From the IHT comes this piece by an Albanian from Kosovo that believes, the autnomous region of Kosovo should be an independent and sovereign state. Ethnic Albanians now make their own rules and Serbs make theirs. Serbs, while still a minority, still make up a large segment of the population.
I have mixed feelings about this idea. It creates a delicate situation for a lot of reasons.
One prominent reason is, it is a conflict that is located squarely on the border, of both the Christian and Islamic worlds. It, like other areas of the world that have a border with a state that is run by Muslims or a significant amount of Muslims living within their border (in large blocs), has not been a particularly peaceful area to live in. Ask Thailand, there is an area that Muslims want to yank out from under those that practice the Buddhist faith. Almost the entire peninsula is Muslim. Rebels are fighting to carve it off into a Muslim-state and they are using terrorist tactics to do it. You can also ask Myanmar and the Phillipines, they suffer a similar plight.
Now comes this renewed call for Kosovo independence. Now comes more trouble in a region that had to be bombed to get one side to stop exterminating the other, in order to force them out. We, the United States of America (at the request of Europe), stopped it. But it did not solve the problems that will always plague a region, when there is a significant Muslim population that is restless and longs to implement some form of Islamic law, claiming the land as forever Muslim.
The questions now become:
Will this become another powder keg region, again? Will it re-emerge as a war torn region? If the Serbs stand firm on this and refuse to allow Kosovo to become an independent and sovereign state, will the jihadists take their causes back to the Balkans and fight for Muslim sovereignty, against Christians? Will Europe step up and solve their own issues, this time around? Or, will the U.S. once again be summoned to intervene, because Europe is weak and has sizable Muslim populations of its own to worry about?
If we allow them to do this again, they gain advantages over the U.S. in two areas.
One is, it helps keep the U.S. from strengthening and depletes its resources. They are afraid of us for some reason ( at least that I have never been able to figure out). Europe did not want to contribute to the cause of Iraqi freedom for lots of reasons, this was one of them. They knew that this conflict, along with Afghanistan, would further stretch our forces and cause us to spend military dollars doing it. Add to that another potential conflict to take the place of Iraq and Afghanistan, once we get out of them, and you can continue to force us to commit miltary force, with all of its costs attached.
The other area they gain the advantage if we do the dirty work is, they come out smelling like roses, while we look more like the bad guys. We do the work and we look like the imperialists, diverting anger towards us and not continental Europe, where more riots could break out at any given moment, over the least little thing.
This time around, it would better serve the people of these areas, if Europe would be more involved. Somewhere at sometime, somebody besides the U.S. is going to have to take a stand. At some point in time, the U.S. is going to have to stop fighting Europe's battles for them and force them to take responsibility for themselves.
As we watch the developments in this area closely over the coming months, it can reasonably be argued that now is that time.
11 comments:
One demographic fact: Muslims reproduce at a much faster than normal rate. Furthermore, Muslims don't want to integrate into Western culture, which they regard as evil and un-Islamic; remember that the Koran teaches that a Muslim cannot even be friends with an infidel, thus reinforcing the concept of Dar al-Harb and Dar al-Islam.
Even discounting jihadism, aka militant Islam, (which you know from my blog that I don't discount), sharing a border with a Muslim nation presents issues which, over history, indicates that harmony between any culture other than Islam is temporary. How I wish this ugliness were not so!
Remember Anwar Sadat? Some 25 years ago, I watched what he tried to do as he tried to call for peace among the sons of Abraham. Sadat was assassinated by those who saw him as a sell-out.
Will Europe step up to prevent another culture clash in Kosovo? No. Europe doesn't even recognize the real problem within its own western borders, and European leaders are trying to rationalize what cannot be rationalized.
You know, for years, I had no idea that the conflict in Bosnia had anything to do with Muslims. The press kept referring to "ethnic Albanians." After 9/11, when I read The Clash of Civilizations, hardly a right-wing book, my eyes opened wide as I recognized what's been proceeding all around the world. I guess I was too busy with life to pay much attention to matters overseas until those jetliners took down three building and until American patriots sacrificed their lives in a field in Shanksville.
BTW, "independence" is jargon for "establishing an Islamic state." We see the same in Chechnya; again, for years, I had no idea that Chechens were Muslims--I just thought they were an oppressed group seeking freedom because that's how the ocnflict is presented in the media and in textbooks.
