Kosovo Declares Independence
[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
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.
JayHub (0a6237) — 2/18/2008 @ 11:36 amDoes 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?
Another Drew (f9dd2c) — 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.
Patterico (463294) — 2/18/2008 @ 12:05 pmListening to CBS Radio news…something about the White House has not acknowledged the move yet…but was expected to do so later
reff (bff229) — 2/18/2008 @ 12:07 pmI 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.)
nk (6ef207) — 2/18/2008 @ 12:07 pmI think Another Drew meant Balkanization.
nk (6ef207) — 2/18/2008 @ 12:08 pmI guess we can’t really believe in freedom unless we accept the choices made by “free” peoples…
reff (bff229) — 2/18/2008 @ 12:09 pmthat 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”
reff (bff229) — 2/18/2008 @ 12:09 pmIf 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.
nk (6ef207) — 2/18/2008 @ 12:35 pmUnfortunately, 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.
Mike K (f89cb3) — 2/18/2008 @ 12:36 pmReff #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.
DRJ (3eda28) — 2/18/2008 @ 12:39 pmMike 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.
DRJ (3eda28) — 2/18/2008 @ 12:41 pmIf 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.
Andrew J. Lazarus (a37560) — 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.
Another Drew (f9dd2c) — 2/18/2008 @ 1:17 pmNothing good can come of this.
Dancing in the street in the Balkans…
*gulp*
Patricia (f56a97) — 2/18/2008 @ 1:46 pmBut they went the Slobo and Arkan route.
Possibly. But don’t you say that we went the Bush and Rumsfeld route with Iraq?
nk (6ef207) — 2/18/2008 @ 1:49 pmThe 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.
And with similar success.
But what does Moldova have to do with this, anyway?
Andrew J. Lazarus (a37560) — 2/18/2008 @ 4:01 pmVictor Davis Hanson has some interesting thoughts on Kosovo.
DRJ (3eda28) — 2/18/2008 @ 4:07 pmDRJ #18,
I hope it does not come to that.
nk (798403) — 2/18/2008 @ 6:53 pmHow do you remember so many of these things? It’s like talking online with a book/poetry/movie reviewer.
DRJ (3eda28) — 2/18/2008 @ 6:57 pmI 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.
nk (798403) — 2/18/2008 @ 7:08 pmThere 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.
Demetri (c3f397) — 2/18/2008 @ 11:10 pmA 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.
Rich Rostrom (7c21fc) — 2/19/2008 @ 9:27 amSlavic 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.
nk (798403) — 2/19/2008 @ 10:03 am