A Gift For Kosovo
Serb nationalists attack
the American embassy in
Belgrade, February 2008
Photo: Getty/Koall
"A Serbian leader delivered another demonstration Thursday of why it was necessary for NATO and the United Nations to intervene to protect the province of Kosovo and then to guide it to independence. Appearing before a large rally in Belgrade orchestrated to protest Kosovo's independence declaration on Sunday, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica incited Serbs against the United States and other governments that had recognized the new state. Then his police melted away from the center of the city, allowing an organized group of masked thugs to attack the U.S. Embassy, where they broke in and set a fire. The embassies of Croatia, Turkey, Bosnia, Belgium, Germany and Britain were also attacked," wrote the Washington Post in their lead editorial on February 23, 2008.
The New York Times was even more pointed about the violence in Serbia, "Kosovo’s declaration of independence was never going to be easy. Still, it is alarming to see the Serbian government so unwilling to peacefully channel its citizens’ anger and disappointment. Its failure to control rampaging crowds that set fire Thursday to part of the United States Embassy compound in Belgrade — and attacked several other embassies — is a shocking and unacceptable abdication of responsibility."
Meanwhile, the story from inside Kosovo is quite different. Across Pristina, Prizren, Pej, Gjakova, and almost the entire country - including historic religious sites maintained by the Serbian Orthodox Church - there is no indication of violence. Only the Serb-run areas of Kosovo, including northern Mitrovica, reported rioting and brutality. This stark contrast is a credit to the Kosovar Albanians and should reassure those concerned about Kosovo's capacity for self-rule.
For Serbs the best possible future is a strong, stable economy, fully pledged to the European Union. But as the New York Times concludes, "Serbian leaders have a clear choice: stoke this xenophobia and self-pity, and further isolate themselves, or tamp down these passions and accept Europe’s offer of economic and political integration."
Comments
Uhh, Keith ol’ buddy, whenever this type of riotous behavior would happen in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, the pontificating Europeans and their surrogates in the US would quickly lay blame on Israel, while the Palestinian Authority would shrug their shoulders and say, “Well what do you expect me to do about riots?”
In one case the glass is called half-empty, in another case it’s called half-full. Typical double-standards in our post-ColdWar world. Truly, this is the hallmark of the era of the resurgent European era.
You are really going to compare the Serbs to the Palestinians? Do you think there is some good explanation for why the government of Serbia can’t guarantee the protection of foreign embassies in its own capital city?
The history of Kosovo province is written with the blood of Orthodox Christian Serbs and Albanian and Turkish Moslems. While I deplore the Serbian attack on the U.S. Embassy, I can certainly understand why the Serbs are angry. Three questions, Keith. 1) Are you even remotely aware that Albanian Moslems in Kosovo have destroyed many Orthodox Christian churches and monasteries in Pristina and throughout Kosovo since 1998? 2) Are you aware that there were clearly documented links between Osama Bin Laden/Al Qaeda and the Albanian Moslem Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) which initiated guerilla warfare against the Serbs in Kosovo province in the 1990s? 3) Are you aware that 4 of the 6 Moslem terrorists who conspired to bomb Fort Dix, N.J. were Albanian Moslems from Kosovo, Serbia? Please, do some remedial reading on the continuous 600 year history of Islamic jihad in the Balkans–try a source other than the rather myopic mainstream American media.
This is pathetic. You are representing one-side-view only, and that is…haa…US point of view. What do you expect how will be reaction in Serbia when US on very rude and blatant way alienating 15% of its territory despite complaints from Serbia and other countries. US by using of military force for who knows which time demonstrating what international law means to them, and then asking from Serbian government to respect same law. This is pathetic
I am well aware of the history on both sides.
I am representing not only the U.S. point of view, the government of Serbia condemned the attacks also.
Could you please, just try not to be so biased and ignorant? Please. Pretty please!
Or maybe you are consciously part of the western propaganda that keeps repeating lies in attempt to cover up historical facts.
Here are few links you should spend some time reading before attempting to write another ‘foreign policy’ article:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFPSMK6ftWs
http://www.kosovo.net/default2.html
http://www.un.org/law/
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=02&dd=21&nav_id=47869&version=print
No indication of violence in Kosovo against Serbs? Did albanians choose that special day not to? Your media blackout violences and ethnic cleansing against Serbs, Roms, Christians.
Yes, Drogovo is a responsable state, like muslim albanians, for selling drugs produced by your dear Afhgnan freedom fighters. Wouldn’t Drogovo be a great place for US troops? Cheap prostitutes, cheap cigarettes, cheap land and cheap people very admirous of other shitheads.
So that was the US plan for fighting terrorism: rather than fighting islam terrorism, drugs, dirty financing you make friend out of them and they can keep being terrorists as long as they are of use to the US(???). Oopsy, when they think terrorism work, like you enjoy showing them, they keep doing it.