In Chechnya, Thailand, Malaysia, the Phillipines, France, England, Germany--and elsewhere--Islam is on the march. All the pc blabbing in the world doesn't change the facts! We, the West, are engaged in the same war in which Europe turned back the Turks at the Gates of Vienna. Islam, in its orthodoxy, is a militant geopolitical ideology. If current attempts fail to democratize the Middle East so as to bring the rule of civil law, as opposed to the rule of shari'a law, withing the century, the United States will become a battleground, and I'm glad that I won't be around to see it.
Now comes more trouble in a region that had to be bombed to get one side to stop exterminating the other...
Such has been the pattern for over 1300 years.
"Such has been the pattern for over 1300 years."
Yes, and they were forced to deal with their own problems for 1100 of them, because the US wasn't around to bail them out.
Some very good points AOW, I agree with you.
Somewhere at sometime, somebody besides the U.S. is going to have to take a stand.
Says who? At least that's everyone else's attitude. Why bother if the US will take on the burden. Until we come together as one world to defeat the evil that's growing, we're going to fail. United we stand, divided we fall applies to far more than just the US now.
The demographics are frightening as always on watch has alluded to,
The Qu'ran actually forbids integration.
The Islamic Ummah is required to spread, montenegro is now under threat, the Ummah should be seen in the same context as "Liebensraum" the living space for Hitlers arian race..
With reference to the bombing, the USA and UK committed a major war crime, this action was totally automomous, there was no UN mandate to carry out this atrocity.
I notice that when this bombing took place the Arab states of the UN did not complain of a lack of mandate, I wonder why..
As for the present situation I feel that a line has to be drawn and if it is crossed then clear actions will follow, these thieves of land must be stopped, sadly I fear it will be bloodshed in Europe
At some point in time, the U.S. is going to have to stop fighting Europe's battles for them and force them to take responsibility for themselves.
America does not fight any of America's battles, let alone Europe's. America came to the assistance of the Muslim militants in Serbia, America estabilished the Muslim militants in Afghanistan, America sold weapons to the Iranian dictatorship, America allies itself with despotic fundamentalist Saudi Arabia turning a blind eye to terrorism sponsorship.
Why in all of G*ds green Earth should Europe copy that?
Europe will have to wake-up to the problem in their midst. I'm confident they will eventually and even before we fully face the threat. Why? Because of their demographics and proximity to the Middle East. They get my moral support but we should let them figure out how to take care of the problem. It will be good for their soul if they did it on their own. Taking responsibility is liberating.
One of the greatest mistakes made by one of our greatest Presidents was when Eisenhower opposed England and France (and Israel) in their confrontation with Egypt during the Suez Crisis. The old colonial powers retreated. What did we get? Nasser spit in our face for our efforts.
As Europe figures out what to do, hopefully we’ll clamp down on the Islamic immigration and the Saudi funding of jihadist institutions. I hear our President has been talking a little tougher on immigration. I hope that only makes people demand more – much more.
Jason makes an excellent point: As Europe figures out what to do, hopefully we’ll clamp down on the Islamic immigration and the Saudi funding of jihadist institutions.
GWB talked tougher yesterday, but much more needs to be done. The presence of jihadist organizations and propagandizers such as CAIR and MAS was not mentioned yesterday. Does GWB ever mention those organizations, which continue to operate within our borders?
The immigration issue will be important in the 2008 elections, I think.
All of you have made some outstanding points. I really do have some of the smartest readers in the world, although some of them may not want to admit it.
One that I want to highlight is from Unaha-closp:
"America does not fight any of America's battles, let alone Europe's."
Sadly, this is true today. But in WWI and WWII, it wasn't. We DID bail them out. But Europe hasn't needed defending since then, either.
Europe has been a generally peaceful place since WWII. Not until the Balkan situation developed has their been so much bloodshed. But when militant Islam roars its ugly head, one has to expect it.
lasunset.
"In WW1 and WW2 you baled us out!!
America came into the second world war because of pearl harbour, that is the historical line.
America would have had to come in irrespective.
The reason being, that If Britain had fallen then all of the provinces that britain controlled would also have gone, this includes Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many other smaller outposts., there may have been local resistance but most would have been taken over by the reich.
Had this happened the USA would have been totally isolated and with Germany very close to atomic bombs and rocket technology the USA would have been under severe threat on both shorelines..
"If Britain had fallen then all of the provinces that britain controlled would also have gone, this includes Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many other smaller outposts., there may have been local resistance but most would have been taken over by the reich."
In the end, it will always be the English speaking people that bind together to make a stand in defense of the others. Even Canada.
Never forget that.
amen to that, I hope that will always be
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