Pandora's Box? A Southeast European Taiwan? or a path to Freedom?

The deadline on Kosovo unilateral proclamation on Independence is fast approaching. By February 17th, it is thought that the small landlocked region will declare itself a nation, and be recognized by the US and most of the EU.  Not everyone is happy about this, however.  The Russians call it "Pandora's Box." Cyprus has refused to recognize any unilateral decision. Many fear an ethnic fracturing, not only of Kosovo, but of Serbia (in the Albanian populated south, near where I lived) as well as Bosnia.  What will be the most likely future of Kosovo?

There are three ways to look at a unilaterally independent Kosovo, the "Pandora's Box," a Southeastern European Taiwan, or a path to freedom.

As previously mentioned, Kosovo has the power to tear the region apart. After nearly a decade of working through the UN Security Council to obtain freedom (which has always been threatened by Russian Veto - another reason why permanent vetoes for the UNSC trouble me), Kosovo is tired of rule by proxy. The UN has managed the region with the help of KFOR, a massive military endeavour through NATO.  But if Kosovo breaks free, what of the Serb minority who remain in Kosovo? Kosovo is not 100% Albanian In fact there are approximately 800 people known as "Gorani" who are Serb, yet Muslim.  Neither the Albanians (mostly Muslim) or Serbs (mostly Orthodox) care for them much. What happens to them in an independent Kosovo?  

Also, there are Albanians in the south of Serbia who have already made a ploy to join Kosovo a few years ago.  What will they do if Kosovo is independent? And what of Bosnia, particularly the Serb region known as the Republik of Srpsk? Some has suggested they break from Bosnia should Kosovo break from Serbia.  Such a move invalidates the Dayton Accords, which ended the bloodiest European conflict since World War II.  

Or perhaps a unilateral independent Kosovo is a bit like Taiwan - Not recognized by some, trading partner with others. Kosovo does have massive coal deposits and could provide electricity for the region, except that Serbia refuses to trade with an independent Kosovo.  There goes most of your borders and most of your imports/exports.

Or perhaps Kosovo may be a model for independence.  The Kosovo leadership has held off unilateralism for years, waiting until all other options have failed.  They still wish to follow the plan laid out by the UN for independence.  It's a longshot, but perhaps there is a way for an economically stable, independent Kosovo to avoid bloodshed.

Serbia Recap - Part 1

Still processing all of my thoughts on this summer, so decided to update in parts rather than go for too long without posting. So this part will focus mostly on things that I've started to experience upon arriving back home.

First of all, I never realised how well people drive in America. No, seriously, stop laughing. After 9 weeks of watching motorbikes cut around trucks, people disregarding the lines in the road, and generally just having to deal with angry drivers, it was incredible to see people driving correctly on the roads.

That said, I got used to walking everywhere. Now when I walk, people look at me like my car has broken down.

Supermarkets freak me out now. The first day back we stopped to get some milk and other foodstuff, and I decided to get cereal. I ended up walking up and down the aisle, in shock of how much food was there, and that this one small area had more food in it than the store I used to shop at while in Vranje. I'm sure that people must have thought I was crazy as I held my box of PB Cruch against my chest like it was Linus' security blanket. Same feeling of awe when I opened my parent's refrigerator and saw how much food was in there, fresh food.

Understanding what everyone says is a bit odd, too. I entered into this zen mindset while in Serbia, listening to the rise and fall of conversation rather than the words, like listening to instrumental classical music or Italian Opera. Now I am hearing what people are saying, and most of the time I'm just shocked at what I hear, especially when people are on the cell phones. How I long for days past when, even if people were talking about Britney Lohan, I didn't understand them.

Sleep, that's another thing that's been a major part of my life again. I still only sleep 4-6 hours a night, but I've been forcing myself to take naps too, just to catch up and such. Been also eating more, now that I have access to more fresh food such as meat and eggs.

Overall, I think the biggest impact my time in Serbia has had is teaching me humility and that the things most people in Western Europe and in America take for granted really are boons and we should be thankful for them. Yeah, I know, it sounds trite, but I've never really thought about how lucky I am that I can buy all my food at one store, and that it will all be fresh and stay fresh for days. I still remember the first day that I bought Orange Juice that had expired, and I dumped it out. 5 weeks later, when I bought Orange Juice that had been opened, I just drank it. Now that I'm back in the US, I know I probably will never encounter either when I go to Pathmark and Kroger.

