[Guest post by DRJ]
Kosovo has declared its independence and it has been recognized by France, Britain, and the US. On the other hand, Russia, Spain, Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Greece and (of course) Serbia have refused or are reluctant to recognize Kosovo’s independence.
Bad news for Russia and Serbia and it probably won’t help Bill Clinton’s legacy, but it sounds like the Kosovars are happy.
– DRJ
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Pronounced "Patter-EE-koh"
E-mail: Just use my moniker Patterico, followed by the @ symbol, followed by gmail.com
Frequently Unasked Questions (FUQs)
Contributor:
Hot Air
Big Journalism
What They're Saying
The statements made on this web site reflect the personal opinions of the author. They are not made in any official capacity, and do not represent the opinions of the author's employer.
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Jan | Mar » | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | ||
Powered by WordPress.
Bad Behavior has blocked 66509 access attempts in the last 7 days.
I find it interesting that one of the themes of the 21st century may be an unexpected focus on the political importance of ethnic and tribal differences around the world. Rather than becoming more democratic and unified, each group seems to want it’s own Tribalistan. Russia and China apparently oppose a separate Kosovo for, among other reasons, they fear it will encourage the tribal separatist movements in their own countries.
Comment by JayHub — 2/18/2008 @ 11:36 am
Does the phrase “Balkinization” raise any red-flags here?
We thought this was settled 90 years ago.
But hey, what’s another 20-25 million dead?
Comment by Another Drew — 2/18/2008 @ 11:56 am
“Does the phrase Balkinization raise any red-flags here?”
It does, but maybe not for the reason you mean.
Comment by Patterico — 2/18/2008 @ 12:05 pm
Listening to CBS Radio news…something about the White House has not acknowledged the move yet…but was expected to do so later
Comment by reff — 2/18/2008 @ 12:07 pm
I don’t know why 1) it was so important to reunite Germany but to break up Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia and 2) why anyone should be happy with a revolutionary Muslim state in Europe.
For Americans, it should be a cautionary tale. Today’s Kosovo may be tomorrow’s Texas which already has a “hispanic” majority. And Kosovo is not even reconquista. The “Albanians” there are at best second generation “Turks” from those who found refuge when the Ottoman Empire was thrown out of Europe in 1912. (One of my grandfathers left America, enlisted in the Greek Army, and received one of the highest awards for valor in that war BTW.)
Comment by nk — 2/18/2008 @ 12:07 pm
I think Another Drew meant Balkanization.
Comment by nk — 2/18/2008 @ 12:08 pm
I guess we can’t really believe in freedom unless we accept the choices made by “free” peoples…
Comment by reff — 2/18/2008 @ 12:09 pm
that said…I’m more prone to accept the speech made by President Jack Ryan in one of Clancy’s novels….
something about “we can be your best friend…or your worst enemy….your choice”
Comment by reff — 2/18/2008 @ 12:09 pm
If we had let the South be a “free people” in 1860 we would not be anyone’s best friend or worst enemy but just another Canada and Mexico … if that.
Comment by nk — 2/18/2008 @ 12:35 pm
Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone of Jack Ryan’s talents, nor of Richard Nixon’s, I might add. I’m reading Conrad Black’s biography, which is excellent. The problem with Kosovo, as with Bosnia, is the Muslim factor. I wonder how much credit we will get with the Muslims for helping with Kosovo and Bosnia ? Less than zero?
I notice the French are now going after the “youths” in the Banlieues. That should be interesting. Before Sarkozy, they were no-go zones like those in England.
Comment by Mike K — 2/18/2008 @ 12:36 pm
Reff #4,
Apparently the US has withheld formal recognition so President Bush can make the announcement, but he’s on Africa time:
I guess it’s always possible Bush could announce something other than formal recognition, but the reports are that it’s on the way.
Comment by DRJ — 2/18/2008 @ 12:39 pm
Mike K,
I agree. I don’t think America will get any credit, nor did we when Clinton was in charge — proving it’s not a matter of which party is in power. I also agree the French story and Sarkozy’s willingness to confront the Muslim youth is big.
Comment by DRJ — 2/18/2008 @ 12:41 pm
If the Serbs had played their cards differently, they could be the leading or second-leading economy in a federation of states of the former Yugoslavia. But they went the Slobo and Arkan route.
I strongly doubt if anything good will come of a “country” that’s recognized by Western Europe (and the Islamic world?) and not by Eastern Europe.
Comment by Andrew J. Lazarus — 2/18/2008 @ 12:54 pm
“Balkanization” was the precursor to a Century of Total Warfare 100 years ago. I am not confident that the situation today will lead in a different direction. Plus, add in the AlQueda factor, WW-1/WW-2 might seem like local conflicts.
Nothing good can come of this.
Comment by Another Drew — 2/18/2008 @ 1:17 pm
Dancing in the street in the Balkans…
*gulp*
Comment by Patricia — 2/18/2008 @ 1:46 pm
But they went the Slobo and Arkan route.
Possibly. But don’t you say that we went the Bush and Rumsfeld route with Iraq?
The truth is that Billy Jeff needed to “Wag The Dog” during the Monica Lewinski scandal. As to what Madeline Allbright and Wesley Clark received from the foremost procurers of boy and girl prostitutes, adult or underaged, of Europe, is only scurrilous speculation.
Comment by nk — 2/18/2008 @ 1:49 pm
And with similar success.
But what does Moldova have to do with this, anyway?
Comment by Andrew J. Lazarus — 2/18/2008 @ 4:01 pm
Victor Davis Hanson has some interesting thoughts on Kosovo.
Comment by DRJ — 2/18/2008 @ 4:07 pm
DRJ #18,
I hope it does not come to that.
Comment by nk — 2/18/2008 @ 6:53 pm
How do you remember so many of these things? It’s like talking online with a book/poetry/movie reviewer.
Comment by DRJ — 2/18/2008 @ 6:57 pm
I have a good watchamacallit … that thing you remember with. It’s my substitute for intelligence. And I’m only half-kidding and not ashamed to say so. Lessons learned and remembered have worked as well for me as real thinking in others I have dealt with.
Comment by nk — 2/18/2008 @ 7:08 pm
There are no “free” muslim nations. Kosovo and its international jihaddi insurgents will not allow a free people there. Nor will they stop there. Albania, FMRoY (macedonia)and montenegro will follow.
Comment by Demetri — 2/18/2008 @ 11:10 pm
A lot of predictable reactions from the usual suspects. Slavic and Orthodox tribalists spouting “they’re all jihadis” as excuse for ethnic terrorism against Moslem neighbors.
What was the urgency about breaking up Yugoslavia? If Yugoslavia did not break up, there would have been no wars. Slobo could not have stayed in power by posing as the champion of embattled Serbia. That is why Milosevic deliberately provoked secession – by making “Serboslavian” rule intolerably oppressive.
And Mr. Lazarus, your equation of U.S. military operations to the looting, massacres, and organized gang rapes perpetrated by Arkan’s hoodlums, with the complicity of Milosevic’s army, is disgraceful.
Comment by Rich Rostrom — 2/19/2008 @ 9:27 am
Slavic and Orthodox tribalists spouting “they’re all jihadis” as excuse for ethnic terrorism against Moslem neighbors.
Naah. We just call them “Turks”. Cut us some slack, Rich. We, America, are dealing with the death-throes of the Ottoman Empire in all the Middle East right now. And have been for about 90 years. But I do, otherwise, agree with you.
And WW5 will start in Europe if anyone tried to “Kosovo” Montenegro, Demetri.
Comment by nk — 2/19/2008 @ 10:03 am