KOSOVO:YOUNG; 73% UNEMPLOYED, ONE THIRD PREPARED TO EMIGRATE

Now here’s a bit of an issue for Europe. On the doorstep of Europe, in a place which saw vicious civil war, thousands dead and billions of Euro’s spent on trying to improve the economy, we end up with a situation that 3 our of 4 young Kosovars are unemployed and 1/3 are looking to immigrate.

This is a double whammy, you get the picture that the original investment in Kosovo has not worked and on the other hand, as usual, the immigration problem is going to increase in western Europe. The far right has already picked up this story and is running with it on the blogs and mailing lists. I quote:

In Kosovo, 73% of young people are unemployed, and a survey has shown that a third of them are prepared to leave the country in search of fortune elsewhere. According to daily newspaper Koha Ditore, there is an increasing trend amongst young people to emigrate. The paper believes that this shows the authorities' inability to respond to the requests and needs of young Kosovars.

Not sure this has reached the upper reaches of the European political scene, who are busy being undemocratic over the Irish constitutional vote. That’s another interesting exercise. We, the political heads of Europe, are fully democratic, you will keep on voting till you vote the way we want you to vote. Like Henry Ford, eh? you can have any colour you want as long as its black. Bah!

Shifting borders and shifting sands

You must have seen this picture many times:

As an amateur historian, I am always curious about the boundaries and how history is framed. For example, the first photo establishes a state called as Palestine in 1946 which sort of puzzled me because there was an Ottoman Empire then and not a country known as Palestine. Mind you, there wasnt a state called as Israel either before 1948! If one thinks about Zionism as a driver, then this should go back to centuries and millennium. But as an ideology, you can go back to 1882 when the immigration started. But the immigration went into the Ottoman Empire and not into a state called as Palestine.

On the other hand, you can then draw the Palestinian parallels to the Philistines. You can also legitimately argue that the Roman state unit called as Palaestina created after they defeated the Jews was one of the ancestors of current day Palestine.

Now if I go back a bit further, you can see where the challenge comes from. Look here at how the Roman Empire grew and shrunk over hundreds of years. 

Obviously, the latter part of the presentation talks about the Byzantine empire and how it got taken over by the Ottoman Empire and then the Ottoman Empire then disintegrated into various countries just like the Roman Empire did. Borders shift all the time when seen from a distance. See more here for Ethiopia.

But this was even more interesting, how do you look at the Persian Empire? They also ruled over vast swathes of the Middle East. Did you know, the bastion of Sunni thought, Al Azhar, was actually founded by a Shia empire? Curious, no? Check out the Middle East changes here.

How about the Armenians? See their history here. How about Kosovo? It has had a long history and how there is talk about it seceding from Serbia. And as soon as it does, it will be recognised by the USA and UK. And when it does, a huge spear called as hypocrisy will go through almost every political structure.

If Kosovo can be independent, why cant Palestine be? Or Northern Cyprus? Or Kurdistan in Turkey? Or Eastern Shia in Saudi Arabia? Or Baluchistan in Pakistan? Or Kashmir in India? Or Southern Thailand? Or Darfur from Sudan? The basic principle is the same no?

But over the long view, you can see how boundaries rise and change.

Technorati Tags: Geography,Kosovo,History,Palestine,Middle East,Serbia,Turkey

Separatist Movements Seek Inspiration in Kosovo

A whole bunch of comments on various places (here and here for example) were placed on my previous essay where I said that the current Kosovo declaration will cause problems. Here's a well argued article on this topic. The six cases they quote are:

Spain: The Basques and the Catalans

Cyprus: The Turkish Cypriots

Romania: The Magyars in Székely Land

Bulgaria: The Muslim Pomaks

Greece: The Turks of Western Thrace

Slovakia: The Hungarian Minority

I wonder if those who are getting all excited about Kosovo independence will also join in asking for independence for these and the other minorities such as here, here, here and here.

 

Technorati Tags: Kosovo

Tibet has a better case for independence than Kosovo

Now this should put the cat amongst the pigeons, lol, I warned about this. The EU and USA's frankly stupid foreign policy will get it into major hypocritical and stupid situations. So, the writer, Paul Harris, is a barrister and was founding chairman of Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor and he wrote this article. I quote:

Does Tibet have a right to self-determination under international law? There are strong legal grounds to show that it does and that this right is being denied by China. As the recent protests in Tibet and the disruptions to the Olympic torch relay have demonstrated, Tibet is an international problem crying out for a solution.