That's all I have for now, but I'll be posting more reflections as they come to me. After a week of no internet access followed by a few days of straight sleeping, I've finally started to get back into the habit of writing. Which is good, since classes are starting soon...

Leaving the Republic of Serbia. Goodbye.

Said the sign on the border between Macedonia and Serbia. My bags were packed and loaded in the boot of Davor's car, I had said farewell to the staff at Generator, played with Davor's new puppy, returned the cell phone and keys to my flat and office, and started on my last trip out of Vranje as an EWI research associate. It most likely will not be the last time I visit this town- Davor insists that Dea and I visit once the house is completed - but after spending such time there, it was a bit hard to let it go.

Probably should have linked this earlier, but here's the wikipedia entry on Vranje

Completely drained at this point with the juggling of everything I have and had to do. Fortunately I just keep getting one thing done at a time, completing one mission after another, and things aren't too bad.

One positive: Now that I'm in Skopje, I've got much stronger internet connection. Apparently Dea could actually see me crystal clear for the first time in 9 weeks. I've also many times more co-workers, though I've already started to miss the rapport I had with Davor. Lost power already once since I've been here, forgotten how unstable the grid is in Skopje.

On a completely unrelated note, want to thank everyone for keeping up with my blog. When I read the comments or hear someone mention it to me, it makes me forget about the work I'm supposed to be doing.

For at least a minute or so.

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Final Paper for UACS - First Draft Completed
Feasibility Study of Free Trade Zone Creation in the GPKT region - Under Review
Edit Phrasebook created by GPKT Youth Project - Completed

Copyright? There's no Copyright in the Balkans!

So one of the many things that I have discovered this summer is the lack of copyright here in the Balkans. There have been many instances in which I've seen bootleg DVD sellers just on the streets, offering the latest in TV and Film for you to purchase. (I was lent a copy of Last King of Scotland that I discovered to be bootlegged once I looked at the bottom of the disc). It doesn't stop there - Disney characters adorn the walls of pre-schools and shopping centres alike. But
perhaps the best moment in copyright infringement was during my visit to Pristina. The extra-legal "Green Market" aside, there are shops open at night that you can rent films from on DVD, or just simply buy them. 0.50 Euros (less than 75 cents) a night, or buy it for 1.50 Euros (About $2.25). Think of Blockbuster, but with no membership card and more closet sized.

So how do they manage to rent and sell at such crazy low low prices? You guessed it - Burned DVDs. If they don't have it in stock, they can just burn you one there, and you can pick it up in an hour or less.

One has to wonder how exactly these businesses will fare if EU membership talks take place. Somehow I doubt the MPAA will take kindly to EU members blatantly disregarding copyrights....

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Project Status
Feasibility Study of Free Trade Zone Creation in the GPKT region - Final Draft
Edit Phrasebook created by GPKT Youth Project - Completed
Final Paper for UACS - First Draft Phase, 4/20 pages completed

Off the beaten (goat) path

And we're back! After a very busy day involving disassembling the entire office, reassembling the entire office, and then having to repair the phone lines for ADSL, we have both A/C *and* Internet at the office! Living the life of luxury, that's me. Also, a warm welcome to all of those visiting from blogwatch; the fridge is to your left, so help yourself.

So now that the internet has returned, I figured I should update with what is going on. The party in Pristina was fun, met many internationals there, swapped stories and songs, talked about free trade (yeah, I've become an Econ-Geek..) and generally had a good time. Monday was a trip to Skopje where I met with my supervisor over lunch, discussed my moving there for a few days in July as I finish my paper. Tuesday began the great exodus from the old office to the new office as we made a giant fort of binders that I could barely see my coworkers over. After bombarding Davor with balled up bits of paper for a few minutes, we started to take down the furniture, losing most of the cam shafts in the process. Started making small trips in Davor's car with the basic items, which only took two trips due to the fact we were waiting on the Land Cruiser to bring the desk and table parts.

