Re: Kosovo: the new European country
There are many more regions than just South Osetia that will feel this event.
Countries that refuse to acknowledge Kosovo independance include: Spain, Canada, Russia, Romania, Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria and Slovakia...there are a few more. I'm not well enough informed right now.
"What message are we sending to multi-ethnic societies or to other states that are facing ethnic issues or frozen conflicts?" Romanian President Traian Basescu told a conference in Brussels.
In my opinion the policy of self-determination is complete lunacy and it was tried at the end of ww1 and failed. As Shaun Connery said if Kosovo can be independent so can Scotland.
What of Africa? There are so many "nations" (with far more actual right as their borders were defined by es-colonial masters and are cause of destabilization) that crave international recognition there and have been refused the same by the west.
Putin can use the Kosovo precedent to basically restore the Soviet Union to pretty much its old size. Many ethnic Russians living in near abroad have asked for their territory to be added to that of Russia...furthermore even if there is minority of ethnic Russians in a certain region a country like Russia could organize resistance in the region and claim that ethnic Russians are being molested by the government (just like Hitler with Czechoslovakia) and invade the country.
I am neither against nor for Kosovo independence because I am serbian but I am against it because I have a brain and know what the reality of the situation is and the political implications of the same. Kosovo's "liberation" army was funded by drug, arms and people smugglers. Those same people are in government there now - so what future can a country have with such institutions of power? Will this not further destabilize the region, Europe and the world??
This will bring hope to all TERRORIST organizations worldwide that their cause can be a successful one.
I am honestly sorry that Serbia was unfortunate enough to have a president such as Sloban Milosevic who allowed and in many ways caused the situation in the region to escalate and result in the break up of Yugoslavia followed by the break up of Serbia and Montenegro to the the current break up of Serbia itself.
Nevertheless knowing the background of the particular issue very well I think I can safely say that I am fundamentally AGAINST this type of Kosovo independence.
If it is to became independent it should be done under strict control of the EU (who in actual fact doesn't care to do so and this will haunt it later on) to assure that the institutions of government are truly independent and democratic and to assure that ALL criminal and corrupt elements are removed from positions of ANY power. (this is complete opposite of what has happened)
p.s. its not a question of tossing some euro/dollar to Putin for him to shut up as there aren't enough Euros-dollars for that. Its a question of standing by as he absorbs one bordering nation after another into Russia as he has vowed to do in case of Kosovo's independence.