Kosovo Archives
Totten in the Balkans
By Charlie
Michael Totten, doing what I think is the dream job -travel writer -reports from the Balkans:
Albanian pro-Americanism resembles that of both Poland and Iraqi Kurdistan. The unspeakably oppressive communist regime pushed Albanians strongly into the U.S.-led Western camp, and the humanitarian rescue of Albanians in Kosovo from Slobodan Milosevic's tyrannical despotism bolstered that sentiment even more.More kids tugged at me and wanted their pictures taken. It was overwhelming, and more than a little bit startling.
Yup, that's pretty much how it is there. It may surprise many folks here at home, but Americans are not universally loathed abroad.
Kosovo Declares Independence
By Charlie
I figured I’d do a Kosovo post, because of my experience there. Here’s a roundup of the European press reaction to the unilateral declaration of independence:
From the Independent, Optimism!
Today, Kosovo becomes only the third new country of the 21st century. Its declaration of independence will be recognised by a majority of the European Union, including the United Kingdom , and by the United States , but not by Russia . Its birth is more contested and difficult even than that of Montenegro in 2006, which was also detached from an unwilling Serbia , or of East Timor in 2002, which was wrested from Indonesia .The pessimists have had free run of the Balkans recently, so let us for one day at least join in the celebrations of most of the Kosovar people and reflect on why their statehood is a good thing. Of course, as the nay-sayers point out, Kosovo is a barely viable statelet where life for most of the population is poor nearly a decade after a Nato intervention to "save" them. Unemployment is around 50 per cent; national income per head is little more than £800 a year.
True, but I would adjust “barely viable” to “not viable.” They say that most countries have a mafia, but in Macedonia that mafia has a country. Add Kosovo to that list, as it will be a infested with organized crime along with its parent state, Albania .
From the Telegraph, Pessimism!
It's always easy to spot anything Serb - house, church, monastery - in Kosovo. That's because it's inevitably ringed with razor wire, and is usually guarded by bored looking KFOR troops.They're not always bored though, because very occasionally a rocket or grenade is lobbed in the direction of whatever they are protecting. Today Kosovo declares independence as a multi-ethnic state. Its constitution has lots of noble language about equal rights, and lists Albanian and Serbian as its two official languages. But that is a sham.
A Serbian Orthodox church in Kosovo
Look, being a Serb in Kosovo is tough, but this description is vastly overblown. Kosovo is just not that exciting. As the US and other EU nations recognize Kosovo, here’s a look at what’s ahead:
Serbia’s insistence that secession will unleash “a disaster of unfathomable proportions” may be overstated, but Russia’s muscle-flexing on Belgrade’s behalf only adds to the tensions building up with the West on everything from gas supplies and missile defences to the Kremlin’s alleged assassination of dissidents abroad.Europe cannot claim unity on Kosovo despite its mission to take over from the UN administration in Kosovo. While Britain , France , Germany and Italy will lead the field of recognitions of an independent Kosovo , Greece , Spain , Slovenia and Bulgaria will hold back, nervous that the move would embolden their own secessionist fringes. Cyprus , fearful of setting a precedent for the unilateral succession of its Turkish-ruled northern half, will probably never recognise Europe ’s newest state.
Neither, without Russia ’s say so, will the UN. Russia ’s stance on Kosovo is less about its support for Serbia and more about itself — its ability to hold on to its own separatist fringes.
We'll have to see where this goes, and if it sets off a race for ethnic separatists around the globe to declare independence. My guess is that it is headed toward a "frozen conflict" and there are enough bad actors-on both sides-still hanging around to keep the place on the brink of chaos for many years to come.
Kosovo poised for independence within 10 days
By Charlie
Success (?)
PRISTINA, Serbia (AFP) — Kosovo appears set to declare independence in 10 days' time, just ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers, sources in Pristina and observers say.The authorities were "awaiting the green light from the West and consider the weekend before the EU meeting as the most probable date," according to a source close to the Kosovo government.
