Since the largest conflict of the 1990s not every country in the Balkans enjoys definite sovereignty, possesses international legitimization and peaceful minorities. Several countries such as Kosovo, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina face common problems but are at different stages in their resolution and in the amount of international support they receive. We can divide the difficulties they encounter into a few points:
- All three countries have got problems with ethnic groups and minorities
- Kosovo and Macedonia are still developing their independence and trying to legitimize their status quo
- They all have got problems with their neighboring countries not always being ready to treat them as equal partners
- They are under a great deal of pressure from the international community
The problem with minorities in the Balkans has
existed since the Ottoman Empire domination in the
region and is still present because of numerous migration and immigration
movements caused by various wars and border changes. It is definitely
connected with the religious differences present among minorities.
The countries of the European Union on the other hand are undoubtedly more complex, stable and in a better international position. However, they also have
religious and minority conflicts hidden in their backyards. The difference is
that these are generally not mentioned by either the media or western
governments.
The problem with
minorities is that they fight for the independence of territories based on
historical boundaries, while religious conflicts are often separate from
geographical limitations of a state. In Europe this
is usually a good thing, as separating religious conflicts from the nation
state allows the leaders of these groups to try to solve their differences and
reach their goals through political dialogue - be it at times broken by some
timely limited military actions. In the Balkans the issue is more interwoven,
as religion is more directly connected to the nation state. As such, religious differences
are not only a reason or pretext for conflict, but also create a basis for
instability in terms of national and cultural identity. That is why all the
conflicts there are harder, more violent and less predictable than elsewhere.
The nations present in the European
Union are generally in better economic condition, secured by national armies
and functioning in a common security project. Religion is almost separate from the
nation and people's lifestyle. In addition, border conflicts and minorities
have full citizen's rights. In contrast, in the Balkans all people live in an unstable
economic area, they are not protected by their own armies and there are many
border conflicts resulting from the several regional conflicts and the fall of
Yugoslavia. The main problem is that the minorities represent more than 25 -
30 percent of the country's population and have not got a place in the European Union.
These minorities as opposed to those in the EU are strictly connected with their
religion. Thus, all the national conflicts also have a religious dimension,
which is why they are harder and more dangerous for the region.
The European Union as a whole and all its countries separately are left with two choices. On the one hand, they can help to stabilize the Balkans by improving the economic situation in the region, securing its borders and creating one large Balkan society within the EU. On the other hand, they can leave the region alone, and only step in to provide occasional help when they see fit to do so. This would enable the rise of the conflicts which are likely to spread all around Europe especially on religious and national bases. The most important thing is to create a European Union of all the countries of the region where all people have equal rights, possibilities of developing and the right to cultivate their tradition in a sovereign and independent way. This may help to bring the Western Balkans conflicts into the center of the political stage, and calm them down once and for all. The mixed Balkans together with a mixed Europe can become one body, acting on the same rules, in the same way and with the same possibilities. This would allow for the pieces of the broken mirror to be collected by one body.
Dr Pawel Olszewski is Dean of the faculty of International Relations at the Radom Academy of Economics in Poland. There he also teaches Modern Political Systems and the History of International Affairs.
Related materials from the Atlantic Community:
- 10
February 18, 2009
Lucy Russell, Global Studies Programme - Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Bronze Contributor (14)
Cultural, historical and economic factors need to be considered in depth before assuming that the EU and the Balkans can function under the same rules or even begin to mirror each other. Imposing norms from above does not automatically result in their reflections from below.
Some other questions occurred to me -
Is religion really separate from lifestyle in the EU?
Which minorities in the EU and the Balkans are you referring to?
Where does Slovenia belong in the equation? EU or Balkans?