[1488] Of Kosovo is a libertarian’s dilemma

Over 15 years after Slovenia and Croatia began the process of Balkanization, Kosovo is preparing to declare itself free from Serbia. As a libertarian, I am sympathetic to the Kosovar cause; freedom appeals to all libertarians. Yet, making a stand is harder than I thought it would be. Unlike the other republics that broke free from Yugoslavia, Kosovo has never been an individual component by itself in that federation.^[1] Instead, it has always been part of Serbia with — at one time or another — considerable autonomy power. This fact holds me back from properly throwing my weight behind Kosovo. The Serbs themselves consider Kosovo as the cradle of Serbian state^[2] but Kosovo nowadays is primarily inhabited by Albanians.^[3] Hoping to comprehend the situation deeper and eventually to form an opinion on the matter, I forced myself to read up on Kosovar history. After two days worth of reading, I may have decided that history may be more of a burden than of help. Or perhaps, we are simply being pushed into a false dilemma by various actor states.

I come to this conclusion not because I fell asleep while reading Kosovar and to some extent, Serbian, and inevitably Yugoslavian history. On the contrary, I found it quite exhilarating. Where ignorance once ruled, light shone upon me, establishing causes and effects of historical actions. The reason for my conclusion is that, its history is too convoluted and it goes back too far into the past. The hostility between Albanian and Serbs could be traced back all the way to the era when the Ottoman Empire first conquered the area in the 14th century.^[4] That is about 700 years ago and the hostility still persists.

A number of atrocities were committed by both sides throughout the 700 years and the last atrocity occurred during the late 1990s Kosovo War, barely years after the horror of neighboring Bosnia. NATO brought itself to intervene by driving the Serbs army out of Kosovo, but not before scars were inflicted on both Kosovo and Serbia, perhaps, matching wounds suffered by Bosnians. Since then, while Kosovo is officially part of Serbia, it has been administered by the United Nations.^[5] But an older Old Bridge has been built and Bosnia prospers, unlike Kosovo.

The status of Kosovo now hangs in balance. The Kosovars overwhelmingly prefer independence to continued association with Serbia while the Serbs strongly insist that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbian state. With two clear diametric positions, it is unclear what will happen if Kosovo moves toward independence unilaterally.^[6]

It is not impossible that violence will erupt yet again in the Balkans. Serbia has indicated that it is prepared to use force to secure the integrity of Serbian territory.^[7] On the other side, Albanian Kosovars are prepared to take up arms for a free Kosovo.^[8]

While traditional western powers and Russia are ready to take sides,^[9] notwithstanding their hypocrisy,^[10] I find both Kosovo and Serbia as having valid arguments. Almost like the never ending Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Kosovo’s case is supported by current reality on the ground; the reality is that a majority of Kosovars demand freedom. For Serbia, history justifies its claim over Kosovo just as history justifies Palestinian claim to the land Israel now sits upon.

Alas, we are living in the moment and adherence to history will cause too much pain. This calls for pragmatism. Just as the most palatable solutions for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a two-state solution instead of ejection of all Israelis into the sea, perhaps, the same goes to the question of Kosovo.

An astute libertarian would ask, but what about property right? Does Serbia not entitle to it?

I believe we can do better without resorting to crude pragmatism. Indeed, from a libertarian perspective, what important is the guarantee of individual liberties. With such guarantee, where all is treated equally, the idea of Kosovo in Serbia is possible just as the idea of one secular Israel is possible. Israelis and Palestinians as well as Kosovars and Serbians do not have to entrap themselves within the limiting framework of statehood.

The question is, are all sides prepared to live side by side as equal?

With respect to that, individual liberty may be the last thing on the mind of the Kosovars. If that is the case, then, I cannot find the most moral solution to the Kosovo question from the point of liberty.

If I had to choose, if I had to play into the despicable dilemma, unless Serbia could guarantee individual liberty to all Kosovars and indeed, all Serbians, I would be partial to Kosovo. In the face of tyranny, a free Kosovo prevails over Serbian claim. In face of tyranny, history has to be sidelined.

^[1] — Kosovo did exist as a component independent of Serbia while it was under the Ottoman Empire. But in Yugoslavia, Kosova has always been part of Serbia. See Kosovo Province, Ottoman Empire at Wikipedia.

^[2] — Nikolic said Serbia could not sit idly by as its cherished Kosovo province, considered the cradle of Serbia’s medieval state, wins recognition by the United States and most EU countries. [AP Interview: Ultranationalist leader calls for Russian military bases in Serbia. AP via IHT. December 18 2007]

^[3] — See the Demographics section under Kosovo at Wikipedia.

^[4] — See Battle of Kosovo at Wikipedia.

^[5] — See United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 at Wikipedia.

^[6] — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice affirmed Friday that international negotiations over the future of Kosovo had reached a dead end, even as its probable new prime minister said that Kosovo would not seek independence from Serbia until early next year.

After a meeting of NATO foreign ministers here, Ms. Rice indicated that diplomacy had been exhausted and that Washington was ready to move to the next phase.

[…]

“That means we have to move on to the next step,” she said. “It is not going to help to put off decisions that need to be taken.” Serbia, which is vehemently opposed to Kosovo’s independence, has offered the province broad autonomy, but Kosovo does not want any agreement that falls short of full independence. [Talks on Kosovo Hit a Dead End, Rice Says. NYT. December 8 2007]

^[7] — BELGRADE: Serbia is ready to use force to prevent Western nations from recognizing Kosovo as an independent state, a senior Serbian official warned Wednesday. [Serbia threatens to use force if West recognizes Kosovo. IHT. September 5 2007]

^[8] — The Albanians, making up 90 per cent of the 2.2 million inhabitants, are hostile to Serbia and have threatened to take up arms if they do not win independence. [Kostunica: Serbia would annul Kosovo’s independence. EUX.TV. December 17 2007]

^[9] — The twist is all the stranger because Serbs have so far looked mostly to Russia for assistance, because most Western countries have supported Kosovo’s independence drive. [Serbia Enlists Some Unlikely Faces in Its Quest to Keep Kosovo. NYT. December 23 2007]

^[10] — MOSCOW President Vladimir Putin says the world must apply the same standards to the separatist Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as it does to the Serbian province of Kosovo, where many are seeking independence. [Putin says world should regard Kosovo, separatist Georgian regions on equal footing. NYT. September 16 2006]