Optimism in the face of increasing global polarisation

By Isaac Otter

After the second and final cancelation of EULEX my blog post requires a different focus. Something that has really struck me is the optimism of the people we have talked to in Kosovo. The current international political tides have been making me feel more and more alienated and disillusioned with global politics, especially regarding the increasing polarisation and extremity of political narratives on all sides. This shift, in combination with the trend of decreasing international aid and increase in national military spending, put me into a very pessimistic headspace when coming into Peace Lab. This feeling was reaffirmed to some extent with the first meeting of the course with New Social Initiative (NSI), after they gave us a genuine and emotional narrative which positioned Kosovo as a “pre-conflict” state. At this point I was feeling like my notions of global politics were materialised in Kosovo – a troubling and unsettling feeling which stuck with me. 

However, over the following four days, and with meetings with various NGOs and individuals who are peacebuilders in Kosovo, my feelings started to shift. The first moment in this shift of perception was the meeting with Elizabeth Gowing. With her extremely impressive portfolio of work in Kosovo institutions, it was her story of how she began a preparatory education school for minority children that really impacted me. It painted a picture of unwavering and dedicated aid on a local scale, with no expectation of payment or personal gain. 

This optimistic outlook was added to by today’s meeting with Besa Luci, a co-founder of Kosovo 2.0. Her dedication and passion for journalism, specifically slow journalism, was powerful - and a perspective which I felt like I really needed to hear in a time of fast media. 
In conclusion, these meetings have reflected to me my own dismissive and pessimistic perspective, as the people in Kosovo we spoke to – who are actively fighting the injustices that had fuelled my outlook – gave me a much more positive outlook. This aligns with what Besa said about the importance of “unlearning” – something I will try and take into my day-to-day life. 

This is a screenshot of Kosovo 2.0’s website which shows their commitment to and production of slow journalism.