The Red and Black

Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: Opinions

SANDRO STOJANOVIC

Kosovo again has emerged on our TV screens as a place of conflict. This Serbian province has asked for independence for the last two decades, and finally, on Feb. 17, the dream became a reality. It is not as beautiful as it seems.

In response to Andrew Tyndall's and Chris Chiego's columns about Kosovo's independence, some facts should be considered before making these statements.

Kosovo has been a Serbian territory for centuries. Some monasteries there predate the U.S.'s existence. However, many have been burned down by Albanians from Kosovo. Kosovo is a cradle of the Serbian nation and Serbs never will give it up.

Kosovo is a failed state. It has a 60 percent unemployment rate and an average monthly wage of $250, according to The New York Times. Do you think this state can survive? Is the country forever going to depend on foreign investments and grants, or will it fall into debt?

Kosovo's Prime Minister, Hashim Thaçi, was leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army, once labeled a "terrorist organization" by the U.S. Now, the U.S. is Thaçi's biggest supporter.

Didn't the U.S. support other terrorist organizations before that backfired against the administration? Sept. 11 - you get my point.

Kosovo has been a major route of drug and slave trafficking and prostitution from the Middle East to Western Europe. The dirty money coming from these illegal acts has been directed toward the Albanian lobby in Congress.

There are numerous problems with the declaration of independence.

The binding U.N. resolution 1244 is a part of the international law that grants autonomy of Kosovo under the U.N. administration, but it allows Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity along with maintenance of borders. Recognizing Kosovo would be breaking the international law.

Other separatist entities are searching for independence: Basque and Catalonia in Spain, Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia, Chechnya in Russia, Kurds in Turkey and the guerilla in Columbia and Venezuela.

The recognition of Kosovo's independence has been characterized as opening Pandora's box. Treating Kosovo as a "unique" case is a misconception because it will set a dangerous precedent: Every separatist group will want to be treated as such.

Chiego, shame on you for stating that the Battle of Kosovo is ludicrous. Serbs did get defeated in Kosovo in 1389 but stopped the advance of the Ottoman Empire toward Western Europe. Please read some books on Kosovo's history. You have offended me and the Serbian community.

Anyone with a sense of American foreign policy can see Kosovo is strategically significant for NATO. Setting up a base in Kosovo would give the U.S. more influence in the region than ever before.

History is not just in the past. It is what shapes us as people. Chiego, you are a history major, you should know this.

- Sandro Stojanovic is a junior from Belgrade, Serbia majoring in international affairs.

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