There is no longer any hiding in diplomatic niceties: the NATO raids in Northern Kosovo have finally forced Serbia to talk openly about splitting Kosovo so that the North tip can join Serbia. It has generated the predictable negative reactions (such as REFRL calling it a "tirade") but as I wrote previously that was predictable. It is easier for Western diplomats to discard Serbia's politicians as crazy or nationalistic than to change their opinions. To achieve a change of opinion will demand persistent campaigning and explaining.
What has been until now however are allies. Sure, some university professors and former politicians have spoken out. But I have been astonished that none of the NATO members that do not recognize Kosovo have spoken out publicly against the behavior of the NATO "peace keepers". Neither has any major active international politician spoken in favor of a partition of Kosovo. Those that did were unimportant enough or did it discrete enough for the international press and the Western diplomacy to ignore.
Yet the nonsensical ban on partition is potentially harmful to many other countries as well. Spain for example would face a similar problem with Navarra if the Basques might ever secede.
Many countries have provincial borders that are centuries old. More often than not if they had to be drawn today they would be different. Changing them raises so many emotions and interests that it usually better to spend political capital on more productive issues. For that reason the US position that a partition of Kosovo should have been done before is in my opinion disingenuous. The only right time to do it is when there is an urgent need to do so. And there was not such a need in the 1990s. It is there only now when we are discussing Kosovo's independence and the bad position of Kosovo's minorities since the 1999 war.
3 comments:
Even the the one's that don't recognise Kosovo are too pro-Nato/US to say anything. The other reason is that if Greece, Cyprus (not in Nato), Spain, Slovakia and Romania suggest partition their leaving them self open to the same scenario, Cyprus most of all.
Where have you seen Serbia talk about partition?
I wish Russia would've gotten involved. That would at least help prevented the air strikes. Russia and Serbia are like brothers and it seems like they'd rather help Syria. The US and NATO knew Serbia was all alone and they had to ask help from like 4 other countries. In my opinion Serbia kicked the allies assess. one of the stealth bombers got shot down by the Serbs, and NATO did no ground invasion. Now each muslim family in Kosovo have 10+ kids. Soon Kosovo will be to small for the Albanians and in several years Europe will be theirs. thanks clinton hope u burn in hell for this
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