By Nikos Konstandaras
The ethnic Albanians of Kosovo are expected to make a unilateral declaration of independence within days. Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci claimed on Friday that about 100 countries were ready to recognize Kosovo when it breaks away from Serbia. Every nation seeks its independence and no one can blame the Kosovo Albanians for the persistence with which they have pursued theirs. Through the mistakes and brutality of the regime of Slobodan Milosevic and by very cleverly playing on the West’s guilt over its negligent handling of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Kosovar Albanians have managed to draw Western public opinion in the direction that benefited them.
What is less understandable is how Europe has acted in such a frivolous and thoughtless way as to stoke division in Serbia and send this important country into isolation. For the sake of Kosovo, Europe is in danger of losing Serbia.
We may blame the Serbs for many things - among them an inability to come to grips with the past and to send to the international tribunal in The Hague those among them who are accused of war crimes. But that is no reason to push them into desperation. The reaction of many Serbs to the threats and deadlines they have faced is what we would expect of a proud and talented people (who were among the first to fight for and gain their liberation from the Ottoman yoke, starting their revolt in 1804). Over the past few years, the Serbs have suffered a series of humiliations in the breakup of Yugoslavia (a disintegration in which they were instrumental). In 1999, there was the secret annex to the Rambouillet talks aimed at averting war over Kosovo, in which Serbia was ordered to accept the presence of NATO forces on its territory. In 2001, after the war, the Serb authorities arrested Milosevic on the day that a US ultimatum to do so expired.
Naturally, the government of Prime Minister Zoran Djindic was criticized for bowing to the Americans. Two years later, the man who assassinated Djindjic claimed that the prime minister was a “traitor.”
No Serb politician can acquiesce to the loss of Kosovo, the traditional heartland of the Serb nation - neither pro-Western President Boris Tadic nor nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica. In last Sunday’s runoff presidential elections, Tadic won 50.5 percent of the vote to 47.9 percent for Tomislav Nikolic, who ran on a strongly nationalist platform. The nation is divided equally and no one has the luxury of being able to provoke public anger by signing on to the further loss of Serb territory. Policymakers in Washington, Brussels and all other European capitals ought to be weighing the dynamics that will arise with Kosovo’s independence. Among the many ills is the fact that the progressive Serb president and his political friends will be seen to have sat by quietly, betraying their national cause, while at the same time being the victims of betrayal by their Western allies abroad.
Unfortunately, in their demand that the Serbs accept the loss of Kosovo, with the promise of EU accession sometime in the distant future, European leaders do not appear to care much about what will happen if the Serbs, out of national pride and their leaders’ political survival, turn their backs on Europe. The damage will not be to Serbia alone. For example, what kind of independence can Kosovo enjoy when it will forever face the enmity of a far more powerful neighbor? What economic and social development will Kosovo achieve if it must forever rely on foreign powers for its existence, and when organized crime is rife? Where will the political scene in Serbia - and Belgrade’s increasing dependence on Russia - lead? How long will Europe be able to provide Kosovo with police officers and judges, in accordance with a recent EU decision? It was this last decision that raised the anger of Prime Minister Kostunica, who saw it as an active move toward tearing Kosovo away from Serb sovereignty and therefore refused to agree to the last-minute carrot the EU threw to Serbia a few days ago: In the wake of the presidential elections, Brussels offered Belgrade an agreement on trade, and easier visa requirements and student exchanges.
If the Europeans truly wanted to solve the Balkans’ most complicated problem (and win the steadfast cooperation of Serbia) they would put Serbia on a fast track to EU accession and make it crystal clear to the Albanians of Kosovo that they would get their independence on the day that they and the Serbs both become members of the European Union. The EU has not made that offer. Now we will all have to live with the result, and watch as one problem succeeds another.
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If war does break out in the Balkans once again the International community has failed purposefully and thru complete disregard for sovereignty of all nations, but most poinantly Kosovo. The EU High Representative for BiH, Miroslav Lajcak has pushed for Independence of Kosovo as well and hijacked BiH with the Mostar declaration for the current pressure for conflict within the Republic of Srpska.Where’s any defense for the innocent Serbians as well other ethnic minorities?
