Kosovo: A Threat to Israel’s Survival
There are many self-styled friends of Israel in the United States who have been enthusiastically supportive of Kosovo’s independence for years. People like Sen. Joe Lieberman, Rep. Elliot Engel, Morton Abramowitz, William Kristol, Douglas Feith and many others appear to be motivated by the hope that favors to a supposedly moderate Muslim group in the Balkans may buy some brownie points for America—and by extension for Israel—in the Islamic world. That delusion was stated brazenly yet eloquently by the late Rep. Tom Lantos during a House hearing on Kosovo last April:
Just a reminder to the predominantly Muslim-led governments in this world that here is yet another example that the United States leads the way for the creation of a predominantly Muslim country in the very heart of Europe. This should be noted by both responsible leaders of Islamic governments, such as Indonesia, and also for jihadists of all color and hue. The United States’ principles are universal, and in this instance, the United States stands foursquare for the creation of an overwhelmingly Muslim country in the very heart of Europe.
Israel is some thousands of miles away from the heady Beltway air (and whatever they are putting in their water inside it), and such inanities cut no ice there. Writing in the Jerusalem Post on February 21 (“Kosovo’s Stark Warning”), Caroline Glick, one of Israel’s most prominent columnists, pleads for Israel to join Russia, China and others in not recognizing Kosovo for the sake of its own existential interests. “The fledgling failed-state of Kosovo is a great boon for the global jihad,” she warns. It has been used as bases for al-Qaida operations, members of the ruling KLA have direct links to al-Qaida, and “the Islamic world as a whole perceived Kosovo’s fight for independence from Serbia as a jihad for Islamic domination of the disputed province”:
For Israel, Kosovo’s US-backed declaration of independence should be a source of alarm great enough to require a rethinking of foreign policy. Unfortunately, rather than understand and implement the lessons of Kosovo, the Olmert-Livni-Barak government is working actively to ensure that they are reenacted in the international community’s treatment of Israel and the Palestinians.
In the meantime the neoconservative-neoliberal disconnect between aiding and abetting Muslim designs in the Balkans and “fighting the Global War on Terror” is growing deeper. The appeasement has never yielded any dividends, but repeated failure only prompts the architects of the policy to redouble their efforts—as Under-Secretary of State Nicholas Burns proved on February 18, a day after the Kosovo declaration. Noting approvingly recognitions of Kosovo by Turkey and Afghanistan and “a very strong and supportive comment by the Organization of the Islamic Conference,” he reminded his audience that “Kosovo is going to be a vastly majority Muslim state, given the fact that 92 to 94 percent of their population is Muslim. And we think it is a very positive step that this Muslim state, Muslim majority state, has been created today.”
If it is intrinsically “a very positive step” for the United States that a “vastly Muslim state” is created inside a non-Muslim state, in an area ethnically cleansed of non-Muslims, it stands to reason that Washington will be equally supportive of any putative Islamistan from western Macedonia to southern Bulgaria to the northern Caucasus, and one day perhaps even Palestine. It is especially worthy of note that the Organization of the Islamic Conference statement, to which Mr. Burns referred so approvingly, stated that “the Islamic Umma wishes [our brothers and sisters in Kosovo] success in their new battle . . . There is no doubt that the independence of Kosovo will be an asset to the Muslim world and further enhance the joint Islamic action.”
“[W]e don’t see the independence of Kosovo as some kind of precedent,” Burns reiterated the oft-repeated assurance during his press briefing on January 18, but ethno-religious separatists around the world, and Muslims before all others, were quick to challenge his assertion. Pandora’s box is wide open, and Israel is among the first to feel the consequences.
The Palestinians “should follow Kosovo’s example and unilaterally declare independence” if peace talks with Israel fail, Yasser Abed Rabbo, a top aide to the PA President Mahmoud Abbas declared on February 20. “Kosovo is not better than Palestine,” he added. If the United States and the majority of the European Union “have embraced the independence of Kosovo, why shouldn’t this happen with Palestine as well?”
Dr. Rice, Mr. Burns et al would reply “because we say so,” but Israeli analysts are not impressed. Col. Shaul Shay, an expert on Islamic radicalism at BESA (Begin-Sadat) Center at Bar-Ilan, thus notes that when the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina ended, terrorist infrastructures remained there and served as a basis for the Islamic terror activities in Kosovo:
Today, the Balkans serve as a forefront on European soil for Islamic terror organizations, which exploit this area to promote their activities in Western Europe, and other focal points worldwide . . . [T]he establishment of an independent Islamic territory including Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania along the Adriatic Coast, is one of the most prominent achievements of Islam since the siege of Vienna in 1683. Islamic penetration into Europe through the Balkans is one of the main achievements of Islam in the twentieth century.