Land Cruisers in a town where everyone drives compact cars is a hilarious site. I know what a Monster Truck Driver must feel like. took the parts of the 3 desks, 2 tables, enclosed shelves, 5 chairs and the filing draws all in one trip.

And looked very cool doing it, thank you very much.

Set up a meeting with a student of Public Health from John Hopkins for this upcoming week - he's doing work on crisis preparedness, so we're helping him connect with NGOs and municipality people. Cuz we're nice people.

After an intense week like this, we decided we needed to take a break. So Davor invited me to go on a picnic in celebration of a feast day with his family. So me, Davor, his wife and kids loaded up in the car and met up with Davor's brother-in-law and family for a fun picnic lunch next to a really nice stream.

Highlights included breaking the language barrier with his 4 year old son using sign language (thumbs up, high-five, and the Rina famous 'pound') and the hat game (which was basically him throwing his hat to me, me throwing it back.

Davor's daughter tried to teach me some Serbian words and I taught her the English equivalent, with some help from Davor.

Played football with his 14 year old nephew (which turned into 1 on 1... I scored one goal though!)

His 5 year old niece asked if I would bring her and her grandmother to America with me, then scratched my beard and kissed me on the cheek, to the amusement and "awws" of everyone there.

Kicked a bee's arse, which also means I got stung on the toe. Still aches.

Waded in the stream to keep said bee-sting cold.

Tried a new beverage that's pronounced "bamboo", and entails mixing wine with either water with gas (if the wine is white) or with cola (if the wine is red). It was very refreshing.

Ate food cooked over a fire for the first time in ages, and remembered how much I missed cooking chicken on a spit back at camp.

But perhaps nothing so impacted me as yet another lil old lady story. Different lil old lady, this one dressed like she stepped out of a fairy tale storybook. Our campsite was next to a path that was mainly traversed by goats. Sheep and cows sometimes also used it, but mainly we saw goats. Then this lil old lady comes over and asks if she could join us. So we give her some juice and some bread, and the 5 year old sits on her lap and talks to her, and generally just share some company with her. After she goes on her way about a half hour later, I ask Davor about it, and if it is customary to let lil old ladies join you for food. He thought about it for a moment and said that it was, a long time ago. But now people sometimes forget about the elderly. This lil old lady in particular probably had children living in the suburbs of Vranje, too far for her to walk to an visit, and without income she probably can't get on a bus and travel. They might visit her once a month or so, but even then that's doubtful. So it made me feel really good that we got to share some of our bounty with the lil old lady. Keep earning my karma, thats what I say.

So that's all for now. Keep it tuned here for more misadventures, and feel free to check out the blogs of some of my classmates through the various comments left around. Comments on this post, as all posts before, are very welcomed.

Sick and Tired

Good gods, I'm sick. Got home yesterday from a UNDP meeting, and stomach just started acting up. Ended up freaking out, then skype acted up, so I ended up calling out instead, which only lasted for 14 minutes. Skype got back up, then started getting the "Oh gods why won't it make up it's mind either stay down or come up! My ribs can't take much more internal bruising" feeling. Stayed up most of the night, getting what little comfort that I could from talking with those I cared about, then passed out around 3AM. woke up a few hours later, dragged myself to the office while warding off the "Vision distorting everything to non-Euclidean geometry" Helped Davor set up skype on the lap top, nearly feel down the stairs each time I walked to his area, until he gave me some medicine that helps to "sweat out" the illness, and I went home. Scary lady on the third floor still tried to have a conversation with me, even though she *knows* I have no idea what she's saying. Walking up 5 flights of stairs with this vision altering sickness, took more of the Serbian sweat medicine, and passed out on and off. Need to be better before going to Gjilan tomorrow at 8:30....

Further on the Conference, More Letters, and Photos

So after a very long and trying weekend (We lost power again, which means everything in my flat acts stupid for a day after) and having an allergic reaction to something (don't know what, hope to god it's not something in the soups i've been making or in my kitchen in general), I dragged myself to work.  Get yet another bit of mail (this makes 3, for those playing along at home) and got teased for it, since all three have been from the same, wonderful, incredible person (she knows who she is. :-P) My day improved dramatically as I opened the letter (by hand, not by bunny ;) and read what was inside, so that's always a plus.
Went to look at a third option for where we might be moving the office (I take the photos) and found it to be a really really nice place.  Still waiting on what the final price will be, then Davor and I will be emailing Robert, the Project Director, to see if it's acceptable.

