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To secede or not to secede, that is ...
Plutocracy
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So Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has vowed to declare independence from Serbia within the next few days.
The US and most EU states are preparing to recognise Kosovo quickly and a civilian police and justice mission for Kosovo is expected to be given the go-ahead by EU member states on Monday. These include supervision by an international presence; limited armed forces; strong provisions for Serb minority protection; commitment to multi-ethnic democracy; and neither Kosovo nor any part of it will be allowed to join another country. There is apparently a festive mood in the capital, with people thronging the streets and flags flying everywhere, although perhaps understandably the mood among the remaining 100,000-plus Serbs of Kosovo is very different.
Serbia and Russia strongly oppose the move and Serbia has threatened to use diplomatic and economic measures against Kosovo, though it has ruled out using force. Moscow believes Kosovo would set a precedent. There is little difference, according to the Kremlin, between the separatism of Kosovo and the ambitions of pro-Russian areas such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia and Trans-Dniester in Moldova.
So is this a case of defending people's right to self-determination?
Will Russia use this as justification in future attempts to claim sovereignty over regions it has it's eyes on?
Should there be more emphasis being placed on the practical implications this will actually have on the people in the region?
The US and most EU states are preparing to recognise Kosovo quickly and a civilian police and justice mission for Kosovo is expected to be given the go-ahead by EU member states on Monday. These include supervision by an international presence; limited armed forces; strong provisions for Serb minority protection; commitment to multi-ethnic democracy; and neither Kosovo nor any part of it will be allowed to join another country. There is apparently a festive mood in the capital, with people thronging the streets and flags flying everywhere, although perhaps understandably the mood among the remaining 100,000-plus Serbs of Kosovo is very different.
Serbia and Russia strongly oppose the move and Serbia has threatened to use diplomatic and economic measures against Kosovo, though it has ruled out using force. Moscow believes Kosovo would set a precedent. There is little difference, according to the Kremlin, between the separatism of Kosovo and the ambitions of pro-Russian areas such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia and Trans-Dniester in Moldova.
So is this a case of defending people's right to self-determination?
Will Russia use this as justification in future attempts to claim sovereignty over regions it has it's eyes on?
Should there be more emphasis being placed on the practical implications this will actually have on the people in the region?
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
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The new country wont be able to stand on its own finacially, economically, militarily, etc etc. They wont have their own currency or education system. They wont have their tax system in place. Its doubtful they will even have their own version of a constitution or charter of rights.
It always reminds me of Petopia from Family Guy, they think they want it now, but then when they have it they will eventually think its too much work, and they will constantly complain that the country they just stole territory from isnt supporting them with their infrastructure etc any more.
MWO: Adamski
That is more then a little exaggeration there.
took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer
You're comparing Kosovo to Quebec here? Who gets to be the Canadian Milosevic?
well, kosovo operates pretty much completley independently from serbia. Obviously it's exactly like Quebec/Canada.
Jacques Parizeau?
Battle.net
Ding Ding Ding.
And that also provides the motivation to the Country of Kosovo to get their ass moving on building a self-supporting infrastructure. Or be re-gobbled and persecuted. The choice is theirs.
"This is where I say something profound and you bow, so lets just skip to your part."
I think the Kosovars need to start cultivating some immediate relationships with the wealthier nations in the EU before they announce their independance. That way they'll have trade agreements and military allies right out of the gate.
There are a few examples of countries that have the former but not the latter, so are either not deemed to be a state or sit in some weird half way state. Examples of such would be Somalialand, Punt, Chechnia for a bit and of course Taiwan. Although Taiwan is more of a country than most, sort of
Well, fortunately, NATO still has a presence in Kosovo. Or, at least the US Military does (Task Force Eagle, I believe they call it, but I can't recall). The chances of Serbia being able to pull that kind of crap is thus reduced.
Battle.net
Beats the hell out of another war in the Balkins; the Czechoslovakia solution works for me, so long as a solid majority of the poeple approve, 2/3rd sounds nice.
After what the Serbs did in Kosovo, I doubt the Kosovars will think twice about their decision.
Margaret Thatcher
Personally I'm most interested in the new flag they'll be unveiling.
I'll clarify.
The Czechs parted peacefully; both sides realized that they were not going to stay together because of the two disparate ethnicities.
That works, for me.
The reason the Serbs want to hold on to Kosovo has little to do with demographics, but because of national pride; some battle they actually *lost* there centuries ago that opened the door for Ottoman Conquest.
Yeah, it's wierd, but scroll to the bottom of the following article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kosovo
With only 4% of the population being serbs, according to wikipedia, they need to realize it's not worth fighting over and just let them go. With the shit-tastic reputation Serbia has worldwide anyways, even if they had a valid argument, they'd be wise to just give it up.
Margaret Thatcher
This picture shows the distribution of ethnic Albanians outside Kosovo:
They would seem to highlight the peculiarities of the system that is being used in the region and why this issue is as complex as it is.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
Purely going from ethnic distribution it would seem logical for Kosovo to secede with the northern predominantly Serb areas being given to Serbia in exchange for Montenegro or something, or Kosovo becoming part of Albania perhaps. With the economic situation there, my main worry is that Kosovo won't be able to sustain itself, or that it will be dramatically favoured by the EU etc and given huge amounts of aid, making its neighbours jealous/envious.
