Riots in Kosovo. Albanians attack Greek peacekeepers

[Bereta_Eder]

I can only tell you how it looked like from Greece which was in a... "nedadverse" at that time and about that issue (no offence, just a little joke

It seemed that the maximum drive was pushed by Albright and by Blair. Which I think was also a reason of why 17 November chose to assassinate a British and not an American or a German or a French, although there had been bombs by it against embasies including the German and I think the French.

[Datajack Franit]

What a terrible mess.. and I don't see any peace flag-trademark lefty parade for that

[Bereta_Eder]

I think that's because the left feels, predictably, vindicated by the turn of events.

[Bereta_Eder]

An analysis which I read and with which I agree talks about orchastrated attempts by the Albanian extremists to ethnically cleanse and claim Kosovo for their own. The international community has so far failed to instill democracy and tolerance, which is obviously leagues more difficult than toppling Milosevic.

The international community, the analysis said, is called to try and control the situation and object to any kind of more ethnic cleansing and called everyone to contribute to that, something which I think is already being done. And it called for a "short sharp whipping" of the Albanians claiming this would make it clear to them that attempts to ethnic cleanse and do pogroms will not be tolerated. I also think this is needed. The task is immensly difficult seeing as Kosovo is now a black hole of drugs, prostitutes and illegal arms and that has been evolving under the noses of the int. community.

Still according to sources the Albanians do not have many new arms (although they did shell a Serb community trying to hit a hospital) so I'd only hope that this is a good sign for enforcing stability and some rule of law.

[Ned]

Originally posted by paiktis22
I can only tell you how it looked like from Greece which was in a... "nedadverse" at that time and about that issue (no offence, just a little joke

It seemed that the maximum drive was pushed by Albright and by Blair. Which I think was also a reason of why 17 November chose to assassinate a British and not an American or a German or a French, although there had been bombs by it against embasies including the German and I think the French.

No offense, paiktis. The term seems to have been invented by some young posters whose view of history, learned only from very biased texts and teachers, clashes a lot with what I know to have actually happened because I was there at the time.

I think we in the US were given a lot of BS about Kosovo. The more I learn about it, the more I am concerned that we did the wrong thing there. I know that at the time, Kissinger cautioned us to stay out as the animosities among the peoples were irreconcilable and that our intervention would require us to stay there indefinitely.

[Ned]

Is there any American here that sees any reason for the US to continue to be involved in the Balkan mess? I think the Europeans can and should handle that all by themselves.

[BeBMan]

HA! So you want to appease those who are responsible for the violence there....

[Ned]

Originally posted by BeBro
HA! So you want to appease those who are responsible for the violence there....

Who is responsible BeBro?

[BeBMan]

For the current violence? The hyper-nationalist idiots amongst Serbs and Albanians, who did not learn anything from the past.

[Ned]

BeBro, the problem is that this violence has been ongoing since at least WWII. Whenever they have had the protection of an outside force, the Albanians have gone on a rampage trying to drive out the Serbs.

NATO and UN presence are the cause of the current violence because it enables the Albanians.

[player1]

At this moment, in last few days, the things that are happening can't be described in any way then "ethnic cleansing".

Churches burned, homes burned, people killed and driven away from thier homes. And those survived would probably never be able to come back (and will live as refugess in Serbia).

And saying that all that happend because of 3 drowned Albanain boys is outrageous. Epecially consideing that in that region there are no more Serbs left.

This is long planned and cordinated action by by Albainian extemistic fractions. How else to explain massive exodus of non-Albanians.

And UN can barly keep things from escalating further.


In 1999, there were around 300,000 non-albainans in Kosovo (including Serbs).
After the intervention only around 100,000 have left.

Now after these events, I guess it won't be a problem for Albanians to say that Kosovo is their alone.


I can't even imagine what would happened in Kosovo got independence few years ago.

I guess that in that case, ther would be no non-Albanians left at all (since there would be no UN to protect them).

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Ned
BeBro, the problem is that this violence has been ongoing since at least WWII. Whenever they have had the protection of an outside force, the Albanians have gone on a rampage trying to drive out the Serbs.

NATO and UN presence are the cause of the current violence because it enables the Albanians.

So, I guess you think NATO and UN should have never attempted to protect the Albanians of Kosovo?

[player1]

After this events, I don't see a future for Serbs (and other non-Albanians) in Kosovo.

Current plan, promoted by UN proved to be failure.
Minorities at Kosovo don't have a chance to live a decent life.

I can only hope if areas mostly populated by non-Albanians could get some sort of automony, so they could live a normal life.

But, I doubt that could happen. There is too much pride in US and Europe countries to admit that they are wrong.

[player1]

Originally posted by Spiffor

So, I guess you think NATO and UN should have never attempted to protect the Albanians of Kosovo?

If only they could protect the Serbs after they occupied a Kosovo...

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by player1
But, I doubt that could happen. There is too much pride in US and Europe countries to admit that they are wrong.

It's not exactly that, at least not with peacekkeping missions. Europe and the US are too blind to understand that they are wrong. Once they end up getting it (too late), they do try to correct the situation.