In other news, last friday we went to a conference on Corruption that I mentioned in the title of the last post, but didn't go too indepth on it. I still can't go too indepth into it, because I only understood whatever I could overhear the translator at the other table say. The speakers were quite good, however, with Custom Agents, Professors, and NGO heads. The professor told the story about how one of his collegues accepted money for a passing grade for his student, only to find years later when needing emergancy treatment after an accident. the head doctor in charge was the very student that bought his way through the class.

Afterwards we checked out the hot springs that attract visitors from all over the region. The water is 96 degrees C, or "Ready for Coffee" according to Hyzri, as he, Davor and I stuck our hands in the near-boiling water.

Also saw the hotel that they stopped building halfway through, a huge building that now has trees growing in it... reminded me of my misspent youth investigating "Weird New Jersey" 

Photos Below:


Hyzri, Davor's Father, Davor and I


Hot Spring


Crazy Hotel




Landscape

http://www.b92.net/eng/

http://www.b92.net/eng/ is the main source for info on Kosovo and Serbia, and much of the rest of the Balkans. I read it pretty religiously (especially when insomnia kicks in), so if you are interested in what's happening in my neck of the world, or if your Lunestra just isn't cutting it, take a look* :)


*It's really not that bad. But then again, since I basically live this at the moment, my judgement may, in fact, be skewed slightly.

On Renting an Apartment

Perhaps the first thing one notices in a foreign country is the way business transactions are handled. After a great dinner consisting of a "meat plate" (which, for those not familiar with Balkan cuisine, means meat, meat shaped into sausage link like bundles, meat on a stick, and meat stuffed with more meat and cheese), I spent the first night in the office (there is a spare bedroom in my office area, so it's not quite like camping). The next morning I registered with the local police (which I must do each time I leave the country, so I'll be a familiar face there) and went to look at my flat. Located minutes away from the office, it is on the top floor and has two balconies. After fierce negotiations (including allowing the landlady, who is as old as my grandmother, to keep some things in the refrigerator and access to the flowers on the balcony to water them, in return for them bringing a new TV to the flat - I didn't have the heart to tell them I don't know what the TV says anyway) we sealed the deal. This was done by me handing over the full two months rent and them giving Davor, my contact at EWI, and myself a shot of the local moonshine. This went over well, especially since it was 11:30 AM. Still, it was customary, so when in Rom... err Serbia...

"You're Going Where?"

...said my mom the first day I told her my internship was in Kosovo. Some of you may know the background of why I'm going to spend 10 weeks in the Balkans, but for those of you just tuning in, here's what's going on. I'm a grad student at the Clinton School of Public Service. One of our requirements for graduation is to work in an international capacity. Due to my penchant for saving the world, I chose to do conflict transformation work in Kosovo. So Monday, May 21st, 2007 I fly from JFK to Skopje, Macedonia (with a quick layover in Budapest) to get to Serbia directly to the north.

Here's what my site sent me:

Brief background to EWI and the GPKT Project

For 25 years the EastWest Institute (EWI), a European-American ‘think and do tank’, has operated long-term projects that aim to reduce tensions and promote dialogue and mutual understanding in critical locations around the world. Since its founding, EWI has committed itself to strengthening dialogue and to building a culture of conflict prevention by entrenching co-operation among and between different groups and communities.

EWI’s cross-border co-operation project in Kosovo, southern Serbia and northern Macedonia has been working since early 2003 works towards the core goals of conflict prevention and community development in the four border municipalities that comprise the ‘GPKT’ micro-region – Gjilan/Gnjilane (Kosovo), Presevo (Serbia), Kumanovo (Macedonia) and Trgoviste (Serbia). In addition to collaborative work with municipalities and central-level governments on policy and economic development issues, the project targets civil society through several cross-border and multi-ethnic Working Groups – the GPKT Education Committee, the GPKT Youth Council, the GPKT Women’s Working Group and the GPKT Media Working Group.

Please visit www.ewi.info and www.gpkt.org for more information.