Tibet’s status has been given renewed topicality by the recent independence of Kosovo which has so far been recognised by 40 countries, including all of the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations. If Kosovo has a right to self-determination, the right of Tibet is infinitely stronger. The catalogue of gross oppression, the second-class citizen status of Tibetans under Chinese rule and identity of Tibet as a country are all much clearer than in Kosovo’s case.

Hehehe, fun times ahead...

Technorati Tags: Kosovo,Tibet,China,Independence,EU,USA,Foreign Policy

Abkhazia, the country that doesn't exist, prepares to follow Kosovo's example

Further to my essay on the spectacularly silly decision on recognising Kosovo, here's another example of how another country wants to become independent. I quote:

Abkhazia has a president, a flag, a national anthem and even a visa system for foreign visitors but the country doesn't appear on any maps. Officially, this small piece of sub-tropical Black Sea coastline with a population today of about 170,000, is a province of Georgia.
But since a vicious war in the early 1990s, it has been functioning as an independent state and, in the aftermath of Kosovo's independence, the Abkhazians hope their statehood will be recognised by the international community.
Shortly after Kosovo declared independence, the Abkhazian parliament, located in a seafront building in the capital, Sukhumi, issued a call for international recognition.
"After the recognition of Kosovo by many Western states, the geopolitical situation has significantly changed," read the parliament's statement. "Any legal decision has a universal character... All people have the same rights to freedom and independence."
On the seafront promenade, in the shadow of war-damaged buildings, old men while away the days drinking Turkish-style coffee and playing chess and backgammon. "Why is Kosovo any better than Abkhazia?" asked one. "It's exactly the same situation. We're a small country trying to stand on our own two feet."
The local papers are awash with Kosovo headlines and accusations that the West is engaging in "double standards" by recognising Kosovo but not Abkhazia. Western countries have said that Kosovo is a unique case, voicing support for Georgia's "territorial integrity", and a resolution to the Abkhazian conflict that does not alter Georgia's official boundaries.
Abkhazia's main hope for recognition is Russia. Vladimir Putin has hinted on several occasions that if the West recognised Kosovo, Russia may recognise Abkhazia and three other "breakaway states" on former Soviet soil.

Technorati Tags: Abkhazia,Kosovo,Independence,Democracy,Foreign Policy

More on Kosovo

An excellent article here. And says loads about where all the problems emanating from Kosovo's independence are landing. I quote:

1. Two governments fell apart last week in neighbouring states: first in Serbia, the country from which the Kosovar Albanians broke away, and then in Macedonia, where the Albanian minority party walked out of the coalition government.
2. Vladimir Putin is adamant self-determination in the style of Kosovo is a dreadful precedent: it is what Chechnya attempted in the 1990s, resulting in two devastating wars. Moscow's nightmare is that there might be further attempts at secession by other groups in the north Caucasus.
3. Yet Russian politicians seem to be positively flirting with the idea of recognising Abkhazia's break with Georgia, as well as that of South Ossetia, another tiny rebellious part of the former Soviet republic that is practically on the Chechen border.
4. For both Russia and the Nato allies, that should be a nightmare prospect. Nato members do not want to invite Georgia into the alliance with an unresolved conflict involving Russia. Abkhazia is also close to the hearts of many top Russians who have dachas on the coast. But Russia would not want a war just down the road from its Winter Olympics venue - intended to be a showcase of the new Russian economy. Reason suggests they should do a deal. The danger is they will blunder into a confrontation.

What stupidity, now the world has to pay and pay more for that extremely stupid decision to recognise Kosovo.

Kosovo could end Scotland’s European dream

More on the disastrous British and American decision to push for Kosovo independence. I quote:

Kosovo’s independence must have cheered Scotland’s nationalists. The birth of another, smaller state in Europe is, on the face of it, a distant but useful precedent for them.
However, the diplomatic fallout over recognition of the newcomer has ominous implications for the separatists in minority government in Edinburgh. Half a dozen European Union states fear the example that is being set for ethnic minorities within their borders. If Scotland ever votes for independence these states could easily make an example of it by blocking Scottish membership of the EU. The opponents are vehement. Cyprus, determined to avoid any example that might confer legitimacy on the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, denounced Kosovo’s declaration of independence as “a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia”, which, Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, the foreign minister, said “would set a dangerous precedent”.

