WI: Serbian Expulsion of Kosovo Albanians

Could Serbia expel Kosovo's Albanian population to Albania during the Bosnian and Croatian wars

How successful would they be

Would NATO get involved

How would this impact the other conflicts
 

CaliGuy

Banned
1990s anytime between 1991 and 1995
If they do this, they get to endure more bombing by Western planes. Also, if that won't be enough to stop them, there is always the possibility of sending Western ground troops to Kosovo and Serbia.
 
It could have been done, but why?
Rugova kept Kosovo silent, and had already enabled Milosevic to win the election through the K-Albanian electoral boycott. Milosevic had no reason to ditch Rugova and stir up further trouble while the war in Bosnia was still unsettled.
 
As for more plausible scenarios: Kingdom of Yugoslavia was preparing for massive population transfer agreements regarding the Kosovo Albanians with Turkey in late 1941. Butterfly Operation Marita, and they'd go ahead as planned.

Tito also had a chance and a motive to do something similar, as in the mid-to-late 1940's there was armed resistance in Kosovo to its inclusion in the new, socialist Yugoslavia.

An agreement with Hoxha was reportedly considered, but not implemented as it would have created an ugly pretext for rest of Yugoslavia. Breakup with Stalin was also a factor here.
 
As for more plausible scenarios: Kingdom of Yugoslavia was preparing for massive population transfer agreements regarding the Kosovo Albanians with Turkey in late 1941. Butterfly Operation Marita, and they'd go ahead as planned.
Were the Bosnians include in the population transfer ?
 
It was my understanding that the deal imagined between Hoxha and Tito would have seen territorial transfers to a now-Yugoslavian Albania.

All the Muslim groups in the former Yugoslavia--Bosniaks, Albanians, Turks, others--were included in the population transfer agreements made with Turkey.
 
Were the Bosnians include in the population transfer ?

No, Bosniaks were exempt from the transfer altogether. The transfer envisioned the resettlement of some Albanians and Turks from the southern regions of Yugoslavia - roughly 1/4 of those communities, to be more exact. 3/4 of the Albanian and Turkish community were meant to stay, and the Bosniaks were not involved at all. So there would actually be no spectacular changes to the ethnic map, even if the plan was implemented.
 
If Tito is killed during ww2 and both Yugoslavia and Albania were in Stalin's camp after war I think such population transfer would be very likely. Stalin was master of massive forced population transfers and if Yugoslavian communists are his pawns they don't need to care about unrest among other miniorities-Stalin would send some T-34 if needed.
 

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
Donor
Monthly Donor
As for more plausible scenarios: Kingdom of Yugoslavia was preparing for massive population transfer agreements regarding the Kosovo Albanians with Turkey in late 1941. Butterfly Operation Marita, and they'd go ahead as planned.

All the Muslim groups in the former Yugoslavia--Bosniaks, Albanians, Turks, others--were included in the population transfer agreements made with Turkey.

What was Turkey being promised as part of this population transfer? Why were they interested?
 

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
Donor
Monthly Donor
Again I pose my question - how did things get to the point of post-WWI Turkish-Yugoslav negotiations resulting in Turkey being ready to resettle Muslims from Yugoslavia? It's not like Yugoslav-affiliated people lived in Turkey to be exchanged for them. Were any of the Muslim minorities in question actually interested in moving? Among Kosovar Albanians, did they have any reason to prefer Turkey as a destination over the alternative of independent Albania?

Were the Yugoslavs offering to pay Turkey for the resettlement plan? Interesting that they thought they had the wherewithal to do it. Or was it a case of take them because otherwise we will massacre them?
 
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