Richard, It's America's Test In Kosovo, Not Russia's

This was posted on the comments section of the Washington Post.

I will not go into detail as to why this oped, if adopted, as it seems it will by the UN, will promote civil war in the Balkans and around the world for the foreseeable future.

Basically Kosovo is not a unique case. I just think that it is incumbent on Richard Holbrooke to explain why Kosovo deserves independence, while Republica Srpska in Bosnia does not.

Why does Iraqi Kurdistan deserve autonomy within a federal Iraq, while in Turkish Kurdistan people, are thrown in jail for writing histories in the Kurdish language.

Why do Albanians in Macedonia deserve increased rights while the Macedonians in Greece and Bulgaria are struggling to gain minimal rights.

The pursuit of American self interest in the Balkans means different standards for each situation, which makes it impossible for moderates in each country to reach out to moderates in other countries. That is the key to destabilization in the Balkans. A key which the United States holds. Richard, "take the log out of your own eye, before you complain about the splinter in someone else's eye".

Russia's Test In Kosovo
Richard Holbrooke
Washington Post

Russia contends that the United Nations does not have the right to change an international border without the agreement of the country involved. But Kosovo is a unique case and sets no precedent for separatist movements elsewhere, because in 1999, with Russian support, the United Nations was given authority to decide the future of Kosovo.

Moscow's point about protecting "fraternal" Slav-Serb feelings is nonsense; (Not total nonsense) everyone who has dealt with the Russians on the Balkans, as I did for several years, knows that their leadership has no feelings whatsoever for the Serbs. (Not True) Russia is using Kosovo for its tactical advantage, as part of a strategy to reassert itself on the international stage. (We can only hope that Putin is this smart). That is a legitimate goal, as long as Russia plays a constructive role -- but Moscow's recent behavior, from Georgia to Iran to some ugly domestic incidents, is not encouraging.