Trading with the enemy in Mitrovica, Kosovo. - RUhosting

CHAPTER 6: RESULTS
Views on the effects of inter-ethnic trade of experts in Kosovo.
“When a man's got money in his pocket he begins to
appreciate peace”.
-Per un pugno di dollari / A fistful of dollars (1964).
The previous chapter discussed how some Albanians and Serbs improved their relations with members of
the other ethnic group after engaging in contact with them over longer periods of time. Long term inter-
ethnic contact was shown to either improve relations and remove stereotypes in the best scenarios, while in
the worst scenarios it did not really lead to any change. In general, the image was quite positive. It was also
discussed how inter-ethnic contact is forbidden in most of Kosovo and especially in Mitrovica, except when
there is money involved. People understand how everyone has to make a living and with the scarceness of
jobs it is accepted to have inter-ethnic contact when this makes a living. Now does inter-ethnic trade have the
possibility of contributing to better relations between Albanians and Serbs in Mitrovica as well?
6.1. Money and self-interest
The first and most important thing that trade achieves beneficial to an improvement of inter-ethnic relations
is contact across the ethnic boundaries. This is hardly disputable as it is happening all over Mitrovica. The
reason why inter-ethnic trade is happening is - quite simply - money. Money and personal interest in general
offer a strong incentive to engage in inter-ethnic contact in Mitrovica, despite the difficulties associated with
it. Apparently all the pressures from politics, the media, negative stereotypes, grievances, enemy images and
intra-community rules are not strong enough to withstand this drive towards interest.“It's always strange in
Mitrovica: even the most radical Serbs have Albanian friends if it gives them benefits” respondent #2, a Serb
involved in politics in North Mitrovica says. He believes that when people have a common interest this
forces them to rise above ethnic difficulties and just work together and is convinced that his own change in
relations with Albanians - by working for an international NGO - had a lot to do with money. Because he
received a good salary he could justify his relations with Albanians for himself in the beginning, later some
of these relations evolved into friendships. Respondent #2 believes it would have been a lot better for
reconciliation if all the money from reconciliation projects had been invested into the old mine in the north
and factory in the south, the mining complex called Trepça. In this scenario people from the different ethnic
groups would need to work together to earn money and this is why he believes it would work as a
mechanism for improving relations: people would get to know each other on a personal level. He is curious
why the international community never organized a joined company in Kosovo (meaning with both Albanian
and Serbian employees). He points out that Germany and France were never forced to reconcile after the
second world war but reconciliation happened anyway, and very fast, because it was in their best interest
(respondent #2). The Albanian director of an NGO noted that although all Serbs do not recognize the
68