Balkans: Europe's Gateway to Turkey

A decade and a half after independence, Kosovo, the land of my birth, is still one of the most remarkable laboratories of the major powers. They are all seeking to realise their most bizarre projections. After the war, the Americans set up their largest military base since the Second World War. UN built its largest-ever mission and it is also home to the EU's largest international mission since it was founded. None of these institutions have achieved their goals. Kosovo is still a country that cannot spread its full authority across all its territory. Because Kosovo is still not a member of the UN.

Because the citizens of Kosovo are the only ones in Europe who do not have the right to move freely in the EU, despite being home to the largest mission in the EU's history. The EU was supposed to achieve this aim eight years ago through the fact of its presence in Kosovo, but every day it becomes ever more clear that it has not only failed in this, but that we, the taxpayers, have not the slightest inkling what people do in this country.

One half of me belongs to one country, the other half to another country. It is a dual weight that burdens me at the point where one overlaps the other.

It is neo-colonialism 'light'. In Kosovo, we are seeing a repeat of a form of insanity that was prevalent with the French in Algeria, the British in India and the Germans in Africa – a kind of alliance between the major nations has found its place and is expressing itself in the most bizarre ways. An 'international community' which is not there to resolve problems but which has itself become part of the problem. It has done this by trying to mediate in the unresolved conflict with Serbia, from the northern part of Kosovo to the missing persons, as they are known there.

Let's be clear here, the influence of the international community, and hence of the taxpayer, has been immense and indeed vitally important. But we should not ignore the uncomfortable reality that some 70 percent of all aid has flowed or is flowing back to its country of origin. Into the pockets of the international donors. This is not only true of post-war states such as Kosovo or Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it also applies to Haiti and other regions that have been affected by natural catastrophes. Let's just think about Europe, or more specifically Germany after the Second World War. It is a fact that the Germans lost the war, but it is also a fact that it was German men and women who rebuilt this country and turned it into what it is today!

Although I still feel that I am part of two countries, I cannot help being appalled. When I see this country – Pristina, the capital of Kosovo: concreted over, corrupt, criminalised and without the slightest hope of finding a way out of this almost depressive situation in the near future. With a winter greyness that seems part of a scene from a film directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski.

Should I feel happy when I give her the 70 cents for the orange juice and stop the child's crying? Not at all. On the contrary, this child will continue to cry. The fact that he has to grow up with these problems should act as a red flag that signals the current state of the country. Should we, as citizens of what we could call the wealthy hemisphere, be happy that we are giving alms of all types to underdeveloped regions, not only of the Balkans, which is Europe's gateway to Turkey, but also to countries that are still developing or in difficulties?

Let's stay with Kosovo. It is the only country in Europe (to be more precise, I am referring to the northern part), where there is a frozen conflict between Belgrade and Pristina, where the USA and the major European nations led by the German government are making intensive efforts to find a peaceful solution to this regional conflict. Is it only ethnic hatred between the Serbs and the Albanians that leaves Serbia and Kosovo in a stalemate in some 15 percent of its territory? Of course not. This part of Kosovo has something that no other country in Europe has. It has something that only China has, and Russia and Africa to a lesser extent.

All the major countries who are 'mediating' the ethnic conflict talk of peace, but they have an ulterior motive: mineral resources, and particularly ore, which they call 'rare earths'. More precisely, rare earths and other minerals from Europe's poorest country will provide one of Europe's larger countries with a monopoly for the next 200-300 years, as they are vital to produce modern technology such as microchips and computers on our continent. As a person and as a writer, I have a tendency to exaggerate, and I have the Balkan genes when it comes to conspiracy theories. But at the same time I have a deliberate, realistic, German side to me and I pluck up the courage to say this: I believe the work of the international community (the UN, OSCE, EU) has produced a few excellent results in my country. The first of these is physical safety. In other words, Kosovo is a safe country. After this comes food. Food in Kosovo is similar to what can be found at the Stuttgarter Festle (regular street parties held in Stuttgart which serve culinary delicacies). And finally, the Internet and telecommunications.

If politics, the government and the opposition are corrupt, as is generally reported, then the elites in other areas such as the academia, media and art are equally corrupt!

