Comments on: And then there were two http://www.currion.net/2007/11/24/and-then-there-were-two/ Paul Currion struggles to explain himself. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:25:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Paul Currion http://www.currion.net/2007/11/24/and-then-there-were-two/comment-page-1/#comment-119 Paul Currion Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:04:27 +0000 http://www.currion.net/2007/11/24/and-then-there-were-two/#comment-119 Doug - agreed, and clearly they are clans rather than families. (It's interesting that here in Montenegro, people I talk to use the word "clan" without any worries about the connotations.) Your point about a government of technocrats is well made - a couple of the technocrats that I knew when I was in Kosovo ended up dead in back alleys, making it clear how far their usefulness went. However I think there are a few sparks of hope amongst the political elites - the problem is that the international community has failed to really engage the grassroots, leaving them open to mobilisation by the "liberating heroes". A big question for me is how long it will take for the general public to realise how large the difference is between liberating the country and clearing the garbage. Doug - agreed, and clearly they are clans rather than families. (It’s interesting that here in Montenegro, people I talk to use the word “clan” without any worries about the connotations.) Your point about a government of technocrats is well made - a couple of the technocrats that I knew when I was in Kosovo ended up dead in back alleys, making it clear how far their usefulness went.

However I think there are a few sparks of hope amongst the political elites - the problem is that the international community has failed to really engage the grassroots, leaving them open to mobilisation by the “liberating heroes”. A big question for me is how long it will take for the general public to realise how large the difference is between liberating the country and clearing the garbage.

]]> By: Doug M. http://www.currion.net/2007/11/24/and-then-there-were-two/comment-page-1/#comment-115 Doug M. Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:07:05 +0000 http://www.currion.net/2007/11/24/and-then-there-were-two/#comment-115 First, thanks for the link! Second, remember that politicians in Kosovo are usually chosen according to two criteria: (1) who their families are, and (2) what they did in the war. Kosovo is still a pretty traditional society, and in every village and town there is a clear pecking order among the families. (Very large families... the word "clan" might be better, although that has some unfortunate connotations.) Being a KLA veteran is a huge bonus, though not strictly necessary. About half the last Cabinet was former KLA. Since the average age of a KLA fighter was around 22, even the officers were almost all under 30, and most of them were college dropouts, it's not exactly a government of technocrats. Independence will help, but... well, Kosovo has a lot of bad traditions it will have to work out from under. It's going to take a while. Doug M. First, thanks for the link!

Second, remember that politicians in Kosovo are usually chosen according to two criteria: (1) who their families are, and (2) what they did in the war. Kosovo is still a pretty traditional society, and in every village and town there is a clear pecking order among the families. (Very large families… the word “clan” might be better, although that has some unfortunate connotations.)

Being a KLA veteran is a huge bonus, though not strictly necessary. About half the last Cabinet was former KLA. Since the average age of a KLA fighter was around 22, even the officers were almost all under 30, and most of them were college dropouts, it’s not exactly a government of technocrats.

Independence will help, but… well, Kosovo has a lot of bad traditions it will have to work out from under. It’s going to take a while.

Doug M.

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