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Kosovo declares independence | 190 comments (189 topical, 1 editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: Kosovo declares independence (4.00 / 3)
No. My fear, and I don't know if this is something that could really happen, but it just occurred to me and is alarming me, is that RS independence could potentially destabilize Croatia, again, if not from within, from those without who might be looking to take Krajina/Eastern Slavonia back. Supporting RS independence and absorbing it into Serbia would embolden the Radicals and anyone who still believes in creating "Greater Serbia," IMHO.
by lychee on Sun Feb 17th, 2008 at 02:26:16 PM EST
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Re: Kosovo declares independence (none / 1)
I thought the Serbs were completely ethnically cleansed from the Krajina? Did they somehow come back?
by Upstate NY on Sun Feb 17th, 2008 at 02:29:05 PM EST
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Re: Kosovo declares independence (4.00 / 4)
Some did come back, and IIRC Slavonia wasn't as completely cleansed as Western Krajina.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Sun Feb 17th, 2008 at 02:34:43 PM EST
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Re: Kosovo declares independence (4.00 / 2)
Serbs still live in Croatia. What the exact breakdown/percent in each area is or how many who were pushed out/who fled have returned to their homes, I don't know.

Remember though, I said if not from within, from without. My fear is that some who were either pushed out and who are highly nationalist, or who have never been there but support the idea of GS, could become emboldened by a declaration of independence from RS.

by lychee on Sun Feb 17th, 2008 at 02:38:49 PM EST
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Re: Kosovo declares independence (none / 0)
I'd imagine a quid pro quo instead. It's the same quid pro quo of Dayton. Milosevic ordered a standown before Operation Storm, essentially selling the Krajina Serbs for the Dayton plan and the Bosnian Serbs. An agreement which looked very much like the breakdown of Vance-Owen.

I'd bet the Serbs would have sold Kosovo yesterday in a land swap elsewhere.

by Upstate NY on Sun Feb 17th, 2008 at 03:25:05 PM EST
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Re: Kosovo declares independence (none / 0)
Maybe they could have even done it if they could keep the areas around Mitrovica.

We have met the enemy, and he is us — Pogo
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Feb 19th, 2008 at 06:31:17 AM EST
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Re: Kosovo declares independence (none / 0)
Listen, support a movement for the independence of Serbs in Bosnia is not necessarily trying another war.
It is just a political action.

Everyone knows there was a war there. Their inhabitants first of all. Who would want a war? They?

This declaration of independence is just another play in a long game.

by findmeaDoorIntoSummer on Sun Feb 17th, 2008 at 04:42:38 PM EST
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Re: Kosovo declares independence (none / 1)
Oh stop that false story about "Great Serbia".For your information Serbia seems to be smaller then ever nowadays...

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind...Albert Einstein
by vbo on Tue Feb 19th, 2008 at 01:29:04 AM EST
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Re: Kosovo declares independence (none / 1)
Again, why are you accusing me of telling stories, this time about "Greater Serbia"? There are still people who believe it should exist (and I'm not one of them, by the way); I said if RS secedes from BiH, Serbia should not absorb them as those who have this idea of GS in their heads could take that as permission to try to grab Krajina/Eastern Slavonia, thus starting up yet another war.
by lychee on Tue Feb 19th, 2008 at 04:37:03 AM EST
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Re: Kosovo declares independence (none / 1)
Kosovo will in not so distant future be a part of Great Albania. How do you feel about that?
And about Krajina/Eastern Slavonia, ETHNIC CLEANSING HAS BEEN FINISHED THERE BY CROATIA and her allies so you don't have to worry. There are no Serbs there to fight.


Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind...Albert Einstein
by vbo on Tue Feb 19th, 2008 at 05:21:56 AM EST
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Re: Kosovo declares independence (4.00 / 2)
And Greater Romania, and Greater Hungaria, and Greater Bulgaria, and...

We have met the enemy, and he is us — Pogo
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Feb 19th, 2008 at 06:33:19 AM EST
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Re: Kosovo declares independence (none / 1)
I understand what you both mean. Theoretically who would want pure national state (even if it's possible)? But most of European states are national states with few minorities so reality is something else comparing to what we may wish for.
Even bloody USA and Australia are trying to make "nation" and keep telling their citizens they should forget where they are coming from. This is not an ideal world...not at all...And you just made one more national "state"...Kosovo. So how is this different from what Serbs wanted for them selves? And also Serbs still want Kosovo in their borders together with Albanian population. Except under Milosevic Albanians had more rights in Serbia then many minorities have in Europe on this day...


Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind...Albert Einstein
by vbo on Tue Feb 19th, 2008 at 06:58:48 AM EST
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Re: Kosovo declares independence (none / 0)
Milosevic did suppress the autonomy of Kosovo and Vojvodina, if I remember correctly.

On the rest, I can only say what I said in another comment: that way lies madness. Weĺl soon be commemorating the 100th anniversary of WWI and the disintegration of Austria-Hungary, and the successor states seem to still be itching to ethnically cleanse their border regions and grab some land if they can in the process. They even had pretty good multinational and multiethnic states going in Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia but they broke them up. And I'm supposed to feel responsible for that dynamic?

We have met the enemy, and he is us — Pogo

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Feb 19th, 2008 at 07:42:44 AM EST
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Kosovo declares independence | 190 comments (189 topical, 1 editorial, 0 hidden)
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