Quote:
Originally Posted by GunnyL  The UN condemned Serbia's action today for their usual bad manners, for whatever that's worth. I'd keep a couple of firearms close by rather than rely on it for anything. |
I was in Belgrade in October and talked about this with a couple of colleagues there. It was obvious that their feelings about it ran very deep.
And it's interesting to note that Jeff Wartman is implying that anyone who doesn't agree that Kosovo has a right to independence must be a tyrant or a dictator. I wouldn't have thought that Cyprus and Spain are classic examples of tyrannical dictatorships.
It's a difficult question, no matter how facile Wartman would like it to appear, and I don't think many people fully understand it. In addition, once the gate is open as it is now, how many other issues will groups with an ax to grind try to push through, rightly or wrongly.
Chechen independence from Russai?
Cyprus being split in half (Greek / Turkish)?
Basque separatism in Spain?
Kurdish independence from Iraq?
Tamil nationalism in Sri Lanka?
I could go on.
And let's not forget that, when secession is driven by ethnic reasons (as in this case) nothing good tends to come of it. Look at Pakistan and India.
If Serbia does instigate a trade blockade, As Kostunica has threatened, and Russia continues to support him, that turns this into a really significant east-west dispute.
The Balkans is a powder keg, and people oversimplifying it simply pours oil of the fire. The fire is hot enough already.
Linear Mode
