Ghosts In The Machine

Today the former Finnish president outlined his plan for the quasi-independence for the area of Kossovo, but it appears that (as is usual with such compromises) neither side is particularly happy. I'm sure that while NATO and the EU (and the UN) have bigger concerns than being the custodians of the downfall of the Serbian Empire (started just before WWI and reaching its largest size after WWII), it appears that for the second time in less than a year that a seemingly integral area of the Serbian empire is seeking its independence to follow the other former Yugoslav republics (Slovenia, already in the EU, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, and new nation Montenegro as well). The compromise outlined by the UN would give Kossovo access to international organizations (like the UN and the IMF) and give it its own flag and control over its own international relations. It would, however, give great rights to the Serbian minority, including municipal control in its own area and the right to accept transparent transfers of money (i.e. subisides) from Serbia.

Unfortunately, as these matters seem to go, the Kossovar Albanians (who have 90% of the population) are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with anything short of full independence. They see (rightly) that their own rights to self-determination are being shortchanged to benefit a bullying and abusive nation (Serbia) and its large and morally corrupt ally (Russia, who dislikes the precedent of Kossovo applying to, say, Chechnya and other areas that wish to break off from Russia). The Serbians, on the other hand, see Kossovo as an integral part of their empire, for Kossovo was the core of the Serbian empire until the 1300's, and the Battle of Kossovo in 1389 (a complete defeat that led to Ottoman rule over the Serbs until the 1800's) remains a pivotal event in Serbian history. No Serbian politician wants to go down in infamy as the person who surrendered Kossovo. Serbs have a long memory, and no one wants that eternal infamy.

So while one people seeks justice and the other remains tied to its own dark memories, it appears that neither side is to be happy with this deal, as it does point to independence for Kossovo, but without the status that the Albanians crave and the Serbs fear. The fact that Kossovo is currently a nation with a 50% unemployment rate, with aid (and expenditure by expatriates) accounting for some 30% of its Gross National Product, and with entrenched drug trafficking, prostitution, and copyright infringing interests (obviously not a good thing) makes the situation even more sticky. However, as development aid cannot enter the nation until its status is determined (being a UN Protectorate does not account for much), it appears that Kossovo will be granted near-independence soon, whether the Serbs like it or not. The demands of justice trump the bonds of memory.