Trading with the enemy in Mitrovica, Kosovo : The Kantian Peace Paradigm extended to ethnic groups
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2009-11-05
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en
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Abstract
The topic of this thesis and its research is trade between ethnic Albanians and ethnic Serbs in
Mitrovica, Kosovo. This thesis researches if the trade aspect of the Kantian Peace Paradigm - which
holds that higher levels of trade between states lower the chances of (armed) conflict - can also be
applied to ethnic groups.
During the 1990's tensions between Albanians and Serbs living in the (then) Serbian province of
Kosovo grew and eventually escalated into an armed conflict. The conflict was ended in 1999 but
tensions between Albanians and Serbs remain high. There is still an almost complete lack of contact
between the two ethnic groups, despite the International Community's best efforts to improve
relations during the past 10 years. In Mitrovica, a city located in the north of Kosovo inter-ethnic
relations are the worst as it's the only place in Kosovo where ethnically motivated violent incidents
are still common. The city is divided by a river, with the Albanian population living to the south of
this river and the Serbian population living north of it. In this divided city there is virtually only one
sector in which inter-ethnic contact takes place: trade. This thesis examines if this inter-ethnic trade
can contribute to better relations between Albanians and Serbs living in Kosovo.
The philosophy behind this thesis is very similar to that of the Kantian Peace Paradigm, which
holds that trade creates connections and interdependence and this in turn reduces the chances of
conflict. Although plenty of evidence has been gathered the past decades in favour of the Kantian
Peace, the theory has always and only been applied to states. I will argue in this thesis that - as
interstate conflicts are decreasing and intrastate conflicts are on the rise - it is time to move the
Kantian Peace theory out of its macro level and into the micro level.
For this research six months of participatory observation and interviews were conducted in Kosovo,
mainly in Mitrovica. The inter-ethnic trade in Mitrovica is to a very large extend shaped by the
specific characteristics of this town. There are certain inter-community rules in Kosovo that forbid
contact with "the other", grievances from the conflict still exist, the political conflict over Kosovo's
territory is still raging on and people in power in Mitrovica use this for their own criminal activities
and to hinder inter-ethnic progress. These factors all hinder inter-ethnic trade but are not enough.
People engage in inter-ethnic trade because they need money. The unemployment rate in Mitrovica
is 77% and unclear laws make trade profitable.
Although all traders who were interviewed said they were only in it for the money the results of this
research indicate that it is very likely that inter-ethnic trade in Mitrovica can improve relations
between Albanians and Serbs in the long run. On top of that, the results show that the Kantian Peace
theory can - to some extent - be applied to ethnic groups.
This thesis concludes that trade between Albanians and Serbs in Mitrovica may be an effective
mechanism for improving inter-ethnic relations and should therefore be considered as an alternative
to the more traditional (and greatly disliked by the local population) reconciliation programmes.
Regarding the Kantian peace, this theory has shown its flexibility during the course of this thesis
and its expansion from states to ethnic groups seems to hold great promise.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen