On the Brink?

A battalion of 600 British soldiers is being deployed to Kosovo in order to bolster NATO peacekeeping forces in the volatile days leading up to Serbia's disputed election scheduled for May 11. Meanwhile, outgoing president Vladimir Putin reiterated Russia's position against recognizing the independence of Kosovo, a move that only further complicates the changing dynamics of power in this beleaguered Balkan state. Here is an article which deals specifically with the problems arising out of the shift from UN to EU authority in Kosovo.

Allegations of Organ Trafficking in Kosovo

This week in Kosovo was a controversial one, as a tell-all new book was published by a leading European war crimes investigator linking Kosovo and Albanian suspects to a purported trafficking of organs. The report has been criticized because of lack of evidence, but the story is pretty disturbing and controversial. Here is one article and another

Kosovo's Constitution Approved

It was announced today that Kosovo lawmakers have unanimously approved the fledgling country's new constitution. Approved by overseeing EU officials, the document which will take effect on June 15 lays the groundwork for a move towards true autonomy f0r the independent state.

Cindy McCain Vists Kosovo

The wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain visited Kosovo this week and met with President Fatmir Sejdiu (pictured above) PM Hasim Thaci and the head of a mine clearing charity working on removing the country's heaps of dangerous left-over military ordnance. Her visit coincided with Norway becoming the latest European country to recognize an independent Kosovo. The drama continues as President Bush urges the bitterly divided Serbian government to aid in the process of Kosovo's separation, a possibility which seems horribly unlikely and naive. Just another week in good old Kosovo.

Serbian Swimmer Kicks Up Controversy

Gold-medal winning, propaganda sporting Serb swimmer Milorad Cavic was welcomed home in Belgrade today to cheering fans and the support of Prime Minister Kostunica who called the controversial champ a national "hero". Cavic was suspended from the European swimming championships this week after winning the 50m butterfly in the Netherlands and wearing a t-shirt emblazoned in Cyrillic with the divisive nationalistic slogan: "Kosovo is Serbia" during his medal ceremony.
Here's an article

Promoting World Peace

After a week that saw the dozens injured and death of a UN Peacekeeper amid protests and violence in Kosovo, President George Bush announced that the U.S. would officially supply weapons to a state already so saturated with firearms and that it has been labeled a Gunrunner's Paradise. Serbia's prime minister criticized the move and I agree with him when he questions how this will help bring peace to the region, but surely all this unrest will effect Serbia's emergency elections scheduled for May. Here is link to great photo album with lots of images of recent events in Kosovo.

Serbian Government Collapses

Serbia's government has requested that President Boris Tadic dissolve the parliament and hold emergency elections. Prime Minister Kostunica has said that because of a split in policy over the status of Kosovo and Serbia's bid for a spot in E.U. "the government cannot function any longer." This could have some serious repercussions for Kososvo, and we can only hope that this situation does not descend into a firestorm of nationalist conflict.

Here's an article from Balkan Insight http://balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/8483/

Independence Spawns Mixed Reactions

The majority of Albanian Kosovars welcomed the news of independence declared on Sunday with celebrations and demonstrations across the country and in the capital city of Pristina. Today however, political unrest and violent protest led to border closings and destruction in northern Kosovo near the border with Serbia where many Serbian Kosovars oppose the idea of an independent Kosovo. Despite the support of the U.S. and most of the E.U. it is clear that this may not be an easy or smooth transition to full statehood for Kosovo while the threat of instability and violence in the region is still looming on the horizon.

Here is an article from the NYT about the divided city of Mitrovica and another from Balkan Insight about the attacks on the border.

The New Cold War

Yay for Kosovo! This Balkan hotspot once again finds itself the epicenter of a global power battle as Russia and the West continue the political struggle over Kosovo's future. Apparently the international rift over Kosovo's independence is contributing to a "Cold War-style chill settling over Europe" even if it may not result in any direct, immediate conflict.
Here is a link to an article about some of these developments.


I also found an interesting article called "Criminalization of the State" from The Center for Research on Globalization that claims the Kosovo Liberation Army and the current government is basically a terrorist supporting, drug smuggling mafia (glad we've got a mob class planned) propped up by the powerful NATO and American military presence in the region, which is quite impressive, make sure you check out Cheney's bastion, the Massive U.S. military base Camp Bondsteel referred to as a smaller Guantanamo built by Haliburton to protect military and economic interests in the Balkans.

On that note thought I would include a video from Russia Today of John Bolton criticizing U.S. foreign policy and talking about the possibility of a rise in Islamic terrorism and regional instability if Kosovo's independence is recognized.

Imminent Independence!!?

According to recent reports from the Balkans, Kosovo, currently a province of Serbia, is expected to announce its independence sometime within the next ten days. The timing of the announcement is scheduled to take advantage of an upcoming E.U. ministerial meeting. The region has been under U.N. administration and a provisional coalition government working toward autonomy since the conclusion of the ethnic conflict in 1999 between Serbians and the ethnic Albanians who make up a majority of the region's population.

These developments have divided Serbia's government and several other European nations have already come out with announcements that they will not recognize Kosovo's independence. Serbia with the alliance of Russia in particular have positioned themselves against political independence for Kosovo and have used their sizable clout in international organizations to voice this opposition.

This certainly is an exciting and historic time to study and follow the news from Kosovo so stay tuned!