Is peace possible?

Here in Oregon, 1840 is a long time ago.
In the Balkans, recorded history fades into the mist in the third and fourth centuries.

This article from St. Vladimir's Seminary Quarterly is posted on the website of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren.

Prof. Veselin Kesich says:

Yet the destruction, hostility and killing of the last decade of the twentieth century should not obscure the era of peaceful and constructive contacts between Serbs (Kosovci) and Albanians (Kosovars). Both are rooted in the land of Kosovo and share the cultural, religious, and emotional attachment to this region, so rich in history and symbolism. Each nationality claims rights to the same piece of land. The purpose of this article is to explore some important historical links between these two distinct ethnic groups, with particular emphasis upon the place and meaning of Kosovo in the history of the Serbian church.

Prof. Kesich discusses the mischief caused by the Ottomans, the Austro-Hungarians, the Nazis and Italian Fascists and Communists, followed by Tito, Milosevich and the breakup of the multi-ethnic Yugoslavia in the 1990s. He acknowledges the suffering of the Kosovo Albanians under Milosevich and details a new role for the Serbian Orthodox Church, coming out of the shadows of irrelevance imputed to it by Milosevich and predecessors:

From the start of the civil war, the church stood in defense of human rights for the persecuted minorities and raised its voice against the folly of the ethnic leaders, particularly against the government of Milosevic in Belgrade. In May 1992, The Council of Bishops of the Serbian church issued a proclamation, confronting the years of forced silence. It first reminded the secular authorities and the faithful that the church had been the victim both of the Nazi occupation and of Communist terror. The post-war leaders had written their own history of the war, lying about their role as well as about the activities and intentions of their opponents. After referring to the recent past, the Council of Bishops in this document turned to the activities of the ruling party in Serbia under the leadership of Slobodan Milosevic. For the first time it criticized the neo-Communist system now installed in Serbia. Now styled the "Socialist" Party, the structure and organs remained those of the old Communist system. The bishops recognized that there was now a multiparty system in Serbia and some freedom of expression, but warned that in reality there has been no democratic development or sharing of responsibility. The Serbian ruling party still exercises restraints on church activities and influence, and, by excluding it from the schools, does not allow the church to assume the place it claims in Serbian society.

He ends with a story from Rebecca West:

Suffering such as the people of Kosovo are enduring calls out for a search for meaning. Meaningless suffering is truly unbearable. Rebecca West, in that epic of our own time, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, describes a Montenegrin woman she met while walking in the high mountains. The woman had lost her husband, son and daughter during World War I. "I am walking about to try to understand why all this happened," she went on. "If I had to live, why should my life have been like this?" The author experienced a shock of revelation. "She was the answer to my doubts," wrote Rebecca West.

She took her destiny not as the beasts take it, nor as the plants and trees; she not only suffered it, she examined it. As the sword swept down on her through the darkness she threw out her hand and caught the blade as it fell, not caring if she cut her fingers, so long as she could question its substance, where it had been forged, and who was the wielder.

Deeply and traditionally Christian, this representative of an earlier generation transmits the religious culture as truly as the monuments and the poetry of medieval Kosovo. The question remains whether this treasure of traditional faith can still give meaning to the sufferers of Kosovo today.

It's a long piece about a long history, but useful in understanding where the people of the Balkans -- and we who have chosen to meddle in their destiny -- need to go if we're to see these people living in harmony again.