The main danger, as he and other prominent Israelis see it, is that the U.S. recognition of Kosovo endorses the principle that a solution to an intractable political and territorial quarrel can and should be imposed by outside countries, even if one of the parties rejects the proposed solution as contrary to its vital national interests. While the question of how Israel should reach agreement with Palestinian aspirations remains open, the notion of a solution imposed from outside is anathema to all Israelis. Furthermore, outside powers’ award of a part of a state’s sovereign territory to a violent ethnic or religious minority may come to affect not just the West Bank but even the Galilee and the Negev, where Arabs have, or may soon acquire, local majorities. Israel’s Muslim population is now just above 20 percent, roughly the same as Serbia’s with Kosovo included. If Albanian Muslims can demand separation from Serbia today, citing alleged past mistreatment, it is a sure bet Israel’s Arabs will do the same tomorrow.
In order to survive in a hostile and unpredictable environment, Israel must not allow a dreadful precedent like this to stand. There are two main areas in which Israel can make a positive contribution to ensuring that it does not stand.
Firstly, the Israeli government should state its publicly and forcefully that it is against an imposed solution. Secondly, the impact of Israeli opinion on the public policy community in the United States should not be underestimated. Among the American advocates of Kosovo independence are many friends and supporters of Israel who appear oblivious to the fact that their advocacy might have a negative impact on Israel. Such advocates are found among media, public policy groups and think tanks, advocacy organizations, and other centers of influence representing in particular the US Jewish community, liberals, neoconservatives, and elements of the Christian community.
In addition, Israel's military and defense experience with terrorism is widely respected in American defense, intelligence, and homeland security sectors, both in and out of government, and in both the Executive and Legislative branches. It is important that every such contact in the United States be informed by their Israeli interlocutors that the wrong solution for Kosovo, currently pursued by the United States, would have an adverse impact on Israel.
* * *
P.S. We note that Dr. Rice says it is time for Serbs to accept that Kosovo is no longer theirs, and that it also “time to drop centuries of grievance and sentimentality in the Balkans.” “We believe that the resolution of Kosovo's status will really, finally, let the Balkans begin to put its terrible history behind it,” Rice said. “I mean, after all, we're talking about something from 1389 to 1389! It’s time to move forward.”
Presumably Dr. Rice also holds that it is time to drop centuries of grievance and sentimentality in the African-American community. No doubt she also believes that the ending of “affirmative action” will really, finally, let the Blacks begin to put their terrible history behind them. After all, we’re talking about something from the 1600s and 1700s! It’s time to move forward.
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I never did quite understand why Bush the Younger and his coterie (and before that, Sex/Crimes Bill and HIS coterie) were so hot and bothered about Bosnia. As far as I know, neither the American Empire nor American commoners have that much, if anything, in the way of significant interests in the region.
Imperial support for an Islamic state in the region strikes me as nothing short of insane.
If it were up to me, I'd say let them stew in their own juices over there, the lot of them. Israel, too. Tell everyone in the region that the American Empire is going to butt out (including stopping ALL aid to the area), and that Israel and the Arabs can go slug it out. We'll trade with the winners (or survivors, if it came to it), but that's it.
In the meantime, let's fire up the drills in ANWR, start work on getting free of oil dependence, and let the Middle East go to Hell in its own inimitable way. The only interests we should have in the region is in the entertainment value the inevitable Israeli-Arab war will provide.
Your servant,
Lord Karth
That last should read "The only INTEREST we should have in the region is in the entertainment value the inevitable Israel-Arab war will provide." My bad, my bad.
Your servant,
Lord Karth
They have no interest in not aiding global jihad because if they did they wouldn't have supported the KLA in the first place. There main concern is jewish interest mainly being Isreal and how this might blowback as people will begin to say how can you hypocritically support kosovo but not an independent Palestinian state.
Did this article say that Turkey recognised Kosovo?
If that is the case Turkey should remove is troops from Iraq and declare an independent Kurdistan.
There are two ways (at least) of looking at this issue:
(1) We don't have a dog in the fight, so why should we antagonize Russia, create an unhelpful precedent, etc. and generally interfere in a matter we hardly understand?
(2) If we were to involve ourselves at all, it should be in defense of Christendom and against the creation of a failed state that is likely to become a center of crime and a staging area for Islamic terrorism.
I lean more to No. 1, but either view leads to a fairly "hands off" view of the Israel-Palestine conflict as well. In the absence of Soviet support for its enemies, Israel is hardly a strategic asset, and moreover in the course of the conflict the ancient Christian communities in the area have been disappearing.
The neocon/Likud/Cheney view that there is a worldwide struggle between militant Islam (and especially Iran) in which Israel and the West are natural allies (Caroline Glick's view, more or less), promotes both the US alliance with Israel and skepticism about Kosovo's independence. It would seem Dr. T. is trying to appeal to those who hold this view to back off supporting Kosovo, to the extent that horse remains in the barn. Unfortunately, because hostility to Russia and the Orthodox world is almost as strong in these circles as is fear of Islam, Dr. T's gambit is unlikely to succeed, and the US will continue to waste its treasure and its young lives in one quixotic Wilsonian crusade after another.
@1 Lord Karth
Actually, US involvement in the Balkans makes complete sense for the empire. It is easier to rule over unstable regions filled with people who are at each others throats. This is why Washington has funded Jihad for decades now.
