Pushing Russia’s Buttons

The U.S. can also be paranoid. It could be argued that right now the U.S. is paranoid about China's growing wealth and power. We freaked out about missles in Cuba, and while a missle defense system isn't the same, it isn't really that hard to see how Russia could be upset to have the missles right next door. One thing that isn't mentioned is Kosovo. The South Ossetians found comfort in Kosovo's independence, and it strengthened their resolve to continue seeking independence. Neither country has ever been their own nation, and the countries in Europe that opposed independence for Kosovo used South Sestina as one example of a place that was similar to Kosovo that could cause problems in the future. The Serbs had defended Kosovo from the Ottoman Turks and the Nazis while the Albanians collaborated. At the beginning of the 20th century Kosovo was majority Serb, but immigration, a high birth rate, and prejudice lowered the Serb numbers in Kosovo. The Albanians shouldn't have been rewarded for this, and Kosovo should have stayed a part of Serbia with autonomy(and that would punish the Serbs). There will be other areas that will seek independence even though there is no history of independence for their region. This is a huge problem, and the different ethnic groups need to learn and be encouraged to work together. Where does it end? Should Italy, France, and Spain, etc. be next to split apart? We opened a can of worms, and allowing countries to be torn apart especially when no historical precedent exists is going to lead to huge problems. The Russians are taking advantage of this.