kosovo. to recognize or not to recognize?

that was a headline on the BBC this morning. It is an issue that the EU is struggling with. THe US led the forefront on recognizing this new independent state . Other western European countries followed suit. Then of course serbia was outraged. Slowly over the next few days China and much of Eastern Europe supported Serbia out of their own interests. Political upheavals in their own nations cause them to worry of independence declarations of their own minority people groups. With China it is the Taiwanese. With Russia it is those from Georgia and other Asia break off provinces. For Bosnia it is the Bosnian-Serbs. The differnce here lies in the acts committed in the late 90's in this province. Shortly after the Dayton Peace Accord in Bosnia Milosevic knew he had lost the battle for Bosnia. There had been rumor of the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo attempting to form a unified state with the hopes of breaking off from greater Yugoslavia (serbia and montenegro). The military led by Milosevic made their way into the province and hushed the whispers of independence with mass graves, rape camps, and a term he became a pro at this point... ethnic cleansing. At this point the US had already put its foot down 5 years too late in Bosnia and was committed to this region. Thus the NATO bombings of Belgrade that ended the ten year yugoslav war. Serbia lost Kosovo in 1999. They lost it in the hills where hundreds are buried in one hole. They lost it in cattle cars full of people heading back to albania. They lost it when burning crosses into the foreheads of their muslim brothers (this i have seen with my own eyes). They lost it in camps where grown men and boys were forced to starve. I for one am proud of the US (for once) for recognizing the Kosovars. I pray for peace in this new nation because God knows they need it.

also see...

a photojournalists account of kosovo's war