Of course the US wants a European Union. It is easier to rule over one government than 20+ sovereign nations. The Europeans are stupid in thinking that united maybe they can have a strong currency and beat the US at their own game. In the meantime, the US encourages EU expansion right up to Russia's borders (Brussels doing their dirty work for them), while at the same time stirring up tensions right in the middle of EU with the creation of two Islamic states: Kosovo and Bosnia. It is also why they keep pushing for Turkey to enter the EU. If you were China would you accept a reserve currency from a "country" with a huge internal Jihadist problem. Absolutely not! So the US dollar still continues its dominance in the world's economy, even though it isn't worth much right now. The Euro is too young and hasn't proven itself, and no one save Ron Paul in the western world wants to return to a gold standard.
This is also why the US was sure to get Saddam but lets Osama run free. Saddam is not a religious fundamentalist. He wanted an idependent and strong country that controls their own oil, traded in the currency of their choice (Euro/gold), and has a strong military presense. Sounds a little to independent to the empire's liking, so they had him killed, and the result is exactly what they wanted, more chaos and religious fundamentalism. They have absolutely no intention of ever capturing Osama. His presence is an excuse to stay in the region and prevent the Chinese or Russians from getting a presence there, thus securing oil for themselves. Afterall, it was always about China and Russia, not about any Islamic jihadist threat.
This is sold to Americans in various ways. To the evangelicals, we are in the middle east to help Israel (the whole second coming thing), and this reason is good for American Jews and the neo-cons as well who in most cases have a dual loyalty. Even the environmentalists are somewhat happy in their "victories" at stopping any drilling oil at home.
The American empire continues to grow abroad while they tear down our borders at home. In fact it might as well be called just Empire because there is nothing American about it, just like there is nothing American about our leaders. But if you are from the south, you already knew that anyway.
So it becomes a waiting game, who screws up first, the empire or the East (Russia and China). They are waiting it out and the empire continues to antagonize them with the expansion of military bases on their old stomping grounds and the encouraging of islamic fudamentalists in their regions...all in the name of fighting terrorism of course.
I hope that Trifkovic doesn't actually believe that our leaders in the US want an end to terrorism or care about Israel, or Christianity for that matter. Jerusalem could cease to exist tomorrow and it would not make a lick of difference except for a little logistical problem for the empire. But I'm sure they could find another reason to stay in the region for the "next 100 years" as McCain would like.
So what is a true conservative Christain to do? What can we do? "Render unto Ceaser that which is Ceaser's; and render unto God that which is God's." Our kind won't be around much longer but maybe we will have a place in the heavenly kingdom, the only place that ever lasts for eternity.
Actually Dr. Rice is most likely against the affirmative action. Likewise I would not be surprised if she also believed that the Blacks should put their terrible history behind, so this analogy with Serbian history would not work with her.
American media has been fairly muted about the Kosovo protest in Belgrade. As an exception, kudos to Michael Savage for his eloquent defense of the Serb cause. As a staunch defender of Israel, Michael Savage had seen the analogy between Israel and Serbia early on. However his voice is a loose cannon in the world of American media and a glorious exception. Dr. Trifkovic's point is well taken however, as it makes no sense why so many prominent Jews like Lieberman are so anti-Serb.
The question for the Serbs is, what now? It seems that all avenues of resistance have been exausted. Russia is more interested in selling energents to the West than what happens in Serbia. There will be a lot of talk but not much that will be done.
One big diffence between the Jihad and the Serb resistance is that the Jihadists would have dealt with someone like Nicholas Burns on a personal level. There would have been a personal price to pay for being a jackass. That is why the so-called "Islamofascists" are so effective and the Christians are not.
One thing that the Serbs seem not to have learnt from all this is that the money talks in the New World Order more than ever before. When Kosovo means so much, you have to spend billions trying to keep it even if you cannot afford to. Protests, pronouncements, shuttle diplomacy is not enough, it only makes you look dilettantish. Not realizing this, the Serbian leadership has failed, therefore they sould resign as a matter of honor. It is time to bring new leaders with new ideas and money to burn.
Srdja,
You are 100% on target.
The forcible partition of Serbia and the creation of Kosovo is nothing more then political opportunism. Serbia is down and the west is now rubbing in salt into its many wounds. The media has demonized Serbia so much in the last 2 decades that they can do what ever to it and nobody will care. Shame on the western media and its politicians, Joseph Goebbels would be proud of you.
But were is Goebbels now, where is his legacy. Nowhere!
All lies will eventually be exposed and truth will always win.
Serbia, don’t lose hope.
I would guess that that the Palestinians (and the Kurds, and, and, and ...!) will follow the Kosovo example and I don't see what is wrong with that idea! I certainly don't see why it needs to bother anyone in Europe! The essentially point is that the US should cease to meddle in other countries' affairs. As for Israel, I suspect that they know that, with their stock very low in Europe, any meddling in Kosovo, even indirect, would be counter-productive.
If they really believed that the Kosovo Muslims, and everything involved with them, were a threat to Israel or Jews in general, they would be backing Serbia 100%. Caroline Glick represents a minority point of view. Israel does not want to antagonize Serbia and especially Russia, because they need Russian support in dealing with Iran. The majority of Jews worldwide, especially the influential and powerful ones, are for Kosovo Albanian independence because they see that as a mitigating factor in Muslim and Arab anger directed at them.
