Soldo and the players then would have a few months and a large number of competitive matches. They already claimed the championship last year...

With cash from Modric’s sale Dinamo must go into the summer months with an eye to bringing in other talents. Whether they will go for the domestic, expat or foreign markets remains to be seen. Modric is a unique player, meaning that Dinamo’s full coffers will have to be emptied to bring in a selection of players to fill the void. As the club’s top scorer this season they will need a proven goal-getter, though the injured Krunoslav Lovrek of NK Zagreb and the Hajduk Split ace Nikola Kalinic seem unlikely acquisitions. Finding a player to work the attacking midfield for the team will also be necessary. Whilst supporters are demanding an assault on the Champions’ League or UEFA Cup it appears that the 2008-2009 season may have to be sacrificed as one of likely domestic success but general transition.

Sportske Novosti article
NK Dinamo Zagreb profile of Modric

These links to the KLA could provide an obstacle to creating a multi-ethnic KSF. The transformation of the institution was backed by Martti Ahtisaari’s plan which itself placed great emphasis on Kosovo being a country for Albanians, Serbs and other ethnicities too. The KPC, until 2006 was lead by Agim Ceku, a skilled warrior who fought for the Croats and later the Kosovars but is therefore despised by Serbs. Whilst Ceku is no longer in this job his character looms large and influence weighs heavily. For the KSF to be accepted by the Serbs therefore, it will be necessary to promote the organisation more as a new beginning than a continuation of the KLA and the KPC. It is hard, in fact impossible, to imagine any of North Mitrovica’s angry and bitter Serb residents, those who attacked UN forces recently and killed a Ukrainian policeman, signing up to join a re-branded KLA.

To make a break with the past, the KSF must show itself to be a multi-ethnic force for all of Kosovo’s population in appearance and thought. This was quite successfully achieved at a state level with the selection of a flag and coat-of-arms that were blue and yellow in the European tradition rather than calling on any Albanian insignia such as the double-headed eagle. The KPC currently has an emblem which is painfully similar to that which was previously used by the KLA and this will have to change if the Albanians are sincere about the KSF being a state army representative of all citizens.

Thankfully, despite localised cases of abuse of power, there is an overriding desire for the KPC, and later the KSF, to be respectable and functional. The President of Kosovo, Fatmir Sejdiu, said that the KSF “will be established under the NATO standards”. Empty words can pour easily from Balkan lips, but in this instance there is good reason to be optimistic. KFOR, the UN force in Kosovo, will supervise the transformation and given Kosovo’s ultimate aims of European and NATO integration good management is the only option.

Current figures released by the KPC show that progress has been made with regards to welcoming the Serb population into the force, but the more work still needs to be done. The organisation is 93% Albanian in composition and currently only has 58 Serb members who are bunched together mostly in three of the sixteen units. Romany are also under-represented in the force numbering just 4, while on the other hand there are encouraging numbers of Bosnjaks, Turks, Croats and Ashkalia present.

Everybody, whichever side of the fence they stand on regarding the question of independence, knew that Kosovo’s present path was going to be bumpy. Following the declaration of independence it can be argued that it has been no easier nor no harder than expected. On the one hand Kosovo has been accepted as a sovereign state by some of the world’s most powerful countries, such as Germany, France, Britain and the United States. On the other hand, Russia and China are not supporters of the Prishtina government and UN membership seems quite unattainable for the time being. The most important task for all of those in favour of a democratic, multi-ethnic Kosovo for the time being is to remain united. This involves guarding against the partitioning of the country both institutionally and socially. There can be no “autonomous regions” or cantons for different ethnicities as this will only serve to divide and ghettoise the nation. Membership of ethnic minorities, including Serbs, to organisations such as the Parliament and the KPC/KSF must be encouraged to the extent that they should be present in disproportionately high numbers if possible. This would enable a genuine feel of belonging and show that Kosovo is not an Albanian state but rather a state for all people living in Kosovo irrespective of ethnicity.

KPC Official website
SEE Times article
UNMIK Offical website article about KPC
KFOR Official website