This month marks exactly twenty years since the start of NATO’s bombing of the FR Yugoslavia, which went on to cause the occupation of the southern Serbian province and creation of the so-called Republic of Kosovo which, in fact, was a geostrategic showground for the powers of Atlanticism, mainly the USA.

In order to understand the current situation and the conditions in Kosovo and Metohija, we first need to go back a few centuries and understand the geostrategic importance of the Balkans and the attitude of the great powers toward the region.

First of all, one must understand that the Balkans are at “the crossroads” – a place that connects Europe with Asia (Minor) – from the time Allah’s warriors led their conquests towards the European continent for centuries, aspiring to spread their crescent banner above Christian fortresses. During those conquests, the Ottoman administration relied on local citizens, thus one part of the Balkan population accepted the role of a vassal and the Turkish faith.

Such was the case among all Balkan people (Serbs, Bulgarians, Greeks, etc) and, at first, it was mostly the ruling caste that approached the Turks, mainly to maintain its privileged position. Still, the Turks placed the biggest trust in Albanians, at first their Islamized tribes. They would go to, in the centuries of the Ottoman occupation and under Turkish management, “disciplining” (which in fact meant terrorizing and frightening) the non-Albanian, Christian population.

Hence the ethnic image of Old Serbia (including Kosovo and Metohija) changed; this is especially reflected after the so-called Great Migration of the Serbs in 1690 and 1740. Until then, the minorities in Kosovo and Metohija – the Albanians – were spreading more and more and expanding their lands onto desolated Serbian hearths. This process was continued until 1912 when the Serbian Army, after the centuries of occupation, liberated Kosovo and Metohija – the very heart of the Serbian medieval state, whose scents of Orthodoxy lifted to the sky, accompanied by the prayers and songs of the Orthodox fathers from the monasteries of Gracanica, Decani, Our Lady of Ljevis, Holy Archangels, The Patriarchate of Pec, and other magnificent sacral buildings of immeasurable importance, not only for the spirituality and culture of the Serbian people, but for the world’s heritage in general.

As the Turkish influence on the Balkans weakened, great powers, mainly Austria-Hungary, wanted to expand their influence to this part of Europe. Considering that Serbian people, in the eyes of great powers, were a nation-building factor, “the awakened folk,” and often called “little Russians” (because of the Orthodox and Slavic trait), and as the significant part of the population in the Austria-Hungarian monarchy were Serbs, so the matter of Serbs across the river Drina was still under consideration, therefore the Austria-Hungarian foreign policy relied on the trusted enemies of the Serbian people, mainly the Albanians. By doing this, Austria-Hungary wanted to prevent Serbian access to the sea, and at the same time repress the Russian influence on these lands. For that purpose, Austria-Hungary was aligned with the great Western powers, who wholeheartedly aided in the forming of the Albanian identity and Albanian state.

Even though Austria-Hungary disintegrated after WWI, Albania was used in the period between the two wars to settle the relationship between Italy and Yugoslavia[2] and as such encountered the invasion of Fascist Italy just before the start of WWII. After the breakup of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia during the WWII, the creation of Greater Albania took place, under Italian protection. In the bloody years of WWII, Albanians did the same thing they did during the Turkish era: attack the Serbs and their property – in fact with Austria-Hungarian support.[3]

All these historical events, concluding with those during the period of Communism – the prohibition on banished Serbs returning to Kosovo and Metohija and at the same time opening the borders to the immigrants from Albania – completely changed the ethnic composition of this holy Serbian land. From everything mentioned, we note that Albanians were often an instrument in the hands of the powerful countries, which would come to the surface in the last years of the 20th century, when Albanian flags were planted right next to the American, revealing the occupation of the southern Serbian province. Thus, the American imperialistic policy has another important geostrategic area under its thumb, not only because of its natural resources, but also for creating a “hoop” around Russia (crucial and, one could say, the traditional opponent to the West) and for further conquests to the East.

