In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Mediterranean Quarterly 11.2 (2000) 23-28



[Access article in PDF]

New Trials for Europe and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership:
A View from Russia

Alexander V. Safronov


Since the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's assault on a sovereign state in southeastern Europe, the region has become a testing ground where the will of the international community for peace and stability is on trial. One would have expected, a year after the conduct of an illegal war, that all participants in the conflict would have acted in accordance with their official commitments and declarations and, above all, in conformity with the norms of international law. None of this happened. Instead we still see self-proclaimed victims, in the Balkans and elsewhere, engaging in terrorist acts for the benefit of CNN, expecting a Kosovo-like solution of internal problems.

The NATO approach to civil wars is disturbing, and so is its postwar "pacification" program in Kosovo. Unfortunately, instead of creating conditions for interethnic dialogue and the disarming of Albanian extremists, NATO, under the guise of misplaced humanitarianism, opted to adopt a policy leading to the perpetuation and perhaps escalation of the Kosovo crisis. NATO's decision to create an Albanian militia in Kosovo, a militia that under the alliance's nose has cleansed the region of all non-Albanian ethnic groups, was a clear violation of the Agreement for Stability in Southeastern Europe (which supposedly respects the "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). Arming the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) paves the way for changing Balkan borders and gives impetus to a new, long-term crisis in Europe. This risky gamble with the KLA, which the U.S. Department of State once listed as a terrorist organization, has shaken the faith of small nations in international institutions and in the core values of the democratic community of nations. Looking at the Balkans from [End Page 23] Moscow's vantage point, we wonder whether peace or a new Balkan order is NATO's ultimate goal.

Major participants in the adjustment process in the Balkans have to answer a central question: Do they prefer long-term crisis management in southeastern Europe, or do they seek to end the conflict as soon as possible and nip the aspirations of KLA-like extremists elsewhere in the bud? Time is of the essence. If Bosnia is a guide, however, it does not seem likely that NATO is in any hurry to get out of the Balkans.

The declared aim of our common efforts in the Balkans was to find a lasting solution to a civil conflict and to secure a democratic future for the region. Each of the signatories of the enabling UN Security Council resolutions and the Russian-NATO agreements that allowed the Kosovo Force (KFOR) to enter the territory of a sovereign state (in pursuit of stability in southeastern Europe) has a right to play a part in binding the wounds of the most recent wars in Europe. Unfortunately, what we see is the prospect of more civil strife in other parts of Yugoslavia with inevitable spillover beyond current borders. Whether the actions of certain groups and "leaders" are part of broader schemes or simply the product of a failed policy remains to be seen. However, the view from Moscow is hardly optimistic.

In fact, certain measures that have been taken by the international community vis-à-vis Kosovo, among them the creation of an Albanian military force, have led Albanian politicians (with tacit Western support) to pursue the goals of the separation of Kosovo from Yugoslavia and the creation of a Greater Albania through annexation of territory from neighboring countries. We now see the implications of such policies. Albanian extremists increasingly exploit (and benefit from) vague Western positions in order to carry out indiscriminate acts of violence against non-Albanian inhabitants of Kosovo. At the same time, they have intensified their efforts to consolidate their position in the Albanian-inhabited areas of Montenegro and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

To prevent further strengthening of the extremists, the international community should seek...

pdf

Share