The Brooklyn Connection: How to Build a Guerrilla Army

Remember Kosovo? So many global and domestic crises have flared since the 1999 U.S.-led NATO initiative that most Americans forget that we maintain a military occupation presence in that one-time Yugoslavian territory. However, Kosovo is very much the preoccupation of Florin Krasniqi, an Albanian-born Brooklyn roofer who is openly engaged in arranging the smuggling of weapons into that region to aid the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), a militia-terrorist organization with ties to al-Qaeda. A quasi-lord of war, Krasniqi has been rather successful in his efforts, raising $30 million from Albanian-Americans to provide funds for KLA activities, and he's also a prominent force in Democratic politics—we see him writing out a $1,000 check to John Kerry's presidential campaign with the ease of someone jotting down a things-to-do list. A disturbing, insightful documentary, Dutch filmmaker Klaartje Quirijns' PBS-aired The Brooklyn Connection is an expose of how so-called “liberation” movements can operate too-freely in post-9/11 America, a pointed reminder that it is still way too easy for the wrong people to get their hands on serious weapons, and a painful indication that America's occupation of Kosovo shows absolutely no signs of drawing to a conclusion in the near future. When Krasniqi is seen shaking hands at a fundraiser with a former NATO commander and one-time presidential candidate, it is a chilling sight, given the fact that the KLA is using smuggled weapons against NATO forces now in Kosovo. DVD extras include deleted scenes, a filmmaker interview, and an update on Krasniqi. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)