According to the latest figures from the UNDP, 78 percent of the population has access to the Internet. Even in the remotest villages, people have wireless Internet and cable TV! The country has football clubs, but the fact that it is not a member of the UN means that neither the Kosovan national team, let alone individual clubs, are even allowed to play against the Stuttgart Kickers, and certainly not against Stuttgart's top football club, VfB. There is a well-developed cultural scene in the urban areas, particularly the underground scene, music, fine arts and short films. The latter tend to be used as a form of protest against the difficulties people face in every area of their lives. There is also literature, but I never express an opinion on Kosovan and Albanian literature as a whole (literature from Albania), because when it comes to art and literature the situation is similar to that of Austria and Germany. The language is the same, but the scale is much smaller.

I don't get involved because, to quote the great Franz Kafka: "Kleine Kulturen, streitsüchtige Kulturen!" [small cultures, belligerent cultures!]. In a word, as an author I have always tried to avoid public presentations and readings in the country whose language I am writing in. I simply don't feel comfortable and am basically afraid of making a fool of myself because people and colleagues have other worries and problems that they have to deal with on a daily basis.

In other words, if politics, the government and the opposition are corrupt, as is generally reported, then the elites in other areas such as the academia, media and art are equally corrupt! Everyone answers to somebody else and it is hard to tell who they are for or against. Hopes of major intellectual movements, of high-profile celebrities speaking out against the way things are going are basically zero. The rot is not only at the top, in government, but is all-invasive. The situation is so bad that, while I am reading these lines, someone could be asking themselves: What is this person doing?

Or vice versa: why isn't this person trying to do more to improve things? When I ask myself these questions, they both seem valid. But at the same time I say that it is logical that we need much more time, effort, elbow grease and work on reality and on ourselves if the necessary changes are to be made.

As Germans and Europeans we bear a great responsibility because we have helped this country, in 1999 as a region and since 2008 as a state, to become an independent country. Everyone who understands what it means to belong to two countries – with or without dual citizenship – also feels the burden of responsibility to continue supporting democratization and the rule of law in this young country, which is still in an incubator. Or perhaps in a laboratory. It's up for interpretation!

I can imagine that the result of my long journey, or, to quote Murakami, my long run, will be that I can't help talking about my love, as per Carver. There is no doubt that I love Stuttgart. I love every part of this city, good and bad. The thing I love about Stuttgart is its people. Whatever their nationality or origin. I know it's not easy to love people you don't know. I have a story about this.

Just after the war, I made a long and difficult journey with a German colleague. For two months, we were working on a feature for Die Zeit, the German weekly newspaper. When he heard me talking about the Albanians he said: "I fully understand how you can love your two million Albanians, but don't you think it would be hard work for me to love my 80 million Germans!" Today, ten years after our hard work on this feature, I say that I find it difficult to love all the 80 million Germans and then my two million Albanians on top. So it's better to love Stuttgart. This brings me to the notion, or should I say conclusion, that people should love those who are close to them. The respect, cordiality and culture that exist between people in a particular neighbourhood, village or city reflect the culture and status of society as a whole.

Despite all the everyday stresses and protests that time flies by so fast, we as Germans should be proud that today we are who we are. The world holds Germany and the Germans in high esteem. Because of the simple fact that the German model is one of the most admired on earth, regardless of the prejudices and envy with all the likely or unlikely misunderstandings, regardless of intra-party differences, I say that the German work ethic, the way it has tackled the horrors of its past and its readiness to help other countries and continents have led us to where we are today.

When I say this, of course people can shake their heads and put my words under the microscope. But by every standard, this country and our region in particular are some of the most developed, safest, educated and integrated (in terms of policies towards foreigners) etc., etc. I also say that because of the fact that over the 20 years that I have lived in Germany, I have travelled right across this large and wonderful land from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the north to Berchtesgaden and the Königsee in the south (though unfortunately I have never made it to the island of Sylt)! This good situation does not give me the right to think about the favourite saying of Jewish mothers that "when things are going well, start crying, because it means the bad times are just about to begin!"