Scotland’s nationalists have always affected breezy insouciance about Europe, asserting that an independent Scotland would automatically remain an EU member state. Not necessarily. Legal analysis by University College London’s Constitution Unit suggests that Scotland would not automatically inherit membership. Nationalist lawyers rely on the Vienna Convention, designed to clarify post-colonial states’ adherence to treaties that their former masters had signed. But the convention is weak; only 21 countries have signed it, none of them major states, and only five from the EU. Furthermore, the convention does not apply if it would radically alter the Treaty of Rome – which admitting Scotland to the EU must do, not least to give it voting rights in the Council of Ministers and European Parliament.
The Scottish nationalists’ fallback is to argue that other EU states would never lock Scotland out. Most EU members, including probably the residual UK, would probably reason like that . Yet this seriously underestimates the fear that runs through those countries that oppose Kosovo’s independence. Their motivation is nationalist and, like the Scottish National party, they put their nation first. Nationalism in the Balkans is a raw, visceral force that the milder political culture of western Europe easily underrates.
If these countries think Scottish independence will encourage their separatists – and Basque leaders and Turkish Cypriots have openly hailed Kosovo as a precedent – blocking Scottish EU membership would be their only means of hindering it. If a single EU member, let alone several, announces it will veto changes to the Treaty of Rome to accommodate a secessionist state, Scottish nationalism is powerless.
This uncertainty could be cripplingly harmful to Scottish separatists. Half of Scotland’s trade is with the EU and “Scotland in Europe” is a centrepiece of separatist strategy. As the debate on independence picks up, voters will seek reassurance that they will not be locked out on the doorstep. With the legal omens unhelpful, and a cluster of EU states looking hostile, Scotland’s famously canny voters may shy away from a game of Balkan roulette.


All this to be taken with a grain of piquant salt!!!

Indian Kashmir separatists get boost from Kosovo independence

Sadly, this is what I predicted!

Read and weep!

Separatists in Indian Kashmir said Saturday Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence has bolstered their resolve to achieve the same status for the disputed Himalayan territory.

Kosovo last Sunday declared independence from Serbia, which vowed never to recognise the move.

Kosovo's independence declaration has "strengthened our resolve to achieve freedom for Kashmir," leading Kashmiri separatist Shabir Shah told AFP.

Several countries including the United States and Britain have recognised Kosovo as a new state, but India said it was studying the legal ramifications.

India is wary of recognising Kosovo as an independent state because of its possible ramifications for scenic Kashmir, which has been racked by a nearly two-decade-old revolt against New Delhi's rule.

Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan, which have fought two wars for control of the Muslim-majority region each, hold parts of the territory but claim it in full.

"Kosovo's independence is an indicator that struggles based on truth and justice never fail," Shah said, adding that the day is not "far when Kashmiris will be free."

Shah, 54, who heads the pro-independence Democratic Freedom Party, is dubbed the "Nelson Mandela" of Kashmir after spending more than 20 years in Indian jails.

Another separatist leader, Syed Ali Geelani, also said he was delighted by Kosovo's independence proclamation, saying the "creation of a Muslim state within the European heartland has strengthened our resolve to achieve our right to self-determination."

Geelani, however, wants Indian Kashmir to break away from India and join the neighbouring Islamic republic of Pakistan

Technorati Tags: Kashmir,India,Pakistan,Independence,Kosovo

Why China hates and Taiwan loves Kosovo?

Read and weep! I quote:

The U.S. and other governments that are backing Kosovo's
independence stress that it sets no precedent for other situations worldwide, but the move already is stoking the long-simmering sovereignty dispute between China and Taiwan.

In the aftermath of Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia early this week, Taiwan's government issued a statement welcoming the move. That drew a quick rebuke from the mainland government, which said that Taiwan, "as a part of China," has no right to recognize Kosovo's decision. Undeterred, the Taiwanese government then went a step further, declaring in a statement its formal recognition of the new Balkan state.

Technorati Tags: China,Taiwan,Kosovo,Independence

Separatist Movements Seek Inspiration in Kosovo

A whole bunch of comments on various places (here and here for example) were placed on my previous essay where I said that the current Kosovo declaration will cause problems. Here's a well argued article on this topic. The six cases they quote are:

Spain: The Basques and the Catalans

Cyprus: The Turkish Cypriots

Romania: The Magyars in Székely Land

Bulgaria: The Muslim Pomaks

Greece: The Turks of Western Thrace

Slovakia: The Hungarian Minority

I wonder if those who are getting all excited about Kosovo independence will also join in asking for independence for these and the other minorities such as here, here, here and here.

 

Technorati Tags: Kosovo

And more on the Kosovo independence!

1. Belgium still does not have a duly elected government. And since there is no central government, the Flemish and Waloonia parts should separate and each declare independence? And I am sure it will get EU recognition sitting right in the middle of this mess as well, no?

