Playing Games With Kosovo

Likewise, the West is also taking Kosovo as their slice, isn't it?

I've one doubt. How is posible to give independence some area, where aren't any separate nation? They dont have any common history or own statehood. They are just albanian living in serbian scope. Sorry but i desagree with this decision. And in my opionion true reason is in events in '99 when UN doesn't take correct decisions and create a hybrid. Consequence we have today and it might be reason for next conflict around the word.
sebastian / poland

Further to my garbled up earlier comment: - there is also the matter of UN Security Resolution 1244 which forced the Yugoslav leaderships signature to end the NATO bombing. And by the way it was the Serbs who defeated the Turks in 1389 in the Field of Blackbirds.

djdanik wrote "i think u dont understand that freedom, or independence... does not make people happy always"
Maybe you were never oppresssed, It does not make them wealthy or even healthier but it makes them happy because they are free to live their lives in pursuit of whatever they want, ofcourse within the borders set by our society (it is not unlimited freedom it is not monetary freedom, not freedom from habits).

"Kosovo will require an enormous amount of help, mostly financial, from us and the EU if it is to survive as a sovergn state" this is no free help, this help will be their enormous debt afterwards...which will be imposible to pay, goverment becomes corrupt, and their goes another "democratic" country.

"can come to terms with a modern world demarcated not by old boundaries and geostrategic chess games, but by human freedoms and new opportunities."
are u mad?
new opportunities...more debt? deeper poorness?
i think u dont understand that freedom, or independence...does not make people happy always...

Kosovo will require an enormous amount of help, mostly financial, from us and the EU if it is to survive as a sovergn state. I just wonder if our government will manage not to forget about Kosovo once another "hot spot" happens elsewhere.
I find General Clark's commentary very disappointing. How can he justify concluding statement:"But the most important underlying story is whether Russia???and its friends in Serbia???can come to terms with a modern world demarcated not by old boundaries and geostrategic chess games, but by human freedoms and new opportunities." His entire article is dedicated to the long standing geostrategic game with Russia, and very little with the human freedoms of Albanians and Serbs alike. Has he forgotten hundreds, if not thousands, of Albanians and Serbs who died as a result of heavy bombardments under his control?

bobant

Thank heaven for brilliant historical, military scholars like Gen.Wesley Clarke who understood the dynamic of the Serbian Genocide in Kosovo. He and the white house called Putins Bluff for good reason. It is most unfortunate that Putin Like so many soviet era leaders before him choose to snatch deffeat fronm the jaws of victory. The People of Russia have so many things to be proud of. Their suffering and sacrifice in war and peace. Their artistic and scientific achievments are undeniably great. They suffer from a blind and debilitating fixation on the colapse of the soviet empire and it's Stallinist madness. They suffer from the victimization complex recently spoken of by Mr. Holbrook. Instead of viewing it as an oportunity to build a new strategic and economic aliance that would have greatly increased it's stature and power they regressed.
Mr. Putin would do well to seek a new strategy that brings greater chances for regional economic stability that would benefit everyone.
Putin could have chosen to focus the attention of the people on the possitive aspects of the end of the cold war. Unfortunately the pathological focus on confrontation accusation and propaganda have clouded his judgement. Playing up the political instability in Kosovo serves no one; save the dictatorial asspirations of his oligarcical friends in the region.

As much as we like to describe movements such as that of the Kosovars as "freedom" and as "national self determination," all of this in a real sense is the historical fall out of the collapse of multi-national European empires at the end of the First World War. The question now, as it was to the diplomats struggling with the same problem 90 years ago, is "what exactly is a 'nation'?" In the present instance, is Kosovo, a province which has never in history been a country until now, a "nation" with an identity separate from Albania (90% of Kosovars speak Albanian) or Serbia (the other 10%)? As wonderful as it sounds, "self determination" does not work if ground too finely -- as the unending fighting among ethnic groups in Iraq and Afghanistan exemplifies. Many "nations" are too small and/or too poor in resources to be viable "nation states," and there is the rub. Our own civil war was waged to a large extent to determine whether "self determination" applies to parts of a nation separately or rather to the nation as a whole. Having gone through that most bloody of our own wars, we in the United States now claim, with justification, to be a single "nation" yet multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. Our goal should be to provide that (new) concept as the model for 21st Century "nation states," and not to encourage each cultural, religious, or ethnic minority who is a local majority somewhere, to declare themselves there as an independent. "nation." The bottom line: the Balkans are proving, once again, that Balkanization does not work.

Where does one draw the line-Taiwan - Georgia-the Basques in Spain-tribal definition in Africa- Kurdestan?What about territorial rights and international law? We are not talking about autonomy but about a new nation. This is a touchy issue that could prove dangerous.