The respect, cordiality and culture that exist between people in a particular neighbourhood, village or city reflect the culture and status of society as a whole.

There is still a lot to do and many dangers ahead, not only for us here in Stuttgart. Beginning with climate change as a result of rapid industrialisation and moving on to the dangers of terrorism and the potential for financial crashes which of course could cause everything to collapse like a house of cards! We all feel this fear, and as citizens of this country it is not only our responsibility, but we also have to work to exert pressure on every party and government so that we look after the environment, work to prevent terrorism, help countries that are going through difficult processes of transition, and by ensuring that high earners pay more and support the weaker sections of society.

There’s a danger that I’m turning into a sermonizer, so I will stop here and mention that it is an honour for me that this city, where I have lived on and off for 20 years, has never disappointed me. Even when I was going through difficult times connected to the war in the 1990s, or when I was for a long time suffering from writer's block, or when I have been away for more than a month at a time, as on the last trip, Stuttgart has never turned its back on me.

Without knowing why or how, my last stop in every movement or projection, a place where I can escape and find rest, both physical, emotional and psychological – things and doubts that are perhaps quite normal for a creator and particularly for the people of this extraordinary planet have brought be here, to Stuttgart. This must also be the reason why my little opus makes frequent reference to Kosovo and Stuttgart. And in my last book, the Stuttgart suburb of Degerloch is the only place that I specifically mention. If anyone asks me why I did this, I have no idea. All I know is that I can't write about things that I don't know, see, feel or touch. I would even go so far as to say that not even Kosovo has drawn from me the same degree of recognition and respect from as the place where I now live. This is why I know I have to keep on loving this place. Perhaps it's love at first sight. We all know there's no way back from that. Whether the love is won or lost.

What I'm trying to say is that while I was visiting my parents' villages I visited by father's grave for the first time in many years. I asked myself whether I would have a better fate than my grandfather, whose first name I carry and whose grave is still unknown to us.

The fact that I have focused on myself in this essay, when it should in fact be about us, must have been a result of this long, difficult quest. But I think that everyone who reads these words can imagine how important it is to know where your roots are, where you come from and what kind of work you want to do now and in the future. That we are basically all very similar. With our family stories, or those of war and peace. That we all have two or more 'I's. That it would do us all good to quickly make a decision about what we want to become, as long as it is not too late. That we all have only one life, that we have to live, and that we should not make the mistake of living this life in the wrong way. That the responsibility for caring for our family, our environment, the place where we want to live is not only part of our lives but also a legacy.

I agree with a saying I read somewhere that for a family, the presence of an artist in their midst is a curse. The daily insecurity, the professional instability, the fear of failure, the unfulfilled responsibilities, everything that to most rational people seems like a huge and horrible nightmare when faced with a creative person who makes art a priority in their life. It is a fine line between success and failure. Success is a tempest that leaves behind a desert. It takes everything with it. Failure is the feeling of toppling into an abyss. Of course it is not only artists who have these kinds of feelings. Just about everyone who breathes and thinks about life and death shares these feelings. And life still goes on. To quote the great teacher William Faulkner, “man is mankind and mankind will survive the unexpected, every danger, every catastrophe of whatever size”.

At the end of the day, one half has still not completed the other. This still needs time. It will take some years yet, until Germany overtakes my homeland in mathematical terms.

While I sit in this country, in this apartment block and see the concrete city before me, my thoughts and my soul are in that corner of Stuttgart, and particularly with my dear wife and daughter. And while I read these lines, no-one can chase away my mental images of how from this part of our city the faces of the citizens of my other country, of Kosovo, Pristina and the surrounding villages will appear. Above all I see the graves of people who died in the last war in Kosovo 15 years ago. Do you know? Major families, emblematic families in Kosovo who sacrificed their children, women, sons, husbands and grandfathers and whose graves lie next to their houses.

As never before in the recent history of the Balkans, in Kosovo the dead lie next to the living. A unique act in the recent history of mankind. Will this act serve peace and a secure future? I don't know and we cannot know. I only know that when we speak and live life we have to love each other, even when we are running and rushing around. Because we as people, as humankind are one – and we are we!