[Vladimir]

Then we should do the same thing in Ossetia? I mean it is part of Georgia and Russian forces are just occupying a rebel province That's the reason Georgia refuesed to accept Kosovo's independence to keep it's country together.

Yes - unless Georgia actually agrees to release Ossetia from its jurisdiction.

So Karjala is Finnish, Setomaa and Jaanilinn(Ivangorod) are Estonian, Kaliningrad is German? As I pointed out before times change. Otherwhise France would be a land of gauls

Eeeh.. no?
They are whatever jurisdiction they are in, which happens to be russian.

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Why Kosovars would want anything to do with a nation that tried to strangle them is beyond me.

What a puzzling comment..

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how peaceful, pacifist, care-taking and photogenic the Serbs are.

They ARE in fact pacifist... The lack of any real response to the illegal activities in Kosovo shows the pacifism and incopentence of current serb government.
I suspect this will influence the outcome of next elections in Serbia in favour of more competent and assertive party which WILL take actions.

[Manuel]

In forty years, most of the American southwest will be Mexican-majority.

At that time, may the people who supported Kosovar independence please rise up and support the creation of Atzlan.

[Kon]

If the white Americans treat the Mexicans the same way the Serbs have treated the Albanian residents of Kosovo in the past I will do so cheerfully

[Manuel]

Are you saying Kosovo has its hands clean? That it is bloodless?

Really?

Think carefully.

[Kon]

When did I say that Kosovo had its hands clean?

What does the have anything to do with this?

I'm just saying that I think it's best if we seperate the two nations, as the whole togetherness thing isn't working out so hot.

Perhaps I should phrase that in several questions, and jump to conclusions, maybe then you could respond intelligently?

[AmericanPatriot]

This is just stupid on their part. If they are frustrated they should just arm themselves and got to reestablish Serbia's legitimate rule in Kosovo. On the other hand attacking the diplomatic staff of another state will simply reflect negatively upon Serbia because they did not provide sufficient security.

Very well said. While the United States may have supported an independent state of Kosovo, we weren't directly responsible for it. Attacking our embassy is completely irrational and definately doesn't help advance the Serbian position at all. Really dumb move by their part...

[Kon]

So if Serbians were to "arm themselves and ... reestablish Serbia's legitimate rule in Kosovo" you would be okay with it?

Wouldn't that also reflect negatively on Serbia?

Edit: I said Kosovo instead of Serbia

[Manuel]

Kosovo is Serbia. Allowing Kosovo independence will fuel problems around the world. Georgia, China, Spain, United Kingdom, Canada... all these little independence movements will suddenly have a precedent.

The Kosovars can claim independence all they want. No one, outside those that already do, will recognize it. It'll be a Taiwan.

[Gletkin]

They're 4% of the Kosovo population. Why should Kosovo be allowed to be dominated by such a small minority who would wish to rule over them unequally? And why is Kosovo Serbian? It is overwhelmingly Albanian in population.

Classic he said/she said situation.

I remember reading somewhere that the Serbs claim that large numbers of their brethren were expelled from Kosovo by the Turks after they conquered it.

I find it ironic though, that most Anglophones who support Kosova's separation from Serbia keep using the Serbian name for that land.

[peter_co]

Wouldn't that also reflect negatively on Serbia?

I don't understand, how would restoring order in your own country reflect negatively upon you?

[Nets]

I find it ironic though, that most Anglophones who support Kosova's separation from Serbia keep using the Serbian name for that land.

Why, we use Anglicized names for everything on this board. We don't say Medinate Yisrael, Filastin, Ossterreich or Zhongguo either.

[W01f]

I don't understand, how would restoring order in your own country reflect negatively upon you?

The media certainly didn't put Chechnya in positive light. Of course, it would be a different situation if it were Quebec for example, but the general public is too stupid to tell the difference (or lack thereof).

[Beren]

If I was a Serbian policy-maker I would refuse to recognize Kosovo and affirm it as part of Serbia in the constitution and as official policy (like the PRC does with Taiwan). Otherwise, let this issue slide (for now, at any rate) and concentrate on economic development and integration with the EU.

Either as a great fan of the European integration or as a citizen of a neighbour of Serbia I definitely agree and hope it will happen so.

[Attila The Nun]

Because the territory of Kosovo is in the posession of Serbia, and serbian law operates across this territory.
Any person who is a citizen living in Kosovo is legally bound to follow serbian law, as it is a condition for being a citizen and living on serbian land.
Ancestral descent of those citiznes is irrelevant - if an influx of albanian immigrants flooded the territory and forced people of slavic ethnicity out, the land remains serbian.
Of course I wish to see real action being taken against unlawfully behaving citizens (not even mentioning the illegal immigrants) and against bandit separatist gangs who have criminally threatened serbian territory.

The idea that the illegality of such a rebellion against the government which created the laws makes the rebellion illegitimate is ridiculous. Laws do not dictate when a law or a government is being just, because there are no provisions put in place within those laws to decide when the laws have become morally irrelevant, rather it is morality that supersedes laws which can only be the judge of that. The vast majority of revolutions that sought to undo unjust acts by a government have been illegal, from the French Revolution to the February Revolution.