During these 20 years Albanians, relying on the USA, have been striving to abolish even the tiny outline of the Republic of Serbia statehood in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as sabotage all the actions of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija which are conducted outside institutions of the self-proclaimed “state” in Pristina. The climax of the occupation actions was, without a doubt, the proclamation of the so-called independence of Kosovo, which occurred on February 17, 2008, which further emboldened Albanians from Kosovo and Metohija.

It’s not by chance that the USA was among the first to recognize the so-called independence of Kosovo (as soon as February 18), as did all the countries influenced by the US. By doing so, it was confirmed once again that not only Kosovo is under American protection, but also all the countries which follow US policies and execute its commands. Contributing to this is the fact that the US has military bases in over 70 countries, covering more than a third of all the countries in the world.[4]

Here we have to point out that military strength is not the only means of occupation, but it is a kind of cultural-propaganda war, which is often a more dangerous method because it seems like the “boiling frog syndrome,” which is not always so transparent. The best example of this is precisely Serbia, where a number of associations and Non-Governmental Organizations spread American policy; and this was not as present before October 5, 2000. According to research conducted by Telegraf that refers to data from National Endowments for Democracy from the US, the mentioned association donated over $730,000 to organizations in Serbia.[5] In WikiLeaks documents you can find a dispatch of the US Embassy in Belgrade where the activities of the Non-Governmental Organizations are mentioned.[6]

To make matters worse, all the governments have more or less the same policies after October 5, which is not that surprising if you know that the Western centers of power were actively involved in overthrowing Milosevic. By doing this, the position of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija has weakened since American foreign policy is closely linked with Albanian interests in Kosovo and Metohija, so it’s not unusual that the West, in agreement with “domestic” Non-Governmental Organizations, is shifting the blame to Serbia and its people for the 90’s wars. That is how the Serb struggle for Kosovo and Metohija is being undermined, saying, “it’s a relic of the past” and “an obstacle” that “stands in the way of Serbia towards Euroatlantic integrations.”

Twenty years later, the position of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija is visibly weakened. The signing of the Brussels Agreement has had an important role in that, and “border correction” has been mentioned many times in public which would be, according to many, a de facto recognition of the independence of Kosovo even by Serbia; you can suppose the USA’s role in this matter. The only hope for Serbia is that US troops will withdraw from Kosovo and Metohija some day, in the same way they did from Vietnam and are currently doing from Syria.

That will depend on many geopolitical factors, but it will definitely clear the way for the liberation of Kosovo and Metohija. That’s why, if for no other reason, Kosovo and Metohija must remain in our hearts and thoughts, warning not only today’s politicians, but also future generations, that the fate of Serbia is inseparable from its soul, Kosovo and Metohija, and that there will be a day when a Serbian soldier will wave the banner of liberty once again on the legendary Kosovo Polje.

 

[1] See more in The Influence of Austria-Hungary on the Formation of Albanian Nation, Teodora Toleva, Belgrade, 2016

[2] See more in War after the War, Dmitar Tasic, Belgrade, 2012

[3] This especially refers to the retreat of the Serbian Army and “Albania’s Golgotha” in 1915

[4] See more: https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/the-worlds-five-military-empires

[5] https://www.telegraf.rs/vesti/1029548-istrazujemo-koja-je-americka-nevladina-organizacija-dala-srpskim-nvo-730-000-dolara

[6] wikileaks.org, documents:

08BELGRADE111     (Created 2008-01-29)

07BELGRADE1553   (Created 2007-11-15)

09BELGRADE1166   (Created 2009-10-09)

06BELGRADE489     (Created 2006-03-28)

06BELGRADE1502   (Created 2006-03-28)

06BELGRADE1719   (Created 2006-10-20)

08BELGRADE118     (Created 2008-01-30)

07BELGRADE709     (Created 2007-05-21)

07BELGRADE1744   (Created 2007-12-31)

08ZAGREB181          (Created 2008-03-03)

08BELGRADE450     (Created 2008-05-07)

08BELGRADE744     (Created 2008-07-24)

08BELGRADE773     (Created 2008-07-30)