2. The English Border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed is voting to secede from England and join Scotland.

I presume NATO peace keepers are on standby?

Technorati Tags: Belgium,England,Scotland,Kosovo

Legal Arguments For/Against Kosovo Independence

Two links here and here to the legal debate. Very interesting, read if you are bored! I quote:

I am not really sure, but the erosion of the U.N. system and international law is something that is part of every Serbian and Russian government spokesman on this issue. And there is certainly some plausibility to this argument, as I understand it. U.N. member states are supposed to recognize the territorial sovereignty of other member states. (See, e.g., UN Charter, Art. 2 ("All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations. ")But Kosovo's nationhood is, quite frankly, a creation of NATO's 1999 military intervention (an intervention that was itself arguably illegal under international law).

So the NATO states have "illegally" severed Kosovo from Serbia via an "illegal" military action. Let's be honest. Neither the Serbs nor the Russians are particularly sympathetic parties here. But this does not completely explain the deafening silence from Western public international law professors on this issue.

Or the angry protests from international-law-abiding progressives in the Western world, who raised the "illegality" argument constantly against the Iraq and Afghanistan interventions. Where is the outrage, or at least the fair-minded analysis? It doesn't have anything to do with the policy preferences of Western international law academics and Western progressives, does it?

All this to be taken with a grain of piquant salt!!!

Can North Kosovo declare independence from Kosovo?

Good question, and why not? I quote:

Serbia does not formally back partition but Serb politicians have said that if Kosovo breaks from Belgrade, Serb-majority north Kosovo should break from Pristina.

All this to be taken with a grain of piquant salt!!!

EU/USA recognise independent Palestine!

Palestine wants to be independent. Why not indeed? If you do that, then the EU, USA and NATO will send loads of peacekeepers, soldiers, policemen, economists and and and to help the latest state up and running, and protect the Palestinians. I quote:

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - A top aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday the Palestinians should consider declaring an independent state unilaterally if peace talks with Israel continue to falter.
Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the Palestinian negotiating team with the Israelis, told Reuters that if they could not reach a deal with the Jewish state, the Palestinians could consider declaring independence like Kosovo did on Sunday.
"If things are not going in the direction of actually halting settlement activities, if things are not going in the direction of continuous and serious negotiations, then we should take the step and announce our independence unilaterally," he said.

Read my essay which warned of exactly this.

All this to be taken with a grain of piquant salt!!!

Shifting borders and shifting sands

You must have seen this picture many times:

As an amateur historian, I am always curious about the boundaries and how history is framed. For example, the first photo establishes a state called as Palestine in 1946 which sort of puzzled me because there was an Ottoman Empire then and not a country known as Palestine. Mind you, there wasnt a state called as Israel either before 1948! If one thinks about Zionism as a driver, then this should go back to centuries and millennium. But as an ideology, you can go back to 1882 when the immigration started. But the immigration went into the Ottoman Empire and not into a state called as Palestine.

On the other hand, you can then draw the Palestinian parallels to the Philistines. You can also legitimately argue that the Roman state unit called as Palaestina created after they defeated the Jews was one of the ancestors of current day Palestine.

Now if I go back a bit further, you can see where the challenge comes from. Look here at how the Roman Empire grew and shrunk over hundreds of years. 

Obviously, the latter part of the presentation talks about the Byzantine empire and how it got taken over by the Ottoman Empire and then the Ottoman Empire then disintegrated into various countries just like the Roman Empire did. Borders shift all the time when seen from a distance. See more here for Ethiopia.

But this was even more interesting, how do you look at the Persian Empire? They also ruled over vast swathes of the Middle East. Did you know, the bastion of Sunni thought, Al Azhar, was actually founded by a Shia empire? Curious, no? Check out the Middle East changes here.

How about the Armenians? See their history here. How about Kosovo? It has had a long history and how there is talk about it seceding from Serbia. And as soon as it does, it will be recognised by the USA and UK. And when it does, a huge spear called as hypocrisy will go through almost every political structure.

If Kosovo can be independent, why cant Palestine be? Or Northern Cyprus? Or Kurdistan in Turkey? Or Eastern Shia in Saudi Arabia? Or Baluchistan in Pakistan? Or Kashmir in India? Or Southern Thailand? Or Darfur from Sudan? The basic principle is the same no?

But over the long view, you can see how boundaries rise and change.

Technorati Tags: Geography,Kosovo,History,Palestine,Middle East,Serbia,Turkey