Pan-Albanianism: How Big a Threat to Balkan Stability?
Tirana/Brussels |
25 Feb 2004
Fears of a “Greater Albanian” agenda driving a new round of Balkan conflict are unwarranted. The idea of a single state unifying ethnic Albanians currently spread out over six countries and entities simply does not interest most Albanians.
The International Crisis Group’s latest report, Pan-Albanianism: How Big a Threat to Balkan Stability?,* argues that, despite some Balkans observers’ fears, the desire to unify territorially all the Albanian people has long held far more power as myth than as a practical political agenda.
“The overwhelming majority of Albanians do not support violence in the cause of border changes and a ‘Greater Albania’”, says Miranda Vickers, ICG’s Senior Albania Analyst.
The threat of pan-Albanianism has never been as great as some have supposed. The Kosovo Liberation Army and the National Liberation Army only started to gain popular support in Kosovo and Macedonia respectively when they dropped their initial pan-Albanian nationalist goals and concentrated more on rights for their own people. The Albanian National Army, which overtly advocated a “Greater Albania” agenda, never managed to gain popular credibility at all.
“Albanians simply want to see improvement in their general living standards and opportunities”, says Alex Anderson, ICG’s Kosovo Project Director. “In Kosovo this would include tangible progress in their political future, but that means independence for Kosovo, not a pan-Albanian state”.
The uncertainty over Kosovo’s final status will continue to make neighbouring states uncomfortable, but the idea of separate Albanian entities in the Balkans is broadly accepted. Decentralising power in Macedonia and giving Kosovo conditional independence in return for an assurance from all the Albanian entities in the Balkans that the present borders of south-eastern Europe will remain unchanged, would help stabilise the situation.
In addition to Kosovo’s final status, certain other questions need to be answered to ensure stability in the region. The issue of reform in Macedonia and the Presevo Valley of Southern Serbia is pressing, and the international community has an important role to play to see reforms are delivered, so that dissatisfaction is not turned into crisis.
Albanians in Albania, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are well aware of the cultural and ideological divisions between them, and are therefore content to preserve their separate political entities as long as business, cultural and travel restrictions are removed.
“Albanian nationalism can be contained by more fully opening the borders between Albania and its northern neighbours, and increasing economic and educational opportunities across the region”, says Nicholas Whyte, Director of ICG’s Europe Program.