[Kevin]

Funny you should ask. One of my fraternity brothers, a good friend, is just finishing up his service over there. He's with the NDI and was adviser to the Kosovar equivalent of our Speaker of the House, so I guess he's had a hand in shaping Kosovo's internal and external policies over the last 2-3 years.

The biggest challenge right now is getting these people to understand what a democratic government is like. They are (I believe) still drafting a Constitution. I have a lot of specific concerns, but with respect to the position my fraternity brother is in, I'll not post his concerns on a public board.

That said, my personal opinion of the situation is that I'm iffy about it. On the one hand, you have the fact that Serbia did commit acts of genocide in Kosovo, which for the safety of the Albanian people there, a new country might be required. On the other hand, the ethnic Albanians are not exactly pure. The KLA has links to Al Quaeda, they have committed what would be terrorist acts. The former head fo the KLA is now the President of Kosovo.

The Balkans are a powder keg. The whole region is highly unstable. A healthy amount of border drawing and ethnic relocation, I think, might not be a horrible idea when it comes to the long term stability of the region.

The justice of it though? I think it's a mixed bag. The KLA, etc. is not exactly blameless in their situation. I think, however, that a separate country is best for the long term stability of the region. The Serbians have been doing quite a bit of saber rattling lately, so they may prove me wrong.