Radojkovic: Creating a Kosovo nation is impossible to implement

The concept of a "Kosovo nation" would involve the inclusion of other ethnic communities such as Ashkali, Turks, Bosniaks, Serbs, and Roma, historian and political scientist Stefan Radojkovic says for Kosovo Online, and he points out that creating such an artificial nation with a civic principle in this region is impossible to implement.

"The question of the concept of a Kosovo nation and what that should mean is actually related to mimicking the liberal-democratic state modeled after Western Europe, meaning there is a so-called civic nationalism and civic belonging to the so-called civic state. This would imply that Albanians would identify as citizens of Kosovo or Kosovars on the census, but that would also involve other ethnic communities - Ashkali, Turks, Bosniaks, Serbs, Roma - identifying as citizens of Kosovo and feeling like Kosovars," Radojkovic says.

He further explains that Kosovo operates on an ethno-national principle, where Kosovo is equated with Albanians, at least from the perspective of the Pristina administration.

"They use the term 'Kosovars' in interaction with the international community, where again they would have to perform this kind of mimicry, claiming that there is a Kosovo civic nation, where all Kosovars, regardless of language, origin, religion, etc., are considered. This is actually mimicry, and it's not accidental, everyone knows that the flags of Pristina institutions are often highlighted, along with the Albanian ethnic flag, which is the flag of Albania, an internationally recognized sovereign state. They will continue with this performance, but it hasn't convinced anyone, especially Gorani and Serbs, that this Kosovo nation includes them too," our interlocutor points out.

Radojkovic says that in Kosovo, national affiliation is understood more as ethnic than civic.

"Albanian nation, Serbian nation, and Croatian nation are already formed. This current attempt following the civic liberal model is the historical reality of Western Europe and practically impossible to implement in states located east of France. The civic principle of a nation is not natural and organic there, it's not indigenous, but in those areas, it's an ethnic principle where we can be citizens, have an ID card, and have a passport of a certain state, but national affiliation is understood more as ethnic than civic. In that sense, it's a futile endeavor because there is no Kosovo nation, there hasn't been a separate Kosovo ethnic group. It's the Albanian ethnic group that has its independent state Albania, which is recognized and a UN member, and this is an attempt to create an artificial nation," Radojkovic concludes.