One would just wonder how Dr. Rice dare to tell Serbs to forget their cradle and history and ignorantly interferes with the way the Serbs conduct their policies toward Kosovo and any other country. American politicains seem to frequently lecture other , smaller and less powerful countries, with their empty rethorics and superficial 'suggestions' . And when that fails, they often try to impose their way of thinking, by repeating it like parrots, as the only possible way of doing things. Many of this top oficials have firmly convinced themselves of lies and deceptions about this impoverished and corrupted to the core Province of Kosovo.
The Albanian leadership of current Kosovo, for some period of time, have de facto displayed qualities of Mafiosi, war lords, arsonists, jihad warriors trained by now famous Osama, drug and opium dealers, just to name a few. However, somebody's interests are more important and superior to the above and therefore 'we' support independence. And when American politicians say and represent something and somebody, they trully believethey speak for the entire world. WHAT A NONSENSICAL POLITICS!!!
I've enjoyed reading this article, Srdjo. Well done!!!
Antagonizing Russia has been very profitable for the US military-industrial complex, as the militaries of the countries scared, cajoled, and bribed into NATO have to buy our weapons to be NATO-compatible. Some in the US desperately want another cold war with anyone because they can keep making so much money off of it. Antagonizing Russia for no reason, no gain for our national interest makes no sense, on it's surface. It only makes sense for the warmongers, the military-industrial complex and other assorted merchants of death who still try to justify military outlays that far outpace those of even the cold war. Nothing helps win elections by scaring people, as we all should have learned by now. Let's hope enough people wake up to such scams before we fall as an empire more rapidly than we rose as one.
nothing wins elections "like" scaring people, not "by", I meant in that second to last sentence.
In the debate, Hillary and Obama got the whole Russian thing tragically and completely wrong.
Perhaps one of them will achieve the feat of uniting Eurasia--Russia, Iran and China--against us, all in the name of "democracy" and "multilateralism."
If Israel ever steps out of line, the USA can always point to Kosovo’s independence and say, see, look here “Kosovo is not better than Palestine” you Israelis better do as the USA says or you will have a independent Palestinian state as your neighbor.
Of course this Palestinian state will be recognized by the UN & USA. It is a good tool to keep the Israelis in line so they don’t overreach themselves and wander to far into the middle east, causing all sorts of hell for every one.
USA is the winner.
@16michael warning
The idea that US can tell Isreal what to do is fancifil. Due to jewish domination of media, academia, finance and senior positions in government the US is little more than a satellite of Isreal. Its more of a colony under Isreal than it ever was under british rule.
@15Grumpy Old Man
I agree why are we making an enemy out of Russia? Hilary saying Putin has no soul is insulting and Obama having Zbignew Brezinski a person who has hated Russia for decades as an advisor shows our foreign policy objectives. If Russia really wanted to screw the EU then it would have sold its oil and build pipelines to China and Japan who countries really need a stable oil importer.
With the help of Jacob Shiff, Rothschild and Trotsky we helped overthrough the Tsar and install communism in Russia and look were that ended.
I think its time that Texas give back the Alamo to the Mexicans. After all, I mean, we're talking about something that went back to 1836, 1836!. It's time to move forward. (sic)
I'm trying to figure out whose worse, and you all can chime in with your opinions, Condi Rice or Madeline Albright?
(Quote): "Instead of sending British youngsters to Auschwitz, I would suggest spending governmental funds on student trips to Gaza concentration camp. This would have a far greater educational value in so as far as challenging 'racism and prejudice'. Clearly it is in Gaza where millions of Palestinians are starved by the Jewish state while the West keeps silent.
"Britain bears some direct responsibility for the Palestinian tragedy. Firstly, the Palestinian disaster was set by the British Empire. It may have started with the Balfour Declaration, but it matured into devastating ethnic cleansing in 1948, three years after the liberation of Auschwitz. Secondly, whichever way we decide to look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Palestinians are the last victims of Hitler and the genocide in Gaza is a Shoah in the making." (end Quote) of Gilad Atzmon's at the http://www.peacepalestine.blogspot.com site.
An excellent article by Gilad & also in a Not unrelated vein excellent article of Dr. Trifkovic's in my opinion above.
The animals think automatically or unconsciously; while over time due to an exaggerated faculty for imagination (since our bodies were/are so ill equipped and relatively un-armored and vulnerable), the human animal slowly translated imagination into the ability to pause with increasing clarity at a conceptual level. [Picture it - one day a son or daughter looked at the mom and they both realized they were the only ones in their tribe, who were actually aware of being aware.]
On this additional level we passed the other species and became not only aware, but [aware of being aware.] We began to notice (became more conscious of) what we were thinking anway like the other creatures. Albeit at the conceptual level where we learned to pause even if only momentarily and also for much longer periods of time, and we could see…if we liked what we were thinking or if we could hone or refine it into something better.
A thought per se - is something complete it itself and something we can do. An example would be 'don't confuse motion with action.' Something complete in itself and something we can do.
