What is the big whoop about Kosovo? I realize what happened to our embassy was atrocious.?

Question

But can you help me understand what it all means?

Sorry, I'm just a busy mom who doesn't really have time to follow such things. I'd appreciate it if you can educate me about this.

What are the repercussions of it all to us as Americans?

Thanks in advance! :)

Answer 1

Charlie you are a moron, kosovars are muslims, serbs are christians. Serbs torched the embassy. Good for them.

It means nothing, now there is another worthless small muslim country of goat fudgers on the map.

Answer 2

Kosovo was part of Serbia, but its ethnic background is very different.  Under the principles espoused at the end of World War I by American President Woodrow Wilson in his Fourteen Points, peoples have the right to determine their own governments.  The people of Kosovo province, Kosovars, decided they weren't adequately represented by the Serbian national government and wanted their own country.

This area has a long and rich history of ethnic strife.

As expected, Russia is supporting Serbia, which doesn't like the fact that Kosovo is breaking away.  China can't support Kosovar independence without acknowledging that Taiwan, another former province that declared itself a country (okay, so it's a little more complicated than that...), has the same right.  The US and Europe have been trying to  quell strife in the region since the breakup of Yugoslavia (which was held together by local strongman Tito) and generally like recognise democratic movements as long as economic interests aren't hurt by doing so.

The Serbians, who want to keep their country as one country, are annoyed with the US and Europe for having recognised Kosovo as its own country.  Recognition means that we don't talk to the Serbian government when we have treaties or negotiations with the people of Kosovo.  Without American and European support, Kosovo would likely not be able to break away, so they're mad at us.

As for implications in the US, there likely aren't many of any importance, aside from gaining a Muslim (though non-Arab) country in the friend column.  That could prove mildly useful for intelligence gathering efforts.  On the negative side, we've annoyed Russia and China, and while they may hoot and holler for a little while, it's not likely to rise to the level of a diplomatic row.

Answer 3

Imagine tomorrow 60% of the population of Florida decided to leave the federal government with a long term view of becoming part of Cuba; then Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean countries and Europe all supported this endeavour.  Then when the rest of the US objected they were bombed.  Then the 60% were given card-blanch to kill the 40% minority that didn't agree with that position.  Its probably important to mention the 60% are funding their position by controlling the heroin market in western Europe, Russia and are a significant provider to the US also.  That's pretty much the picture for Serbia.

The only repercussion for the US - in my opinion - is a loss of moral value.  The burning of the embassy means nothing - and clearly they knew it was coming and evacuated (this is quite normal procedure).  For Europe the repercussion is much more serious as it definitely means another Balkan war.

Answer 4

Kosovo wanted freedom from Serbia and declared it a few dys ago and monsters who opposed this take it out on USA as expected! We spole of how kosovohas a right to declare itself a free nation and some muslims didnt like it! Imagine that?Why is any country putting up with these kooks is my question? This country needs a tough streetsmart individual who says ya know what, the game is over and we win permanently!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 5

Actually, Kosovar Albanians aren't all Muslim, but most are, more or less. You'd have a hard time equating them with Muslims from the Middle East though. Yugoslavia didn't even exist until after WWI when the Allies decided to put together the various parts to create what they hoped would be a viable state. Kosovo had been part of the Ottoman empire for centuries until the Balkan Wars just before WW1. In the first war, it was everyone in the Balkans against the Turks. In the second war, it was everyone against everyone else in an attempt to grab the spoils. Then came the war itself with Serbia on the side of the Allies, and heavily beaten up by the Austo-Hungarians and the Germans. So the Allies decided to reward Serbia for choosing the winning team.

Kosovo itself was tacked on to the new nation. Serbs have lived there for centuries, lots of beautiful monasteries, etc. And the greatest battle in Serbian history, took place in Kosovo against the Ottomans on the Field of Blackbirds in the 1300s. The Serbs actually won the battle, killed the Sultan, but lost the war as they were overwhelmed and absorbed into the Ottoman empire for centuries until the 1800s. The 1300s you say, what's up with that? Well, probably not much unless you're a Serb, or at least from the Balkans. Before Pope John Paul could go to Greece after 2000, he had to personally apologize for the 3rd Crusade that sacked Constantinople in 1200. Constantinople didn't actually fall to the Ottomans until 1453, but they still blame those nasty Catholics who trashed the place 250 years ealier and who failed to come to its rescue later in 1453. I digress, but no one in the Balkans ever forgets anything, would be the general rule and my main point. Even the Pope's personal apology wasn't accepted by various Greek Orthodox monks who were still sulking over other earlier historical slights by the Catholic Church.  

