Their capital assets have been severely run down and very substantial investment will be needed. People who have studied the large enterprises in Kosovo say that they are much worse than the worst seen in the former Soviet Union, which is quite an extreme statement. The miners and most other ethnic Albanians are pushing for independence from Yugoslavia, saying Kosovo would attract more foreign investment if it were a separate country. But independence remains controversial. But on the other hand, independence might also lead to increased costs in terms of an army.
Countries can sometimes spend substantial parts of their budget on defense.
Regardless of what happens, experts agree that Kosovars would do well to forget about massive reindustrialization in the next few years and focus instead on developing smaller enterprises, such as factories that make bricks or process fruit into jam. That's exactly what the miners say they are doing in their efforts to restore the Novo Brdo mine to its former glory. They have asked the Serbs to come back and work alongside them, they say, but the Serbs have refused. But we will, because this is our future. St. Petersburg Times.