Another less exaulted example is 'I have to do poo-poo ok, I'll do it in our toilet rather than in the middle of the livingroom rug, and so i won't sink-up the joint.' ... Similar with the other animals except they're not consciously aware of it. The bird wants twigs for her/his nest sees twigs over there and goes and gets them and builds. The bear wants honey smells it in the hive and busts it open knowing he's pretty well armored and the stings won't hurt too much. Yum. … ouch.
These are all thoughts, vibrations like things are also vibrations and so only separated by degrees thoughts too are things.
The higher vibrations or thoughts are the finer and the stronger. Ideas, wishes, dreams these are all vibrations and good too - except they are open-ended... and so not thought per se which is complete in itself and something we can do presently.
Ideas, wishes and dreams when we indulge in them release more endorphins the brain's natural painkillers and they subsequently not only make us un-aware of our unnecessary pain during the daily round, but just as they did long ago they spur on evolution. ... In this regard mother Nature was kind to us, in that we subsequently feel good enough even in our vulnerable bodies to pause longer at the conceptual level and refine thought. ...
The idea of God releases the most endorphins of all and in a sense we move toward the finer vibrations and are able to in this process - since they are also where we're at even when we don't connect. In words, so to speak 'God meets us where we are.'
So kids should be taught the truth about thought, and wishes, ideas and dreams and how they're all so vital in being a human being. They are the human factor. And so they are our responsibility.
There's enormous power in the victim Role in our highly developed Western/Christian civilization. So to be kind as possible; while conversely of course there is no power in being an Actual victim/s.
People in Gaza & Serbia are actual victims while the West misled by its media says nothing.
People in the West like everywhere are conceptual creatures and when they pause collectively at the conceptual level (prior to their activity.) Their media (which is monolithic today and not diverse) is there to lead them away from the Actual...And to replace it with the desired outcome of those who presently occupy the victim Role, and who dominate the monolithic media.
Due to the human factor, its Achilles heel is that subsequently human perceptions can be perniciously and unjustly manipulated. In other words when paused at the conceptual level the truth can be replaced by a well constructed counterfeit or ‘perception.’ This is not always bad or deleterious in that sometimes a perception or near twin but tweaked can indeed spur us on toward the finer. But this is usually done over centuries and at a very high cultural level.
When it is done crassly and day to day by the monolithic media it is only another disasterous manifestation of a pied piper. There are for example many spokes in the wheel of a bicycle many perspectives always happening on this day to day basis. And is why the media if it were truly free would be profoundly diverse. And not profoundly monolithic and coporate as it is presently.
Today it is 95% propaganda, as in the cases of Serbia/KosovA and about Gaza. So beware, when you watch t.v. or read (or even what they teach in school), and you are paused at your conceptual level deciding how to act and what to perceive - think twice. They want you to believe what THEY want you to believe whether or not it is the truth.
Even culture itself is nothing more than the collective pause at the conceptual level prior to activity. It's also why culture is so important in terms of what it informs a people to elevate and hold dearer. Does it maintain and move a people toward the finer, stronger vibrations or toward the weaker and more debased? In this regard we do reap what we sowed.
__________
"Dr. Trifkovic’s point is well taken however, as it makes no sense why so many prominent Jews like Lieberman are so anti-Serb."
****
Interesting article and comments like the above quoted.
Many prominent non-Jews are anti-Serb as well. Overall, I suspect that Jews tend to be more sympathetic towards the Serb position, when compared to many others.
Albanian-American lobbying clout on Capital Hill is a matter of record.
If they give $5K a year or more to a given American politician with no Serb-American org. contribution, well...
The uncontested $$$ and-or non-menetary activism of special interests groups can do wonders against America's best interests.
I sense that Albanians tend to be a more monolithic group than Serbs. This can help on such matters as fund raising.
Also at play, is the depiction of Serbs as pro-Russians, which for some gets translated into meaning that they aren't pro-Western.
Serbia has historically been pro-West and pro-Rusisan. Truth be told, Russia hasn't been at such great odds with the West and the latter hasn't always been unified. Russia sided with America during the American Revolution, American Civil War and two world wars. Britian, France, Germany, Turkey and Japan can't say the same.
"Many prominent non-Jews are anti-Serb as well. "
This is completely true of course. But for us Serbs it is much more painful when prominent Jews are anti-Serb, because we feel bitterly betrayed in this case. We are used having lot of enemies, but we trusted the Jews would behave in a different way, because we always genuinely symphatised with them. This is why we are disappointed the way we could never be, when, say, Germans are anti-Serb. I am afraid that Serbs will become as Antisemmitic as any other Europeans, thank to those numerous prominent anti-Serb Jews.
Therefore, it would not be enough if Israel simply doesn´t recognize Kosovo. Israel should proactively help Serbia if it wants to keep few friends it still has in Europe and Jewisch people might bitterly need some time in the future.
Think of all of those unknown cultures out there somewhere in the Universe that has not yet had the JOY of American Intervention?
How can we live with ourselves?............Ha-Ha.
