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275 Kosovo under the Milošević regiMe ◆ Dusan Janjić, with Anna Lalaj and Besnik Pula ◆ Slobodan Milošević’s rule over Kosovo (1989–1999) was marked by intense political conflict that led to open rebellion followed by international military intervention . By invoking the so-called ethnic principle, the government he led tried to establish a state in which Serb interests and aspirations would not be threatened by other ethnic groups, particularly by Albanians in Kosovo, but also across the territory of the former Yugoslavia. In Kosovo and elsewhere a premium was placed on “historic rights” and the sanctity of state sovereignty. Albanian leaders responded by building “parallel state” institutions and eventually proclaiming their own independent republic. Both sides justified their agendas in historic terms with nationalist Serbs claiming to preserve Kosovo as Serbia’s cradle of statehood and nationalist Albanians endeavoring to reverse the division of Albanian lands by the Great Powers in 1913. This conflict has a long history. Yet the particular course that the conflict took at the end of the eighties was largely determined by the institutional framework inherited from the socialist era and by the particular political dynamics that precipitated and followed Yugoslavia’s dissolution. Kosovo as a Catalyst for Milošević’s Rise to Power As late as the 1980s, most of the Serbian political establishment preferred an authoritarian government in which a leading autocrat decided what is best for the people. The choice fell on Slobodan Milošević, who was strongly supported by Serbs in the highest ranks of the military. His open ambition for absolute power inspired the military leadership with the hope that he would be able to provide it with the budgetary support needed to maintain control over the Yugoslav federation . Apart from that, they also shared with him the same ideology and a common desire to maintain state socialism. In order to meet these goals, Milošević proposed constitutional changes within Serbia, intending to resolve the state issue by activating Serb nationalism.1 Hiding behind the idea of protecting Yugoslavia, 276 ◆ Dusan JanJić, with anna LaLaJ anD Besnik PuLa Milošević pursued a policy of homogenization and ethnic mobilization of the masses aiming at a thorough “reorganization of Serbia and Yugoslavia.”2 The first step toward dominating Yugoslavia was to subjugate Kosovo. Existing tensions between Serbs and Albanians served Milošević’s strategy of reinforcing ethnic distance and distrust. It endeavored to make Serbs feel threatened and promote new institutions based on ethnic principles that would inevitably marginalize and frustrate Kosovo’s Albanian majority. Massive rallies were frequently organized in Serbia around one leader, Slobodan Milošević. This atmosphere of ethnocentric superiority promoted the feeling of belonging to the nation and the need for a “firm hand.” For example, the media delivered the message that “Serbs are brave, honest and civilized; others are cunning and mean and we will not let them rule over us.” Dissatisfaction was intentionally turned into an aggressive large-scale national movement that fostered a spirit of revenge and retaliation.3 The Serbian public was exposed to the “psychology of the wounded lion,” based on the belief of Milošević’s supporters that the broad autonomy of Vojvodina and Kosovo had weakened Serbia.4 The number and influence of those who shared this conviction helped intensify and escalate the crisis through fear that the dissolution of Yugoslavia would unite the Serbs’ rivals while leaving them divided among several states.5 Survival necessitated “quick and sharp solutions,” efficiently administered by the traditional resort to centralism and Serbian nationalism . Many journalists, academics, and politicians who supported Milošević viewed any decentralization or federalization of Serbia as capitulation to the slogan “Weak Serbia—Strong Yugoslavia” dating from the time of Stalin’s Cominterm that would lend “support to Albanian and other minority separatism” and Serbia’s fragmentation.6 Serbian nationalist awareness of Kosovo was dominated by the conviction that “Old Serbia” had been “Albanicized” by a colonizing Albanian population. The possibility that Kosovo would separate from Serbia and turn it into an “ethnically clean” region was viewed as a direct threat to Serbian national identity. Kosovo was linked with the vital national interests of the Serbs, giving it a special role in Serbian history and ideology. Therefore, appeals to end Albanian repression against Kosovo’s Serb minority were widely accepted by the Serbian public . They were reinforced in 1986, by the Communist leadership in Kosovo Polje, which demanded the removal of officials in Kosovo, Serbia, and elsewhere in Yugoslavia...

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