But in modern times, Kosovo had become predominently Albanian, and Muslim. They weren't particularly interested in being part of Yugoslavia, but no one asked.   Some 25,000 Albanian Kosovars were killed in the 1920's before the area  

was subdued. Things went along more or less until the Germans invaded in 1941 on their way to keep the Greeks from completely destroying the Italians who tried to invade out of Albania. Yugoslavia was broken up into component parts, with Croatia becoming an active ally of n**i Germany. Bosnian Muslims and Albanians were recruited into the SS and fought the resistance, largely Serbian. Lots of deaths, concentration camps, reprisals, etc. If you haven't fallen asleep yet, I would just remind you that no one ever forgets anything, so this is like yesterday in the Balkans.

After the war, Tito took over and put it all back together. And he managed to hold it all together with various carrots and sticks. Then, he died. Eventually, along came Milosevic who decided to prove his Serbian nationalist credentials by proclaiming Kosovo was the Serbian heartland and Albanians must go.  Not that the Albanians were all angels, of course, there are no angels in the Balkans, but the area had been pretty quiet under Tito. So large numbers of Albanians were fired from government jobs, and the government was the primary employer. others were arrested, still more harassed.

But Milosevic had bigger fish to fry in pushing Serbian nationalism in the other parts of Yugoslavia and things fell apart. Lots of wars, lots of killing, but the Serbs lost most of it and lots of Serbs became refugees in their own country. Milosevic tried to convince the refugees to settle in Kosovo, to shore up the Serb community there. But before there was outright war in Kosovo, there was lots of fighting in Croatia and Bosnia. The Serbs and their friends will talk on and on about Kosovo and the Albanian resistance under the Kosovo Liberation Army and its armed resistance to the Yugoslavian government, and there are certainly elements of truth to this, but the problems in Kosovo didn't happen in a vacuum. What sort of armed resistance was there in Bosnia before the Yugoslav army and the militias tore it apart? The Serbs and their friends don't want to talk about all the things that happened in Yugoslavia before war broke out in Kosovo. Nor do they want to talk about how Serbia was gearing up to take on the Hungarian community in northern Serbia after Kosovo before the Serbs were finally stopped in Kosovo.

War broke out twice in Kosovo in the 90s. Huge numbers of Albanians were forced out and became refugees in nearby countries, lots of Albanian towns and villages were looted and burned. Western Europe and the US put in observer teams in Kosovo in 97 in a last attempt to preserve peace, but were forced to leave in 98. War broke out again, more deaths and waives of refugees, and then the US attacked in a bombing campaign that attacked government targets in Kovoso and Belgrade, and eventually sent troops into Kosovo.

The Yugoslavian army pulled out, and lots of Serbs went with them. Other Serbs were attacked in Kosovo, there certainly was no lack of bitterness in the area. And the US, NATO and the UN have been there ever since.

It's not like all the Serbs were in the militias. There were lots who were against the Milosevic government, lots who were imprisoned themselves. Lots of Serbs were victims themselves in the various wars in Yugoslavia. Milosevic liked to bang the nationalist drum, but when these people were forced out of Croatia and Bosnia, they were hardly welcomed into Serbia itself. You could see obviously middle class Serbs selling candy and cigarettes on the streets of Belgrade or spreading out blankets in the mud of the flea market selling the bits and pieces of their lives that they managed to bring with them to buy enough food to eat.

In the end, Yugoslavia has broken up completely. No one wanted to be part of Serbia anymore, even Montenegro broke away. So did Macedonia. It's one of the great tragedies of modern Europe, absolutely the greatest tragedy since WWII.

The US didn't start this process and had nothing to gain from it.  We got involved after trying to stay out for some time. We sent troops into Bosnia to try to stop the killings there. We sent troops into Macedonia to prevent war from breaking out there. It remains to be seen what the overall repercussions will be, but it will be messy for some time. But then, it's been pretty messy for a long time.

Answer 6

kosovo was independent among 6 republics in Yugoslavia, meaning it never belonged to any of the republics.

After Slovenia separated in 1991 and became an independent country everyone wanted to leave YU. (Croatians, Macedonians, Montenegro people, and Bosnia and Herzegovina people.) so did kosovo.

so what is the deal with Serbs, why wouldn't they let kosovo have their own country?

the YU is a pure socialism of no comparison. Muslim women (kosovo) have many children, and by law they receive the social support from the government (Serbia). so they brought themselves up made something out of them, with Serbian money, and basically on Serbian territory.  now they want an independent country, part of Serbia with all skiing resorts and the rest, and US says it's OK, so Serbs are like: how dare you USA?!

repercussions? basically none for you. NATO will have to stay in that part of the world much longer to keep up the peace. You need to know that there is more Serbian people living in US that are Albanese people - which is Kosovo, just in Chicago over .5 million...