Welcome would be Dr. Trifkovic's and other readers' take on William Lind's view of the matter: http://dni2.wordpress.com/2008/02/27/on-war-252-fools-rush-in/
William Lind is along with Martin van Creveld the expert on 4th Generation War.
Mr. Trifkovic writes: "If Albanian Muslims can demand separation from Serbia today, citing alleged past mistreatment, it is a sure bet Israel’s Arabs will do the same tomorrow."
I don't know anything about Albanians or Serbians (sorry, no dog in that fight), but Israeli Arabs will never demand secession. How many times does an "under-taxed" or "over-welfared" minority demand to secede from a welfare state? Even the most radically anti-Zionist Arab localities in the State of Israel (e.g., the village of Umm el-Fahem) vehemently oppose the idea of their localities being within the borders of a future Palestinian state. That would mean losing their social-welfare benefits as Israeli citizens. If they are ever to be liberated from Zionist oppression, it will be against their will.
"Saying 'No' to Kosovo independence
Four EU countries, Romania, Cyprus, Slovakia and Spain, have refused to recognise Kosovo as an independent state. Here, Euro MPs from all four countries explain their concerns about Kosovo's step forward."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7265249.stm
Is Srdja right or wrong? Read this, here is the answer:
"Unique" Kosovo Starts a Domino Effect
"Costa Rica Recognizes "State of Palestine"
According to the AP, Israeli diplomat has postponed a planned meeting with Costa Rican officials over the Central American nation's decision to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
"We would like to express our disappointment over this regretful decision of the government of Costa Rica to establish full diplomatic relations with the 'state of Palestine,'" Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said. "This act of Costa Rica totally contradicts the traditional friendship that characterized its relations with Israel since its establishment."
27 February 2008
Interesting.
All this is very interesting.
In some of my first hand contacts almost all of the 15 high ranking Israeli officials were candid (in my view) about their view on Kosovo. They were adamantly opposed to it PRIVATELY, but they were equally careful to mention that they would never voice their opposition to the US PUBLICALLY. Nothing new on the Western Front - and even less new in the world of politics where Israel depends for dire existence on the US and can not bite the hand that is feeding it. Sadly enough there are Muslims in much of the Middle East and Subsaharan Africa (yes, some people call them "militant Muslims" - as if there was any other kind). But on European soil there is absolutely no square inch of soil that should be granted, goverened or converted to Islam - let alone a cradle of Christianity. As I am firmly convince that the UK was instrumental in Albania's formation (Bucurest 1913 and later), this tragic mistake of Ottoman remnants on European soil should be reversed by the only way known to man that has ever brought any long term fruits WAR. Ceterum censeo Albania esse delendam - is the only guarantee of a long term peace in Europe. Historically the backs of many empires have been broken in the Balkans (Greece, Rome, pre-natal Nazis (the Habsburgs), the bloodthirsty Nazis (with Albanian puppets) and the communists. No, I am absolutely certain that this tragic mistake will not last beyond my son's lifetime - it will be reversed by some fashion - I am just not smart enough to see how. But and overt war and abolition Albania would be a great start. Even if I die as the only person on Earth with this thought I will not change it. From all that I have seen, heard and witnessed first hand there is absolutely no reason for Albania to exist - The Imperial Britain had a reason to appease the Turks just prior to the Crimean Wars as a pretext in their attack on Russia (cloaked in defending the Turks). What Turks? All of Anatolia was Greek except for the Sunni tribes filtering through the Kurds in the North and taking over Greek settlments. The Turks certainly didn't exist in Anatolia nor in Turkey nor among Sunnis, but their militancy was an excellent pretext to test the ever threatening Russian bear in the frequent attacks of Russophobia.
As it normally happens in world affairs some small region gets shafted or sacrificed. The Habsubrgs annexed Bosnia before WW1, The Nazis annexed Austria and Sudetanlands before WW2, and the rest of the world was sitting on their hands while Mussolini's tanks were attacking Ethiopian cavalry (and camelry).
So much for why Islam in Europe must be watched controlled and not proliferated. It's a great deal more dangerous than all the nuclear weapons put together. We have all been kicked in the teeth more than once by Islam (radical, militant, musical, - who cares what color is the mad dog that bit you?)
Since we know that Costa Rica (as well as Panama) is an US satellite in the UN Security Council, the issue of Costa Rica's recognition of Palestine raises serious questions. What was the real intention of the US by recognizing Kosovo and then immediatelly pushing the baloon probe with Costa Rica? Israelis should watch closely this space and issue. What are the real intentions of the US?
My first thought is that someone has gone completely beezerk. Off his rocker. What is going on, really?
@ 29
The US is powerful, Goran, but not omnipotent. My guess is that Costa Rica acted on their own.
Perhaps Dr. Trifkovic would be kind enough to comment on whether or not the U.S. push for an Islamic Kosovo is a means to destabilize the European Union, and keep it from getting too "uppity"?
When in doubt, forget the politicians and look to see who will gain financially. Kosovo's geography gives it potentially vast mineral wealth. There is at least one functional gold mine, and a look at googleEarth shows evidence of some pretty big operations there.
