Imagine a scenario in which illegal immigrants become a majority in a part of the country. Once the majority, they begin fighting for independence. After all, their reasoning goes, if they are the majority they should have their own country. Well it's not really too hard to imagine, it has just happened in Kosovo, where an entire region has been taken over by Albanian illegal immigrants who have just declared themselves a free and independent state.
The United States, along with much of the EU, has recognized their independence. Funny I can't see us taking things so calmly or granting independence if secession were tried again in the United States. What do we tell the Kurds in Iraq when they want independence? Or what about Taiwan? Do we say: "sorry, different rules for the Balkans."
A little history. Despite what Albanian propagandists say, Kosovo is part of Serbia. It's been part of Serbia sinc the middle ages. It was at the battle of Kosovo, in the 14th century, that the Ottoman Turks wiped out the Serb kingdom and ruled over it for centuries, while granting favor to their Albanian collaborators. (Collaborating is something that Albanians are good at. When the Muslims marched through the Balkans the majority converted to gain favor with the new leaders. When Mussolini's Italy conquered the country it became enthusiastically Fascist, and when Communism took over they set up a state to out Stalin the USSR.)
It is rather hypocritical of President Bush to recognize the creation of a terrorist state when we are supposed to be combatting terrorism. After all the KLA, Kosovo Liberation Army, was on the State department list of terrorist groups. They had undisputed ties to Al-Qaida and Usama Bin Laden, and were only removed from the list when President Clinton needed an excuse to go to war against Sebia.
What the Albanians could not accomplish militarily they did demographically. This sets a bad precedent. I've already mentioned the Kurds, most of them want to break away from Iraq and have an independent Kurdistan, and it has only been through a long diplomatic and political process that we have been able to keep them in Iraq and prevented a powder keg from being ignited in the region. What's diplomatic arobatics will we use in future cases? What do we say when the kurds announce:"We're declaring our independence and we expect you to recognize it just like you did in Kosovo" Makes things difficult and doesn't exactly serve American interests.
But how does an independent Kosovo serve American interests? A new Muslim nation, under the influence of Islamic extremism doesn't serve the interest of America. Do we really want to risk a further rift with Russia over Kosovo? Is Kosovo's independence worth that.
Since Kosovo is part of Serbia, the Serbs are well within their rights as a nation to put this secession down. There is no good reason for the United States to recognize the independence of Kosovo. American interest aren't served, they're probably damaged. They strain an already strained relationship with Russia, and it puts America in a difficult position if groups allied with America, but without their own nation, decide to declare independence.
Kosovo has promised that it will be multiethnic and democratic. We should be skeptical on both counts. Kosovo's population is 90% Albanian, the Serb minority live as prisoners in their own country and will most likely be expelled, or worse, now that a new Alabanian state has been declared. As for democracy, radical Islam has been gaining ground in the Balkans over the last ten years. Do we want another country beholden to Wahhabism and jihad? Another country ruled by Sharia? We all know what Islamists think of democracy, the last thing we should have done is give them another country to subvert.
Allowing Kosovo to be independent sends the wrong message to the world, and President Bush has now sent that message.
