Is economics at the root of all
problems? More often than not, the answer is yes, especially
when we are referring to a developing country or region where
resources are scarce and infrastructure is inadequate. These
are precisely the parts of the world where some of the most
atrocious events of our time take place.
Recent historical evidence shows that contemporary conflicts
erupt in regions plagued by underdevelopment. No matter what
ideological camouflage the engaged parties may put on the conflict,
they always fight for, among other things, the control, distribution
and consumption of the economic resources at hand, further exacerbating
the situation.
Such is the case with the Balkan crises, which some may classify
as being ethnic, religious or ideological. However, the people
living in the Balkans are convinced that the motives for the
warring parties are economic. Why should anyone want more land
and control over towns and cities (with their plants and factories,
trade and infrastructure), except to have access to larger economic
resources at the expense of the other parties?
I do not underestimate the cast greed and selfishness of the
"national elites" who are trying to transform their
administrative power in privileged economic positions and who
feel no remorse for instigating bloodshed in order to achieve
their goals. Nor do I close my eyes to the fact that former
petty thieves and ruffians, feeding on deficient law and order,
dictate the lives and destinies of thousands of common citizens.
This could only happen under conditions of economic scarcity
and underdevelopment that ease the task of fooling people into
going to war.
People believe promises that war will bring them a bigger piece
of the pie, but it actually deprives them of even the little
they had before. Poverty, insufficient resources, lack of legitimate
power and the absence of a desire for a just and legal distribution
thereof, cast greed and discord and breed national hatred, expansionistic
tendencies, war and criminal atrocities.
If we agree that economics is the driving motive behind the
warring parties, then we should look for remedies. If only 1
per cent of the billions of dollars the United States and the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization spent on bombing Yugoslavia
had been invested in business projects in the region at the
onset of changes in Eastern Europe, perhaps the crisis would
never have degenerated into war. How-ever, this 1 per cent has
not yet reached the region, despite the grandiose words and
promises of American and European politicians. As a result,
the fundamental reason for war-poverty-remains. Wealthy people
generally do not want wars, because they have a lot to lose.
It is the poor, with nothing to lose, who fight with the hope
of getting something, no matter how small.
We, in the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation (FAF), a New York-based
non-governmental organization with extensive programmes in the
Balkans, came to the conclusion that something must be done,
and that it should be started by the people of the region (myself
included). As a character of the famous Russian comic writers
Ilf and Petrov says, "the key to saving the drowning is
in the hands of the drowning themselves".
We therefore started a project called "Trails of Peace"
to replace the path of war that wound itself across the previously
warring territories of intermingled Balkan national majorities
and minorities. These trails are tourist itineraries, illuminating
the natural and man-made beauties of neighbouring countries,
their similarities and differences, their common history and
uniqueness. Tourists in these projects, initially American,
Western European and Japanese, will travel to destinations in
two to three countries, become acquainted with the different
peoples, and come to see that they are not so different after
all. The focus of interest will be on getting closer to "locals",
who will meet with them and serve as their guides. Residents
will have to be constantly in contact over old and new borders
for their common business to be successful. They will also have
to know more about each other to be able to help foreign guests
compare what they see. This inter-Balkan business will also
bring hard currency to all parties in the project.
We rely very much on the young participants of the Balkan Youth
Reconciliation Seminar Series, organized by FAF in 1999-2001,
to act as the local "engines" for this project; they
already have a basis from which they can bring it to fruition.
To proceed with the project, we compiled a comprehensive questionnaire
covering all aspects of a destination in the region. These were
then sent to the participants of the 1999-2000 Seminar Series,
who brought the completed questionnaires to the last session
in Timisoara, Romania, where we divided them into several groups,
each organized around a single question.
The first question was: what is there to see and experience?
Without ignoring the past, we decided to emphasize understanding
of current culture.
We insisted on experiencing local festivals, crafts, food and
drink, daily customs, and religious ceremonies-aspects which
the large international tour operators did not offer. Our biggest
competitive advantage over the established tour agencies was
precisely that the large scale of their operations did not allow
them to focus on the lifestyle of the local people. Daily life
in the region is incredibly rich and encapsulates the spirit
of the Balkan culture.
 |
UNHCR photo
|
The next question we discussed concerned how the above aspects of culture could
best be presented to tourists. Were these aspects commercially
viable and, if so, to what extent? What needed to be done
to make them suit our purpose? Was there a desire in the local
community to make those changes?
How much would it cost and what was the cost breakdown? Finally,
what help did the local inhabitants need from us, from local
and state authorities and from investors? The third set of
questions addressed the actual contacts on the spot: interested
parties or those already involved? Local experience had led
us to see that it was much more valuable to have one person
fully devoted as a contact point, as opposed to having the
abstract agreement of all local authorities but without any
personal commitment (as is often the case).
The fourth set concerned tourism infrastructure: the availability
and category of hotels, restaurants, transportation, etc.
Tourists might be willing to sweat all day climbing up and
down mountains to visit famous sites or partake in festivals
but, at the end of the day, they would still demand a warm
bath, a healthy meal and clean linens. The whole experience
might be doomed to failure without the provision of appropriate
amenities.
With answers to the above questions formulated, we were able
to make what we called a "passport" for each destination.
We then linked various destinations to a number of separate
itineraries-based on geography, history, religion, music,
gastronomy, architecture, choreography, etc. Thus, four or
five promising "Trails of Peace"-really routes or
itineraries-emerged, crossing the Balkans from east to west,
north to south, or along several diagonals.
This is the stage where our project has reached to date. So
far, all the work has been done on a voluntary basis, without
any financial support except for the limited resources FAF
had in order to bring all the participants together in person
at the three seminar sessions and virtually over the Internet.
We now need to form a team of two to three persons to go along
the identified "Trails of Peace" and see how the
itineraries would work in actuality, assess the performance
of local support and infrastructure, and estimate the true
costs, etc. Tourists, who are more or less spoiled by industry
standards, cannot be taken to these far-from-technically-perfect
destinations without testing the routes ourselves. That much,
at least, I learned from creating similar itineraries under
similar circumstances in my native Bulgaria over the past
twelve years. Only then will come the final planning: itinerary
compilation and cost allocation; advertising and marketing;
familiarization tours for operators and tourist media people;
etc.
At the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, we will not be able
to make the project a success with our own resources only.
Having the attention of the third-world sector, which our
project enjoyed at the 55th UN DPI/NGO Conference in the fall
of 2002, makes us confident that we will manage to raise the
funds needed. Then we can bring-with our ideas, experience
and tested solutions-the "Trails of Peace" to other
warring regions, along with peace through prosperity.
|
Print 