Kosovo

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by Kevin

I cannot understand why Spain, Turkey, etc. aren't a little more vocal regarding this issue.

I think Turkey is being quiet because they want to join the EU. Turkey shouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell in joining if bellarus is barred from doing so. (Invading northern Iraq makes them look not european.)

Spain, i think the other (big) countries are getting annoyed with them, but most of the smaller ones probably suport Kosovo (Estonia having just gotten free a few years ago)

What i don't understand is, why now? Why not years ago when the rest Yugoslavia was torn apart?

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

I think Turkey is being quiet because they want to join the EU. Turkey shouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell in joining if bellarus is barred from doing so. (Invading northern Iraq makes them look not european.)

Spain, i think the other (big) countries are getting annoyed with them, but most of the smaller ones probably suport Kosovo (Estonia having just gotten free a few years ago)

What i don't understand is, why now? Why not years ago when the rest Yugoslavia was torn apart?

Kosovo has been a separate state since the Serbians and the KLA started going at it. The UN stepped in and formed a UN protectorate. There was no government infrastructure in place, no Kosovar knew how to operate a government. Organizations like my fraternity brothers (the NDI) and the UN stepped in and educated the leaders on how to run a representative democracy.

Also, it goes without saying that Serbia has been slightly opposed to all of this. There are rumors of an incursion by 1,000ish non-uniformed Serbians wreaking havok in northern Kosovo. The source I got that from was from a linked site on digg, so the veracity of such a thing is always questionable.