General note

The current situation of political instability surrounding the final decision on Kosovo’s status will obviously impact on the progression of the GPKT project, currently in the middle of it’s second phase (December 2005 to May 2008). While EWI cannot guarantee that the activities outlined below will be possible, at this stage (May 2007), it appears very likely that the outline of responsibilities should be possible, and that although caution and flexibility will be needed, activities should be able to continue. However, the intern should be prepared to face a situation where this work outline is not possible due to political developments, and in such a situation EWI commits to identifying a new role in consultation with the intern and to supporting a flexible approach in order to help ensure a positive work experience over the internship placement.

A. Internship Outline

At the time of wiring, in May 2007, it seems clear that a combination of the following responsibilities would comprise the intern’s work with the GPKT team over the summer of 2007. Namely, a combination of more general support, which would also provide insight and involvement with varied programme activities, and a more specific personal research project which the intern could ‘make their own’:

§ General support to ongoing activities – assistance in various areas, including:

– Help with report writing and editing. As a native English language speaker, this will be helpful for colleagues on the team, and would include assisting with drafting activity reports of specific events or workshops, and also editing or commenting on longer policy brief type of papers.

– Help with planning and organising policy discussion meetings such as roundtables. This would be part of the process of policy research noted above, and would include input into agenda and participant list development and a role at the event.

– Help with fund-raising. This would include work with the youth working group on fund-rising proposals, part of their efforts at self-sustainability. It could also include input into larger strategy development for EWI in terms of commenting and inputting into concept papers for programme fund-raising.

§ Support to research and integrated development work – there would be a chance for a more specific ‘mini project’ type of activity for the intern. While EWI undertakes or commissions policy research on key issues identified as relevant to the project activities, there is also space for shorter ‘situation analysis’ type of short research pieces, which would aim to collect the facts and indicate potential policy directions for further exploration. Two key potential topics which would benefit from such analysis are:

– Higher education and vocational education in the micro-region – the key dynamics and potentials associated with these issues in terms of conflict transformation and cross-border co-operation.

– Free trade zones – the potential benefits on the ground for local communities versus the upcoming process towards European-associated free trade areas and regional tariff agreements.

For both of these pieces, first steps would be a basic ‘status quo’ info collection, which would then link with data we gathered on labour market and business needs from local businesses in summer 2006, and would be complemented by additional desk research and interviews with key informants. We would also remain open to considering alternative topics of particular personal interest to the intern for similar assessments, although their relevance to ongoing EWI initiatives would obviously have to be considered.

B. Qualifications / Requirements

Required qualifications for this internship would be:

§ Experience (either practical or covered as an area of study) of and/or genuine interest in the thematic area for internship confirmed with EWI (e.g. education, women’s issues, economic development / municipal development, youth, media etc.).

§ Experience and understanding of the sensitivities surrounding multi-ethnic activities and initiatives.

§ Understanding of the political and conflict dynamics in the Balkans region.

§ Common sense, patience and sensitivity

§ Equipment – a laptop and mobile phone (the EWI team can help with purchasing of a local SIM card for project-related communication).

§ For research-related internships: Ability to collect information from a variety of sources (in-person consultation will be important, as well as assessment of a range of written material), analyse and produce intelligent and well-informed conclusions and recommendations. Ability to work without substantial support or supervision.

§ For community-work related internships: Ability to work as part of a multi-national team, and good communications skills.

Desirable qualifications for this internship would be:

§ Experience of thematic area for internship (confirmed with EWI) on a practical level.

§ Experience of the Balkans.

§ Experience of living in field conditions (poor communications/transport, lack of amenities, etc.).

§ Language skills – Serbian, Macedonian or Albanian, would be a huge advantage.

C. Placement

The intern would be based in the EWI office in Vranje (Serbia), have a work space and access to EWI’s office facilities, and the support of the staff member working there; regular travel would most likely be required to Kosovo and Macedonia, and the intern would engage with staff in all three EWI offices (Vranje-Serbia, Gjilan/Gnjilane-Kosovo, and Skopje-Macedonia). The intern’s supervisor would depend on their area of work, but ultimate supervision/management would be provided by Chrissie Hirst, the GPKT Project Manager, who would be on hand for induction and subsequent support - facilitation of contact-building and work planning, discussion of progress and monitoring of delivery, etc.