The European Union meeting on February 18 could approve the start of the deployment of an EU mission charged with supervising the initial phase of independence for the Albanian-majority southern province of Serbia.
Let me throw out a question here: does anybody care?
Really, does this affect anyone in any meaningful way? This impacts US national security how? This is essential for the NATO alliance why?
We still have a brigade of troops on the ground there, you know.
Ideally, we would like Iraq and Afghanistan to be modeled on the Kosovo conflict (US does heavy lifting in the first phases of conflict, then a multilateral, multi-country, multi-ethnic international forces moves in to peacekeep, of which the US is about 20% of the force, this force hangs around for as long as it takes to stabilize the area, and then withdraws leaving Jeffersonian democracy and free markets in its place.) However, the real world (and the enemy) get a vote on how these things actually play out. Kosovo may go independent, but I doubt most folks in America a) care b) are paying attention c) could point out Kosovo on a map.
Kosovo, along with other un-heard of troop commitments across the globe (Philippines, Djibouti, South America), is a good example of how our armed services are spread across the world in diverse environments and are struggling to accomplish their missions as best they can, in imperfect circumstances, with imperfect policies, and imperfect guidance backing them up. What this does underscore is the quality and commitment of the troops, who willingly sign up to go to these garden spots and execute a mission to the best of their ability.
More Talks on Kosovo
By Charlie
Stick a fork in it. More talk isn't going to help this situation, only a decision one way or another will.
MOSCOW, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Russia called for the creation of a new "road map" for Kosovo on Monday, warning that the future of the breakaway Serbian province risked sparking an "uncontrollable crisis".Russia, which backs Serbian objections to Kosovo's independence, said that 120 days of talks with the United States, the European Union and Russia made progress and the process should continue.
"In the interests of stimulating the negotiation process as well as resolving other crisis situations, we suggest the development of a 'road map', the framework could take account of the reasonable interests of the sides," a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said.
Ahh, those "road maps" have worked so well in the past...
No Independence for Kosovo Yet
By Charlie
I guess they are standing by to stand by:
PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo Albanians said on Monday they would start immediate talks with Western backers about an independence declaration, but Russia said unilateral recognition could trigger a "chain reaction" of problems around the world."From today, Kosovo begins consultations with key international partners to coordinate the next steps to a declaration of independence," Skender Hyseni, spokesman of Kosovo's negotiating team with Serbia, said in Pristina.
This is headed for a "frozen conflict" like Cyprus, because the two sides are gridlocked at every turn. The issue here is that eventually, a unilateral independence declaration may be forced upon the Kosovo Albanian hardliners. If that happens, it is likely that the land north of Mitrovica will partition and declare itself part of Serbia. That is what will trigger violence on a large scale in the region.
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Will Kosovo Declare Independence?
Will Kosovo Declare Independence Tomorrow?
By Charlie
December 10th is the end of the road for negotiations:
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU leaders are expected to agree this week that efforts to reach a negotiated solution to the Kosovo problem are exhausted, and offer to take responsibility for security and justice in the breakaway Serbian province.But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday "artificial deadlines" for finding a solution to Kosovo's status were not binding and could raise risks to stability.
EU negotiator Wolfgang Ischinger will brief European Union foreign ministers on Monday on the results of four months of mediation efforts and urge them to help stabilize the Balkan territory by sending in police and justice officials soon.
"It is clear that the future of Serbia and Kosovo lies in the European Union. That's something that both sides agree on," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in an interview with Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
"We were given 120 days but if we had been given 1,200 days the outcome would have been the same," an aide quoted Ischinger as telling Solana.
Don't forget, we still have a brigade of troops there. If folks in Afghanistan are complaining that they are being ignored because of Iraq, what do the guys in KFOR think? If Kosovo declares independence unilaterally, there may be violence, rioting, and partition of the area north of the Ibar river.
