A Glimmer of Hope

By: Ilir Deda

Dear Saša,

I have spent a great deal of time thinking and rethinking my response to your fundamental question about human rights. I believe that human rights will remain one of the pillars by which a successful state and society in Europe are measured, regardless of the perception that their importance is diminishing.

I firmly believe that in Kosovo, no one—under any circumstances—should ever be denied rights or equality. There is no condition under which guaranteed equality and freedom may be taken away from anyone. This is especially true for Kosovo, which gained its independence precisely because of the massive violations of human rights and the system of apartheid in the 1990s, a period that ended in war and documented mass war crimes.

For this very reason, Kosovo—at the cost of being the only country in the world, if necessary—must always guarantee, respect, and defend the human rights of all people who live there. And, of course, this must apply regardless of the nature of the government in Serbia or the level of human rights violations in Serbia.

However, our Balkans are still living in a cycle of unfinished conflicts, something I have written about extensively in our correspondence.

What seems most realistic—and is also historically proven—is that the Western Balkans cannot be normalized without pressure and demands from outside, primarily from Europe and the United States.

In this light, and because of its strong emphasis on human rights, I view with great sympathy the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act, which also includes U.S. policy toward the Western Balkans. Among other things, it states that peace, stability, and a democratic future for the Western Balkans are a strategic interest of the United States. This law defines U.S. policy toward the region, including the following authorities and political objectives:

1. It authorizes the U.S. President, within 90 days of the law’s entry into force, to impose sanctions on any leader or senior official in any Western Balkan country who is involved in corruption or has corrupt intentions, who acts against the territorial integrity of any Western Balkan country, who undermines the democratic order and democratic institutions, or whose policies result in mass violations of human rights;
2. It supports NATO enlargement in the Western Balkans;
3. It clearly supports the 2023 normalization agreement between Kosovo and Serbia and calls for its full implementation, as well as that of all previous agreements, confirming that the ultimate goal of the “normalization of relations” is mutual recognition;
4. It rejects any idea of partition, territorial exchange, or changes of borders along ethnic lines;
5. It supports regional economic integration in the Western Balkans;
6. It strengthens U.S. support for the democracies of the Western Balkans and their process of accession to the European Union.

Part of the law also addresses Russian and Chinese economic presence in the region, particularly in Serbia. I will not go deeper into this topic at this time, as we await the end of Russian ownership of NIS.

In this period of major shifts in global politics, it appears that the United States and the EU will continue to pursue a common policy toward our region. I believe this is extremely important, as we are witnessing immature “leaders” who live in projections of renewed conflict, poisoning their societies with deep hatred. And since our societies themselves are also immature, only after establishing a foundation of normal, mutual relations can we turn to the essence of the system you wrote about—what kind of institutions we want, including norms of separation of powers and the protection of human rights.

For we have all shown, across our region, that without the West we are not capable of building peace, entrenching a democratic order, and fully respecting the rights of every individual or of any ethnic, religious, or other group of people, with independent institutions that, among other things, successfully fight political corruption.

Sincerely,
Ilir

Change or Defeat