Kosovo: Where hearts were won in the Balkans
PRISTINA, KOSOVO 鈥� As President Obama鈥檚 charm and 鈥渃hange鈥� ramps up American soft power in Europe 鈥� here鈥檚 a tiny corner of the Continent where enthusiasm for the 鈥�USA鈥� never left.
Pristina鈥檚 main artery is named Bill Clinton Avenue. After NATO ended ethnic cleansing in 1999, Albanians named their newborns 鈥�Madeline Albright Ismaili鈥� or 鈥�Al Gore Ajeti.鈥� The honeymoon continues: A 鈥渟tatue of liberty鈥� sits atop a city hotel. American flags fly profusely 鈥� on cars, storefronts, and on solitary homes in the countryside.
In Kosovo, American styles, films, and symbols are bolted in hearts and minds. It鈥檚 uncritical, and a tad embarrassing to elites, but there you have it. That giant America helped end Kosovo鈥檚 horror still amazes. In Pristina, it is hard to find locals who don鈥檛 speak English; even elders try.
Students apply first to American colleges. Turn on the TV, it鈥檚 Hollywood. Teens take road trips to Skopje in Macedonia to hang out at the only McDonald鈥檚 around. America is imagined as an endless well of choice, glitz, and promise. 鈥淜osovars live in Switzerland or Germany,鈥� says Agron Bajrami, editor of the daily Koha Ditore. 鈥淏ut they model their lives after what they think America is.鈥�
The love affair isn鈥檛 new. Albanians have long had family in the Bronx and received care packages from Cleveland. They argue that Woodrow Wilson defended Albanians at the Paris peace conference in 1919. George H.W. Bush is known for a 鈥淐hristmas message鈥� to Belgrade in 1992 鈥� telling Serbs not to attack. In the 1980s, urban Kosovars watched 鈥淭win Peaks鈥� and listened to Seattle grunge rock.
鈥淏efore the war, I sewed an American flag on my jeans and went to Zagreb, [Croatia], for a Deep Purple concert,鈥� says Mr. Bajrami. 鈥淲e鈥檝e always felt America cares.鈥�
