Nation-Building Update

Albanians attack Serbs across Kosovo, unleashing "the worst bloodletting in the province since the 1999 war."

Comments

[thoreau]

That was different. Clinton was the architect of that nation-building exercise. Bush is the architect of our current nation-building exercise.

If you can't trust a Republican politician, whom can you trust?

[Ruthless]

How many billions are in the Pentagon budget for bubble gum and bailing wire?

[Isaac Bartram]

At the time of the Kosovo intervention (under the Boy King from Arkansas, whom I consider the worst FP prez since the Hick from Missouri, including the current TX "flyboy") I asked; Why should we be intervening in Kosovo which is de facto and de jure a part of Serbia (for over 400 yrs), but we are pussyfooting around the issue of Taiwan which is de facto an independent nation and de jure is questionably the province of a power that has not held sovereignty for well over 100 Yrs.

Anyone want to beat my Serbian/Formosan luvin' ass over this?

[dj of raleigh]

Is there a way this can be blamed on TPOTC --
killing Christians has been a tradition for 2000 years?

When you put your trust in the UN, U-N-trouble.

[Andrew]

Albanian-speaking Kosavars...hm, Moslems, right?

Could this have anything to do with the threats communicated to the French newspaper referencing the civil war in Chechnya?

[Andrew]

At the conclusion of a Financial Times story...

"The official would not say why Nato did not dismantle roadblocks, which had been put up in recent days by ethnic Albanians and Serbs and had added to the tension."

[Jean Bart]

The Kosovars lack decent political leadership; the economy there remains dismal; Serbia constinues to do things to screw with them; and nothing has really been done to create some sort of peace between these two communities.

I suspect the reason they failed to dismantle the roadblocks was due to a perceived lack of forces; hopefully the introduction of new forces on the ground will remedy that problem.

As to the issue of the newspaper threat; it was directed at France, not at Kosovo. It is clear that there are least some Chechyns in Kosovo; but I fail to see how an "uprising" in Kosovo is an attack on France. Unless you are arguing that they are trying to spread French forces; especially in light of our increasing commitment in Haiti. But as we've just doubled the number of military personnel on security duty, that doesn't seem to be the case so far (part of the Vigipirate anti-terrorism plan that comes into force when we go to Threat Level Orange - indeed, its at Red for airports and train stations).

[Jean Bart]

I do suspect though that right before the upcoming regional elections in France - which will determine how strong PM Raffarin's party is in the Parliament - there will be a "hyperterror" attack. Le Figaro, Le Monde, etc. have all wondered about this and it is commonly discussed as my wife tells me.

[Isaac Bartram]

At the time of the Kosovo intervention (under the Boy King from Arkansas, whom I consider the worst FP prez since the Hick from Missouri, including the current TX "flyboy") I asked; Why should we be intervening in Kosovo which is de facto and de jure a part of Serbia (for over 400 yrs), but we are pussyfooting around the issue of Taiwan which is de facto an independent nation and de jure is questionably the province of a power that has not held sovereignty for well over 100 Yrs.

Anyone want to beat my Serbian/Formosan luvin' ass over this?

[cj]

Let's all remember this little lesson when we come across news items pillorying the Bush administration for lack of success in Iraq's reconstruction.

Haven't heard the same teeth-gnashing in the press against the UN failure in Kosovo, which, as a model for international conflict resolution, is sadly lacking in success.