This moment of Biblical proportions has been way over due. Albanian Kosovars finally are free in their own land to have democracy and govern themselves. Serbia does not belong there and even when it did unjustly rule, it ruled through man slaughter and genocide. This was the cause of all the former Yugoslav Republics splitting. History of that region speaks louder than words and the wolf cries of the Serbs.

Genocide changes the rules of international law. Serbia's actions in Bosnia and Croatia led to the break up and repartitioning of those nations (all formerly part of the same Yugoslavia). It should be no surprise that the Albanians in Kosova, after patiently enduring 9 years of UN rule, have finally declared independence. After genocide, it is unrealistic to expect a people comprising 90% of the population to submit to the authority of the perpetrating government.

Putin is no dummy but I still do not understand why he can not grasp the idea that, in the long run, the carrot is always mightier than the stick. We have been pushing their buttons a lot lately (negated middle east oil contracts) but Russia's vast resources put them in an enviable position to lead their region well into the 21st century. What a waste it would be to see them now, holding the cards they have, revert back to a Stalinistic view of their region. Hopefully our government will not tie us into another aggressive relationship with them and allow our next administration a free hand at diplomacy before the rhetoric gets too hot.

Anyone knowledgeable about the recent history of the area, presumably including General Clark, won't be surprised at the Russian and Serbian reactions. The Bush/Cheney Administration's quick recognition of Kosovo's independence was a blunder. The only thing that will work as a middle ground is some kind of autonomy for Kosovo with some kind of acknowledgment of a nominal Serbian "sovereignty." Granted, this won't satisfy ethnic Albanian Kosovars not ethnic Serbian Kosovars, nor Russia, nor Serbia. But it's the only possible middle ground in a situation which, for now, presents no good alternatives. Whether a new U.S. administration can back up to that middle ground remains to be seen.

Are you really surprised by Russia's reactions General Clarke. Wouldn't it seem normal for any nation to hold onto satellite territory? Did John Kennedy like the Russian missile bases in Cuba? In fact, he wasn't even away that we had set up missile bases in Turkey pointed at Russia. Russia is appropriately testy for
being ringed with new US missiles facilities today. Given a finger, power takes the hand, then the arm, and so on.
Jerry Mazza.
New York City.

Putin is Stalin reincarnated. He is ruling Russia with an iron hand, and, if he could, he would grab back as much territory as possible. The weakening of the US thanks to the incredible incompetence of the Bush administration has encouraged Putin to rattle his saber.

To: Intermedusa: It is interestinig how thoughtful posts evoke thoughtful responses. Thank you for posting it. I have not read all of it yet so I'm not sure I agree with the points made but I am certainly grateful that someone actually thinks.

THE EUROPEAN AND RUSSIAN DESTINY: DEMOCRACY PART 1

By Larry Houle
www.godofreason.com
E-mail: intermedusa@yahoo.com


The national security of the EU and Russia can only be guaranteed by all countries adopting democracy and the rule of law. Democracies don???t fight other brother democracies. Their people would rather drink beer then make war. Democracy can only be spread through example and formulation of alliances. Its implementation aided through trade, economic aid, and the creation of free trade blocks - never though the use of force. Employing the sword to spread democracy is a true oxymoron.

The EU is one of the most important entities to the success of democracy. Europe is building a country composed of independent nation states. This mission is truly heroic and historic. One of the great success stories in the history of democracy was the EU accession of 10 former Eastern European nations in 2004. One hundred million people brought home to Europe as free and democratic peoples. After two world wars and the death of 110 million people in the space of 30 years ??? this was a remarkable achievement.

Unfortunately the EU has recently lost its way. The future of both Russia and the EU depends on the successful completion of the European experiment. Brussels in partnership with a democratic Russia must put together an action plan to complete EU expansion and create a free trade zone of democratic nations stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the Arctic to the Antarctic (2.4 billion people.) The EU and Russia must fulfill their common destiny ??? a democratic partnership.

EU Membership Declaration

All nations bordering the EU have a moral right to join provided they meet one of the following 3 criteria:

1.European Country
2.European nation.
3.European people.

Brussels sends letters of invitation to Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia - the Balkan States of Serbia, Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia. These letters of invitation start a 15 year process of moving these nations through the 35 chapters of the legal accession requirements. The final accession agreement with each country will depend on Europe???s economic and political status in 2021. No promises. No guarantees. By placing each of these countries on a path to membership, there will be an immediate flowering of democracy and economy in all these states. Brussels does not have the moral right to deny any of these countries entry (unless they fail in the 35 chapter process). Ukrainians are as European as the French or Germans. To leave the Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova without access to Europe - forcing them into a Russian Empire and loss of their national sovereignty would be a criminal act equal to Munich or the selling out of Eastern Europe to Stalin and the Soviets. A black stain on future European history.