Iori Komei
03-20-2008, 05:38 AM
So, as many are aware Kosovo declared its independence a month ago, and it has essentially divided the international community on the issue like never before.
A little history about the whole thing.
Kosovo is in most regards completely different from Serbia.
-Kosovo is primarily comprised of Secular Muslims, while Serbia is primarily Orthodox Christians.
-Kosovo ethnically is 92% ethnic Albanians, while Serbia is 82% ethnic Serbs.
Kosovo for around 600 years was not part of Serbia, however in the early twentieth century Serbia essentially invaded and claimed Kosovo as its own.
For most of the rest of the twentieth century Kosovo was a part of the former Yugoslavia, usually being treated badly.
In the '80's mass riots in Kosovo started demanding it become the 7th Yugoslav republic, this lead to Yugoslav security forces rushing in and killing between 11 (state press) and 1,000 (non-state press) people.
Kosovo ended up having a heavy security presence in it throughout the 80's with over six-hundred thousand people being arrested or detained, while thousand more were stripped of their jobs or kicked out of educational institutions.
In the early 90's Milosivec essentially passed legislation (through undemocratic means) that ended with 80,000 ethnic Albanians losing their jobs because of not being ethnically Serbs and a Serb based curriculum was mandated for Kosovar schools.
Kosovo was also essentially stripped of all political power.
Further more tens of thousands of students were expelled from schools and Kosovo's security forces were replaced by ethnic Serbs, essentially creating a police state.
in 1991, amid harassment a referendum for independence was held by a shadow government in Kosovo this lead to 98% of voters from a 90% turn-out voting yes for independence.
Serbia declared it void and illegal.
Throughout the mid and late 90's several incidents occurred in which ethnic Albanian Kosovars were killed by Yugoslav security forces for no reason, essentially massacres.
This lead too diplomatic discussions which ended in 1999 with Yugoslavia/Serbia refusing to restore Kosovo's autonomy (which it had had until Milosevic came along) and stop the persecution of ethnic Albanian Kosavars and remove Yugoslav secuirty forces to be replaced by NATO troops.
In March 1999 NATO began a bombing campaign of Yugoslavia in fear of worse things that could happen.
Tens of thousands of ethnic Albanian Kosovars were killed or 'disappeared' under Milosevics rule.
On June 12 Milosevic, having no other option signed papers establishing KFOR.
In June 2006 negotiations on Kosovo's future began.
Kosovo wanted independence, Serbia refused it, and basically over the last two years they've been at various meetings each saying what they wanted and what they would'nt accept, even though several good plans (that gave Kosovo independence) were submitted Serbia refused them, and subsequently Russia did so as well.
In February 19th of this year Kosovo's full parliament convened and voted unanimously to declare Independence from Serbia.
The United States, the UK, Turkey and a majority of the EU member-states all recognized Kosovo within the next few days, so far as of today 33 countries have recognized Kosovo while a great many are undecided or waiting for further developments before they decide.
Serbia and Russia with PRChina (quasi-officially) immediately stated they did not except its independence within the days following the declaration.
A dozen or so other countries have stated that they will not recognize it,including some EU members such as Spain and Poland.
So now we have the current situation where we have 33 countries (including most of the world powers) recognizing it and two world powers and many unimportant countries not recognizing it.
I should also mention that there is a great deal of psychotic ultra-nationalist sentiment in Serbia, so much so that the Serbian Orthodox Church head priest called on Serbia to buy arms from Russia and retake Kosovo.
So, in regards to Kosovo, what do you think of its Independence?
A little history about the whole thing.
Kosovo is in most regards completely different from Serbia.
-Kosovo is primarily comprised of Secular Muslims, while Serbia is primarily Orthodox Christians.
-Kosovo ethnically is 92% ethnic Albanians, while Serbia is 82% ethnic Serbs.
Kosovo for around 600 years was not part of Serbia, however in the early twentieth century Serbia essentially invaded and claimed Kosovo as its own.
For most of the rest of the twentieth century Kosovo was a part of the former Yugoslavia, usually being treated badly.
In the '80's mass riots in Kosovo started demanding it become the 7th Yugoslav republic, this lead to Yugoslav security forces rushing in and killing between 11 (state press) and 1,000 (non-state press) people.
Kosovo ended up having a heavy security presence in it throughout the 80's with over six-hundred thousand people being arrested or detained, while thousand more were stripped of their jobs or kicked out of educational institutions.
In the early 90's Milosivec essentially passed legislation (through undemocratic means) that ended with 80,000 ethnic Albanians losing their jobs because of not being ethnically Serbs and a Serb based curriculum was mandated for Kosovar schools.
Kosovo was also essentially stripped of all political power.
Further more tens of thousands of students were expelled from schools and Kosovo's security forces were replaced by ethnic Serbs, essentially creating a police state.
in 1991, amid harassment a referendum for independence was held by a shadow government in Kosovo this lead to 98% of voters from a 90% turn-out voting yes for independence.
Serbia declared it void and illegal.
Throughout the mid and late 90's several incidents occurred in which ethnic Albanian Kosovars were killed by Yugoslav security forces for no reason, essentially massacres.
This lead too diplomatic discussions which ended in 1999 with Yugoslavia/Serbia refusing to restore Kosovo's autonomy (which it had had until Milosevic came along) and stop the persecution of ethnic Albanian Kosavars and remove Yugoslav secuirty forces to be replaced by NATO troops.
In March 1999 NATO began a bombing campaign of Yugoslavia in fear of worse things that could happen.
Tens of thousands of ethnic Albanian Kosovars were killed or 'disappeared' under Milosevics rule.
On June 12 Milosevic, having no other option signed papers establishing KFOR.
In June 2006 negotiations on Kosovo's future began.
Kosovo wanted independence, Serbia refused it, and basically over the last two years they've been at various meetings each saying what they wanted and what they would'nt accept, even though several good plans (that gave Kosovo independence) were submitted Serbia refused them, and subsequently Russia did so as well.
In February 19th of this year Kosovo's full parliament convened and voted unanimously to declare Independence from Serbia.
The United States, the UK, Turkey and a majority of the EU member-states all recognized Kosovo within the next few days, so far as of today 33 countries have recognized Kosovo while a great many are undecided or waiting for further developments before they decide.
Serbia and Russia with PRChina (quasi-officially) immediately stated they did not except its independence within the days following the declaration.
A dozen or so other countries have stated that they will not recognize it,including some EU members such as Spain and Poland.
So now we have the current situation where we have 33 countries (including most of the world powers) recognizing it and two world powers and many unimportant countries not recognizing it.
I should also mention that there is a great deal of psychotic ultra-nationalist sentiment in Serbia, so much so that the Serbian Orthodox Church head priest called on Serbia to buy arms from Russia and retake Kosovo.
So, in regards to Kosovo, what do you think of its Independence?