During my stint in the navy, a co-worker said that the reason we fought in Vietnam was tungsten. Three decades later with the help of the internet, I found out he was right. The only snag was the mine was in North Vietnam.
Such misguided writings as those of Mr. Pavlovich, replete as they are with serious distortions of history (Hapsburgs as proto-Nazis? no reason for Albania to exist? Albania just a remnant of the Ottoman Empire? ever heard of Skanderbeg?), are why so many people regard Serbs as wild-eyed Greater-Serbian national chauvinists. I am not saying that the recognition of Kosovo was right, nor am I defending the ethnic and religious cleansing of Serbs in that region of Serbia. I am protesting against the idea that the response should be the destruction of the nation of Albania.
Mr. Pavlovich, who was Skanderbeg? What was his nationality? When he was fighting the Turks, what was the ruler of the Serbs doing? (Hint: he was *helping the Turks*!)
Maybe the expulsion of all Moslems from Europe would ultimately be a good thing. But since so much of the *native* population of Albania is Moslem, you'd probably see the Christian minorities of the Middle East expelled as well.
Incidentally, I seem to recall reading that during the 1960s, 70 per cent of Albanians were Mohammedan, 20 per cent were the self-styled Orthodox (sic), 10 per cent were Catholics. I don't know what the numbers are now. I do hope that when Mr. Pavlovich annexes Albania, he discriminates between Mohammedans and Christians.
Many Catholic Albanians of the Byzantine Rite fled the Turks and found refuge in Italy and Sicily. Maybe those Albanians should claim a "right of return" and re-Christianize their homeland.
The supporters of Serbia talk much about the First Battle of Kosovo in 1389, which is understandable. They don't talk much about the *Second* Battle of Kosovo in 1448, which is also understandble, once you research which side the Serbs were fighting on in that battle.
Why would supporters of Israel in the United States be enthusiastically in favor of Kosovo's independence? This is the question on ST's mind today, yet as soon as ST poses this supposedly baffling question he proceeds with the least plausible answer—a stupid one really—that the establishment is trying to score some brownie points for America with the Muslims of the world. In support of this sophomoric idea he even quotes the canard by Nicholas Burns that Kosovo would be an independent Muslim state. Are Under-Secretaries of State to be always taken literally, and always seen as honestly speaking of the true goals of the US in any region? According to ST and others in the business of disinformation, apparently the words of government officials are to be taken au pied de la lettre. But, why do we, then, need analysts, such as ST to enlighten us about what the powers that be are really after?
Support for Israel and the policy of detaching Kosovo from Serbia go together quite well, as shown by the fact that the architects of the policy of dismemberment of Yugoslavia—such as Abramowitz and co.--are as pro-Israel as it gets. Contrary to what the basic principle of charity requires--that at first we don't take these people for idiots—ST would have us believe that these people are, we are led to think stupidly, "aiding and abetting Muslim designs in the Balkans". This is seriously pulling wool over any thinking person's eyes. Whose policy was the effort to detach Kosovo from Serbia? Did some Muslims pull this off, forcing the hand of the US, or was it the US that stubornly insisted on this? Of course, no Muslim group would have the power to do this! Wouldn't Palestine be a state, already?
I've used the word "detachment" and not "independence" to refer to what happened with Kosovo, because Kosovo did not obtain independence, instead it is attempting to be annexed to Pax Americana. Kosovo is now The Greater Bonsteel. This is a phase in the US strategic war of pipelines, primarily against Russia but also the EU.
Consequently, the Kosovo affair has little to do with Albanians (be they Muslim or not) or Serbs (or for that matter Israel). Various canards are used as decoys to shift attention from these strategic efforts by the US to other, largely irrelevant, narratives. Some are silly, some perhaps humorous, and some are downright ugly. My objection to ST is that he chose the ugliest variation: the continuous, base anti-Muslim racism. Hence, since unfortunately his last name ends with "ic" he paints all Serbs as raging lunatics prone to reflexive hatred of all Muslims. By appealing to the pro-Israel lobby he may also be racist towards all Jews, assuming, falsely, that they are insane Zionists. Yet, ST's racism does not end there either. Look at his imagined retort to Dr. Rice. All he could think of is that she happens to be African-American, as if that is relevant to the content of her remark that it is time that the "Balkans begin to put its terrible history behind it." Instead of pointing out, for example, how ignorant or arrogant she sounds, ST wants to give a lesson to African Americans how they should think about their past as slaves, because Rice, the messenger, is black.
It is high time for this reactionary, crypto-fascist, and racist writing to stop. If ST can no longer write in other ways, let him at least write on topics far removed from Serbia. (It is a shame that it has come to this as ST had done much good work in the past, e.g., on the WWII Ustashe atrocities.)
@ Aleksandar Jokic #35
You accused Dr. Trifkovic of anti-Muslim racism; pray tell, to which distinct race do Muslims belong? Which is the Muslim portion of the human genome?
Your statement that Dr. Trifkovic paints all Serbs as raging lunatcis and that he is racist towards all Jews is not substantiated by anything he's written here; seems like you're projecting your fantasies onto him.
