The Case of Kosovo

Readers of Denis MacShane's June 16 column rejected his views on Kosovo's independence. One wrote, "It's a one-sided, biased piece." Another said, "Balkanization can only be avoided by negotiation and compromise." A third argued, "It's odd to blame others when America is the obvious troublemaker."

Kosovo's Problematic Independence
The United States, Britain and other countries have violated the U.N. Charter and the Helsinki Final Act guaranteeing the territorial integrity of states by recognizing Kosovo's supposed independence from Serbia (" 'The Balkanization of Europe'," June 16). Not only Serbia and Russia, but EU members Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia and Romania, and most non-European countries representing a majority of the world's population—including China, India, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa and Indonesia—have rejected this action. The "creeping Balkanization" that Denis MacShane deplores can be avoided only by negotiation and compromise, not compulsion and contempt for international standards and opinion.
James George Jatras
Director, American Council for Kosovo,Washington, D.C.

Why do you publish such a one-sided and biased piece without giving equal space to an opposing viewpoint? As usual, Denis MacShane bashes the European countries he dislikes without offering any convincing, or at least sensible, reasons for doing so. He has evolved from a tireless France-basher to a bigoted critic of all European Christian orthodox states. And, to keep up appearances, he adds Spain to a kind of European axis of evil that exists only in his mind. What is their fault? As sovereign states, they have legitimately tried and largely succeeded in safeguarding their national interests in the ways they deem suitable. Why should they imitate the Americans or the British by recognizing an unlawful state that was violently grabbed from Serbia in plain disregard of international law? It is really bizarre how MacShane failed to utter a single word of disapproval of the March 2004 pogrom organized by Albanian extremists against the helpless Serb population of Kosovo. Many innocent civilians were murdered, historical Christian monuments were desecrated and even the KFOR troops were fired upon. As far as the name dispute between Greece and the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia is concerned, he's right in calling it "surreal." How else could one name the unsubstantiated claims of a bunch of Slavic and other Balkan people residing in Skopje that they are authentic Macedonians, descendants of the soldiers of Alexander the Great, while everyone knows that ancient Macedonians were ethnic Greeks? They were the ambassadors who spread Hellenism to distant places like Afghanistan and India.
Georgios Kapellakos
Athens, Greece

Denis MacShane's June 16 column is unusually partisan. It seems odd to accuse the EU, NATO and the United Nations—which have different agendas and goals—all at the same time of turning a "blind eye to the troubles in the Balkans" when America is the obvious troublemaker. Was the plan for Kosovo's independence really as "carefully balanced" as MacShane claims? If so, why does Kosovo's independence still lack the support of 150 members of the United Nations? It is regrettable that Kosovo's independence was rushed through under U.S. pressure. Only a few years ago the EU dealt skillfully with Montenegro, which became independent without a ripple. But Kosovo is not economically viable, so it would not have been difficult to postpone independence for five years with a long-term economic-development plan, which the EU is good at creating. The EU has taken onboard 13 poorer states—a population of 130 million. In Kosovo's case, the United Nations was bypassed, so an unwelcome precedent has now been created. Finally, if Kosovo's independence was inevitable, why could there not be a tiny redrawing of its northern border (Mitrovica)? With good diplomacy, this could have made Kosovo's "independence" acceptable to Serbia. That would have solved a problem instead of creating one. In the 1990s, America did Europe a great service by its determined action in the Balkans. This latest unwise action risks undoing that.
Jan Willem Blankert
Singapore

Apropos Denis MacShane's piece, the fact that countries like Spain and Greece have not recognized Kosovo is not about local politics. In order for a country to declare its independence, the member states of the United Nations have to agree. In reference to MacShane's comments about "openly defying the rest of the Union's desire to allow Kosovo to govern itself," I would remind MacShane of the numerous occasions Britain has defied the policies of the EU in matters like Iraq, for example. It is this selective policy of his country, and especially of its previous government under Tony Blair that MacShane was part of, to call on EU policy when it is in their interest.
Iordanis Chidiroglou
Nicosia, Cyprus

Killer Drones Over Iraqi Skies
"Why do they hate us?" Americans moan. They should see the gloating series of photos showing the killing of "suspected" (not proven) insurgents by the use of drones ("Up in the Sky, an Unblinking Eye," June 9). These only add to the tens of thousands of "suspected insurgents" casually killed in Iraq: wedding parties, men going to work, vans full of men, taxis, mothers taking their children to school—or mass revenge killings in places like Fallujah, where a city was destroyed and thousands killed because four violent American mercenaries were killed. Of the hundred thousand civilians killed, only a handful were insurgents. The rest were innocent civilians. The contempt Americans show for Arab lives is encapsulated in the casual comment, "We don't do body counts." Arab lives don't matter; they are disposed of like yesterday's garbage.
Hendrik Sven
Cairo, Egypt

© 2008