On the other hand, this just seems to be backing up racism - division based on ethnicity could just mean international problems instead of tension within the country.
kpop appreciation station i also like to tweet some
When you say "Large portions" and refer to anything but Quebec, I hope you know your referring to rediculuously small numbers. Separating would never fly in Alberta or BC.
You make it sound like it's impossible to cannibalize existing organizations and infrastructure for use in a new country. Why is a unique currency necessary? Why not just adopt an existing one? Security seems to be taken care of by the EU, so I'm not sure what you're talking about there. Finally, it's not like it's impossible (or even that difficult) to whip up a constitution in relatively short order. There are existing ones that seem like great places to start.
Nobody said that the ex-Russian states seceded from the USSR when it fell, because they were never really a contiguous entity. Kosovo/Serbia have been much intractably split for centuries++, it's the mapmakers who didn't agree.
Fuck 6th graders. Good luck passing that test.
I sort of feel sorry for Serbia - they have mostly managed to straighten up and get their act together since kicking Milosevic out in 2000, and yes, they have a right to worry about the minority Serb population still in Kosovo - but after what happened in the 1990's there's no way these countries are going to work together again. Anyway, EU membership will come to everyone in the Balkans before too long and the divisions won't matter so much anymore.
Sort of. Serbia actually conquered Kosovo and incorporated it before Yugoslavia was established. Not exactly happy feelings for the Kosovans.
Kosovo MPs proclaim independence EDIT: my god, the BBC goes overboard with the paragraphs.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
Not in this case.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
Yeah, recognition from several countries is probably coming tomorrow.
Edit: While Russia may not like it, the US is likely to recognize them soon.
Good effort on Kosovo's part though.
Well they won't take military action, not with EU troops and personnel on the ground. All they can do is economically sanction them. On the other hand the nations that have the vast majority of global economic power are endorsing the move with open arms.
There will be no shitstorm. Russia will have swallow on this one and move on.
I started writing for the BBC yesterday.
Things are good.
Do tell.
Not to mention that we're assholes with too much national pride for a country which hasn't had something to be proud of since Tito told Stalin to fuck off in the 50s.
Basically, fuck you guys for taking our shit.
How the hell is helping a part of a nation that wants to be independent taking your shit? It is more like releasing your shit in the wild because it is tired of you.
After Serbia tried to exterminate most of the people living there.
I suppose because, and correct me if I'm wrong, allowing a minority group to migrate into a part of your country, which Tito did do, even giving them partial autonomy, and live there does not suddenly make that province their country just because there's a couple more of them?
And you say "People you tried to exterminate" as if it was some random thing, like suddenly a whole bunch of people went insane and decided dey was gon' kill themselves some muslims. It was actually because of the attacks on Serbians in Kosovo that any ill feeling or ethnic tension even started. Didn't help that an evil son of a bitch dictator was in charge, and he whipped and capitalised on nationalist feeling until it rose and rose and rose until military action was demanded, because, hey, those fuckers are killing our own people in our own country which we let them into in the first place.
And then that evil son of a bitch dictator and his posse of even more evil sons of bitches did what they wanted, killing thousands of people in horrible wars because of ethnic tensions in this damn place.
So fuck you, it's still our shit.
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I think U.S. and British flags outnumbered Kosovar flags in the pictures of the independence celebrations.
Call me Ishmael. Some years ago- never mind how long precisely- having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world.
It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation.
Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off- then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.
This is my substitute for pistol and ball.
With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship.
There is nothing surprising in this.
If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.
There now is your insular city of the Manhattoes, belted round by wharves as Indian isles by coral reefs- commerce surrounds it with her surf.
Right and left, the streets take you waterward.
Its extreme downtown is the battery, where that noble mole is washed by waves, and cooled by breezes, which a few hours previous were out of sight of land. Look at the crowds of water-gazers there.
Circumambulate the city of a dreamy Sabbath afternoon.
Go from Corlears Hook to Coenties Slip, and from thence, by Whitehall, northward.
What do you see?- Posted like silent sentinels all around the town, stand thousands upon thousands of mortal men fixed in ocean reveries.
Some leaning against the spiles; some seated upon the pier-heads; some looking over the bulwarks of ships from China; some high aloft in the rigging, as if striving to get a still better seaward peep.
But these are all landsmen; of week days pent up in lath and plaster- tied to counters, nailed to benches, clinched to desks. How then is this? Are the green fields gone? What do they here?
But look! here come more crowds, pacing straight for the water, and seemingly bound for a dive.
Strange! Nothing will content them but the extremest limit of the land; loitering under the shady lee of yonder warehouses will not suffice.
No. They must get just as nigh the water as they possibly can without falling And there they stand- miles of them- leagues.
Inlanders all, they come from lanes and alleys, streets avenues- north, east, south, and west. Yet here they all unite. Tell me, does the magnetic virtue of the needles of the compasses of all those ships attract them thither?