Comment by Michael — February 11, 2008 #
Oh! What a mess the US and EU brew for themselves!
Comment by S. Harris — February 11, 2008 #
It appears there are Greek traitors as well; they will do and say anything for money.
Comment by Alfred E. Newman — February 11, 2008 #
If a war breaks out in Europe it should solely fall on the shoulders of the Germans, who are the most responsible country, and the leaders of anti-Serbian policies in the last eighty years. If EU should dissolve, again it is Germany that would be directly responsible for EU’s demise. If EU is dissolved then NATO will dissolve as well, it is a domino effect, and Germany will not be able to stop either of happening. German interference in Europe in the last one hundred years has led to the bloodiest conflicts in human history, is Germany a nation that should be trusted to lead Europe in the future? The answer to that question is obvious to those that know history.
The new and reunited Germany, resurgent has reached back in history, and has resurrected it glorious Imperial past and is repeating its earlier mistakes that it made in WWI, as well as WWII. Germany it seems has not forgotten its Nazi past either, Germany has been the most instrumental nation in the destruction of Yugoslavia and Serbia. It was Germany that insisted that Austrian Hungarian Empire give Serbia an ultimatum, July Ultimatum to be exact, that most historians credit for the start of WWI.
After that German debacle that cost Europe many innocent lives, once again resurgent Germany under the leadership of Hitler and his henchman decided to redraw European borders, and recreate Europe in German vision. Once again Yugoslavia was used as an example for other nation that there stand up to German bullying, Nazi Germany absorbed Slovenia, and setup a Nazi puppet state of Croatia, which went on a rampage of killing 1/3, converting 1/3 to Catholicism, and ethnically cleansing 1/3 of Serbian population from Croatia and Bosnia. Germany allied with Italy annexed Kosovo and tried to create a “Greater Albania” all the expanse of innocent Serbs. This attempt at controlling and dictating of Europe was short lived, but not until many innocent lives have been taken. Even after these two great wars, it appears Germany has amnesia and has forgotten what got it in trouble in the first place, trying to force its will on Europe.
As a leader of EU after its reunification in 1980, Germany went into the role it knows the best, it used its influence in EU to economically as well as politically destroy Yugoslavia. Twelve years latter a former Nazi Hans-Dietrich Genscher was instrumental in unilaterally recognizing Croatian as an independent state. This led to the bloody civil wars in former Yugoslavia, but this time Serbia and Serbian were blamed, a great PR as well as massive propaganda machine was used to accomplish what Germany failed to do in WWI as well as WWII, destroy Yugoslavia. The destruction of Yugoslavia was not the end of German treachery, the next target of German aggression was Serbia and in 1999 it was Germany that was the most responsible for getting NATO to bomb Serbia on behalf of KLA or ethnic Albanian terrorists, the same terrorist group German BND trained and armed, Germany was so brazen that it didn’t even hide those facts from the rest of the world. Once again Germany is leading a block of former Nazi and fascist and former collaborating countries and is forcing them to unilaterally recognize independent Kosovo, all against all international laws and treaties, UN Charter, UN SCR 1244, etc. The EU and NATO as its military has become a tool to impose German will on anyone that was instrumental in its demise in two world wars, brazenly it has taken a path on redrawing borders in Europe once again, almost identical to one that it undertook in two previous debacles. I believe that Serbia is going to be the dagger that puts an end to German influence in Europe once again; I don’t think that there will be any reunification after this debacle, the final debacle for Germany, this will be the third attempt at controlling Europe, and I hope final.
Comment by Alfred E. Newman — February 12, 2008 #
The article of Alfred E.Newman is an honest and historically true article. I congratulate him for showing in few lines the real aspect of the balkan problem. Unfortunately greeks (I am part of them) are unable to stand up and express their opinion and thus are handling this problem as pathetic traitors. Its a pitty and shame at the same time. I hope their unable goverment will be soon replaced. Indignity is everywhere in this world. Serbians should be patient.
Comment by Constantin — February 13, 2008 #