Also, Serbia only came into possession of those lands in 1912, long after the population was majority Albanian, so it appears that by the time Serbia acquired the lands, Kosovo already was not ethnically Serbian, therefore Serbia throughout it's administration of Kosovo was ruling over Albanian land. Albanians have been a clear majority for at least a hundred years in Kosovo.

[Red Star]

Well modern politics can not be stuck on history like that.

I totally agree, I am just venturing a guess that social mentality can be stuck in history like that.

[Vladimir]

The idea that the illegality of such a rebellion against the government which created the laws makes the rebellion illegitimate is ridiculous. Laws do not dictate when a law or a government is being just, because there are no provisions put in place within those laws to decide when the laws have become morally irrelevant, rather it is morality that supersedes laws which can only be the judge of that. The vast majority of revolutions that sought to undo unjust acts by a government have been illegal, from the French Revolution to the February Revolution.

Nope. The land is legally a part of the serbian jurisdiction and any attempts at self-governance of an area by citizens/non-citizens without permission from a legislative authority (as defined by constitution) is illegal and can be legitimately persecuted by force.
"moral" is irrelevant here, this is strictly an issue of defined borders and regions' constitutional rights (Kosovo of course did not have a status of autonomy and a right to separation). If 50% of a serbian region's population threatens territorial integrity and supports illegitimate self-governance in one way or another, they can be deported from the region, as subjugates of serbian law and at the same time its breakers.
Revolutions are an irrelevant example as with abolition of a predecessor government its laws cease to function. This is why the russian empire lost territorial integrity after the october revolution, for example.

Also, Serbia only came into possession of those lands in 1912, long after the population was majority Albanian, so it appears that by the time Serbia acquired the lands, Kosovo already was not ethnically Serbian, therefore Serbia throughout it's administration of Kosovo was ruling over Albanian land.

Yeah and USA belongs to the indians who should deport all whites

[Gletkin]

Why, we use Anglicized names for everything on this board. We don't say Medinate Yisrael, Filastin, Ossterreich or Zhongguo either.

But why use Anglicized Serbian (Kosovo) instead of Anglicized Albanian (Kosova)?

[Thompson_NCL]

Because the land is Serbia's?

[Radonjic]

I want to explain something, 'cause I saw that there are so many who think that Serbia took Kosovo from Albania in 1912.
Well, parts of Kosovo is in Serbia from the end of XI century, trough XII-th century Serbia conquest whole Kosovo and Kosovo is Serbian from than. Before that Kosovo was in possession of Byzantia. Albanians tribes were on present Albania' mountains, and some of the nobles had some cities in possessions as Drac, Scadar, Ljesh,etc. So, they DIDN'T HAVE a state.
When Turcs conquer the Serbia, they conquered from south to north, so area of present Albania was in their possessions, also Serbia (with Kosovo - Kosovo wasn't never separate from Serbia with some borders, Kosovo was an area in Serbia /geographic term ).
Serbs began to fight for freedom, against Turcs, setting free part of part of Serbia. In Balkan's war,in 1912. Serbs had finnaly set free the last parts of Kosovo, but with Montenegrins, Serbs continued to fight for freedom of others Balkan's nation. So they had set free area of present Albania. Considering that Serbs got exit to the Adriatic sea. Western countries weren't satisfied with this Serbian conquest, so they decided to make a brend new state - Albania. So, 'till than there wasn't any Albanian state, and linked to that Kosovo couldn't be in Albania. Kosovo was under Turcs, as other parts of Serbia, not under Albanians. Albanians came in not Turcs part of Kosovo, but in Serbian part in XIX century. So... Serbs just set free their own state, which were under the Turcs.
Every story about that Serbia took Kosovo from Albania in 1912. is manipulation.You can't took something from someone is that someone didn't existed.

Albanians, as unthankful for Serbian hospitality, got involved with Turcs and made Prizren’s league in 1878, planing to took away Kosovo from Serbs. Since than, Albanians lived for that idea, using lies, and torture against Serbs.
Using the II WW, they with nazists and fascists tortured Serbs in Kosovo for that idea. When war had finished, they came from Albania, and years by years, they became majority, supported by antiserb comunists in Yugoslavia, specially by Tito who promised that for every ninth kid in Kosovo he will be the godfather, knowing that only Albanians have that much children. Tito even protected to Serbs to settle there.
So, in the '80-th's., Albanians started with demonstrations against Serbs and with torturing Serbs, with attempt to exiled Serbs from Kosovo, so Serbs became minority. But, comunists didn't allowed Serbs to protest against Albanians, 'cause comunists wanted to protect their idea of brotherhood and unity of all nationality in Yugoslavia, protecting to Serbs to say: we are Serbs. Only Serbs have obligation to say :we are Yugoslavian.
Any way Albanians were and still are, lead by Enver Hodza's idea of The Great Albania, which include Kosovo, south of Serbia, North of Greece, East of Macedonia, West of Montenegro.
Problems with Albanians are old: for decades...
The top of that problems was organization KLA.