Trading with the enemy in Mitrovica, Kosovo. - RUhosting

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Peace framework. 3.2. The war economy. This thesis explores the potential contribution of trade in Mitrovica to improving relations between Albanians and Serbs. In this regard, it has to be considered that trade can also have negative effects on relations. Since little research has been conducted specifically on trade in post conflict societies the slightly broader concept of entrepreneurship will be discussed here. Naudé (2007) divides entrepreneurship into productive, unproductive or destructive entrepreneurship. He uses Baumol's (1990: 987) definition of entrepreneurship for his argument. ‘Entrepreneurs are defined, simply, to be persons who are ingenious and creative in finding ways that add to their own wealth, power, and prestige’. Although this definition is broader than the concept of traders, it fits this group in Kosovo very well. Productive entrepreneurship contributes to the economic growth of a country, unproductive does not and destructive entrepreneurship is generally illegal and has a negative impact on the society most of the time but not always, which makes this definition slightly confusing. During a conflict many people have the opportunity to develop substantial business interests, these people are described by Cooper (2006) as 'conflict entrepreneurs'. In many cases, these people make achieving peace more difficult because they gain more from war than peace. When the conflict ends, they also have an impact on the newly emerging post-conflict society. With the riches they gathered during the war they are often able to achieve powerful positions - such as in politics - in the post-conflict society while their interests often lie in continuing the instability of the country to benefit their illegal businesses (Naudé, 2007). This is very visible in Mitrovica where politicians and criminals walk hand in hand, if they're not the same person to begin with. This will be illustrated further in the context chapter of this thesis. This link between clandestine trade and conflict is explored by Adreas (2004), who focuses on the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina. He argues that the recent war in Bosnia-Herzegovina was once it started shaped to a large extend by illegal trading activities and smuggling between the different ethnic groups. During the war this not only extended the conflict but later it would also shape it's outcome. When the war started Muslims in Bosnia (also called Bosniaks) hardly had any weapons, while Serbs were able to claim the majority of the materials of the Yugoslav army and therefore had an abundance of them. This made it possible for the Serbs to quickly conquer huge parts of land in Bosnia-Herzegovina, while the more entrepreneurial Serbs made a nice profit by selling these weapons to Bosniaks (Andreas, 2004). A news article about Sarajevo reported in 1993: “By day, Serbian gunmen in the suburb of Grbavica fire mortars and sniper bullets into the Muslim-held quarters of the city, and Muslim soldiers...fire back. At night, the two forces meet at the bridges spanning the 21
Miljacka River, separating the Serbian and Muslim parts of the city, and conduct a thriving trade 2 This means that (criminal) Serbs were in fact helping Bosniaks winning the war, out of their own individual self interest. It was because of this and other illegal trading activities that Sarajevo was able to survive its three year long siege. As trading – also with other partners – intensified during the war the Bosniaks were able to get enough weapons to turn the offensive in their favour. Because the tables were turned Serbs were willing to sign a peace agreement in 1995 (Andreas, 2004). Even after the conflict ended inter-ethnic contact remained very strong in the smuggling economy. “And in the postwar period, the ability to transcend ethnic divisions is nowhere more advanced than in the thriving smuggling economy” (Andreas, 2004). During the conflict criminals and other people normally at the margins of society where able to gather substantial riches enabling them to become the new elite in the post-conflict society. These people are now the 'criminal elite' and have close ties with the government and especially nationalist political parties. A large marketplace on the border between the federation and the Serbian republic in Bosnia was left alone by the international community for quite some time because of the huge amount of inter-ethnic contact taking place there, despite most of the trade being conducted being illegal. It was the belief of the western policy makers in liberal peace that made them think this inter-ethnic trade would be beneficial, and this is reflected in their policy. It is questionable though if the inter-ethnic contact taking place at this market did any good, because the place is being run by hardline obstructionists who are hindering ethnic integration (Andreas, 2004). Andreas (2004) notes with good reason that the western idea of trade benefiting peace may not be true in the case of illegal trade, and that this topic requires a deeper understanding. “While Western officials promote the classic liberal argument that peace can be fostered through trade and economic interdependence, it remains to be seen whether durable peace can also come through illegal trade and clandestine economic interdependence” (Andreas, 2004). Although the conflict in Kosovo was shorter and less intense than in Bosnia-Herzegovina, it will be shown in the context chapter that both post-conflict situations are comparable on many levels. As especially in Mitrovica hardliners and nationalists have become very powerful in the post-conflict society through criminal activities and they use this power to protect their business interests and obstruct ethnic integration. 2 The New York Times. John. F. Burns. Gangs in Sarajevo Worry Diplomats. Published: Monday, October 4, 1993 http://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/04/world/gangs-in-sarajevo-worry-diplomats.html?pagewanted=1 visited on 01-09-2009 22
Page 1 and 2: Nijmegen School of Management, Radb
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Page 5 and 6: CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION “Sixteen
Page 7 and 8: Governmental Organisations (IGO's)
Page 9 and 10: 1.4. Thesis organisation - Short ou
Page 11 and 12: I learned a lot from it, as I found
Page 13 and 14: Of the seventeen people interviewed
Page 15 and 16: interesting experience was organisi
Page 17 and 18: Mitrovica Serb admitted that when h
Page 19 and 20: CHAPTER 3: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK "P
Page 21: 4. Trade encourages the broader exp
Page 25 and 26: This part of inter-ethnic trade can
Page 27 and 28: For the largest part of the past 60
Page 29 and 30: “Because of such dissatisfactions
Page 31 and 32: sent all colonists back to Kosovo.
Page 33 and 34: Conditions have improved and the de
Page 35 and 36: Albanians reacted to these new poli
Page 37 and 38: same: First an Albanian village whi
Page 39 and 40: Data from the SOK is sometimes used
Page 41 and 42: the highest aid per capita ever giv
Page 43 and 44: Country % of Export % of Import Alb
Page 45 and 46: which were in turn disbanded in fav
Page 47 and 48: Another similarity between both com
Page 49 and 50: situation developed in favour of th
Page 51 and 52: its economic situation. Mitrovica u
Page 53 and 54: CHAPTER 5: RESULTS Placing inter-et
Page 55 and 56: Albanian” and by Serbs associated
Page 57 and 58: “But I will never accept the inde
Page 59 and 60: Another important reason why reconc
Page 61 and 62: “Everything that happens in Mitro
Page 63 and 64: August 2009 with violent protests a
Page 65 and 66: nationalists” because he believes
Page 67 and 68: (respondent #4). A Serb working in
Page 69 and 70: CHAPTER 6: RESULTS Views on the eff
Page 71 and 72: elieves inter-ethnic trade will imp
Page 73 and 74:
Trader 3. Respondent #7, an Albania
Page 75 and 76:
daughter of his sister who went to
Page 77 and 78:
issues. On top of that you have to
Page 79 and 80:
towards their colleagues of the oth
Page 81 and 82:
that even if the legal or the grey
Page 83 and 84:
2004. Second, Blanton argues that "
Page 85 and 86:
REFERENCES Andreas, P. (2004). The
Page 87 and 88:
Lagazio, M., & Russett, B. (2004).
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