Your statement that "ST wants to give a lesson to African Americans how they should think about their past as slaves, because Rice, the messenger, is black" is a non sequitur.
Finally, you've asked Dr. Trifkovic to write on topics far removed from Serbia, such as WWII Ustashe atrocities. That makes as much sense as asking Dr. Clyde Wilson to write on topics far removed from the Confederacy, such as Union Army atrocities.
Do you get your history lessons from CNN, Mr. Jokic?
@Caper
"The supporters of Serbia talk much about the First Battle of Kosovo in 1389, which is understandable. They don’t talk much about the *Second* Battle of Kosovo in 1448, which is also understandble, once you research which side the Serbs were fighting on in that battle."
http://historymedren.about.com/library/text/bltxtalbania5.htm
“The government under Skanderbeg was unstable, however, and at times local Albanian rulers cooperated with the Ottoman Turks against him.” Djuradj Brankovic was a traitor, along with many other nobles from many other nations who were trying to survive in desperate times. Djuradj himself was betrayed (Peace of Szeged): “The final version of the treaty re-established Serbia as a buffer state and settled its return to Branković,[2] as well as the return of Albania and all other territory conquered, including 24 fortresses, to Hungary. The Ottomans also had to pay an indemnity of 100,000 gold florins and release Branković’s two sons.” What transpired next is (Crusade of Varna): “Shortly after all the short-term requirements of the treaty were fulfilled, the Hungarians and their allies resumed the crusade. Murad, who had retired shortly after the treaty was completed, was called back to lead the Ottoman army. On November 10, 1444, the two armies clashed at the Battle of Varna (near the Black Sea fortress of Varna, Bulgaria). The Ottomans won a decisive victory despite heavy losses, while the Hungarians lost their King and over 10,000 men.”
Serbs continued their fight against Moslem invaders, Albanians did not.
http://historymedren.about.com/library/text/bltxtalbania5.htm
Albania: Historical Setting
Library of Congress Country Study
“The division of the Albanian-populated lands into small, quarreling fiefdoms ruled by independent feudal lords and tribal chiefs made them easy prey for the Ottoman armies. In 1385 the Albanian ruler of DurrÎs, Karl Thopia, appealed to the sultan for support against his rivals, the Balsha family. An Ottoman force quickly marched into Albania along the Via Egnatia and routed the Balshas. The principal Albanian clans soon swore fealty to the Turks. Sultan Murad II launched the major Ottoman onslaught in the Balkans in 1423, and the Turks took Janina in 1431 and Arta on the Ionian coast, in 1449. The Turks allowed conquered Albanian clan chiefs to maintain their positions and property, but they had to pay tribute, send their sons to the Turkish court as hostages, and provide the Ottoman army with auxiliary troops.
The Albanians’ resistance to the Turks in the mid-fifteenth century won them acclaim all over Europe. Gjon Kastrioti of KrujÎ was one of the Albanian clan leaders who submitted to Turkish suzerainty. He was compelled to send his four sons to the Ottoman capital to be trained for military service. The youngest, Gjergj Kastrioti (1403-68), who would become the Albanians’ greatest national hero, captured the sultan’s attention. Renamed Iskander when he converted to Islam, the young man participated in military expeditions to Asia Minor and Europe. When appointed to administer a Balkan district, Iskander became known as Skanderbeg. After Ottoman forces under Skanderbeg’s command suffered defeat in a battle near Nis, in present-day Serbia, in 1443, the Albanian rushed to KrujÎ and tricked a Turkish pasha into surrendering him the Kastrioti family fortress. Skanderbeg then reembraced Roman Catholicism and declared a holy war against the Turks.
On March 1, 1444, Albanian chieftains gathered in the cathedral of LezhÎ with the prince of Montenegro and delegates from Venice and proclaimed Skanderbeg commander of the Albanian resistance. All of Albania, including most of Epirus, accepted his leadership against the Ottoman Turks, but local leaders kept control of their own districts. Under a red flag bearing Skanderbeg’s heraldic emblem, an Albanian force of about 30,000 men held off brutal Ottoman campaigns against their lands for twenty-four years. Twice the Albanians overcame sieges of KrujÎ. In 1449 the Albanians routed Sultan Murad II himself. Later, they repulsed attacks led by Sultan Mehmed II. In 1461 Skanderbeg went to the aid of his suzerain, King Alfonso I of Naples, against the kings of Sicily. The government under Skanderbeg was unstable, however, and at times local Albanian rulers cooperated with the Ottoman Turks against him.
“
I write as a man of Jewish background. The Serbs played an heroic role in WW 2 and saved many of my relatives. I do not consider myself a supporter of Israel or any of its policies. For reasons I am only beginning to understand they are complicit in the destruction of Serbia. I am ashamed that common opinion couples "Israeli" and "Jew" unreflexively. To the Serbian population I can only say -- I apologize. For what it is worth I believe Israeli imperial designs reach byond europe, though that is cold comfort to the great people of Serbia. I have tried to make the Serbian case to Jewish relatives with no success. I would be grateful for any literature which would be helpful. The Serbian people have my solidarity and deepest sympathy.