Kosovo declared independence from Serbia today, thus ending the final chapter in the break-up of former Yugoslavia.
You can read about it here.
A recently leaked memo from the meeting of US and Slovene diplomats few months ago on the issue of Kosovo (Slovenia has presidency of the EU from 1.1.2008 till july when France takes over) leads me to believe that Slovenia, as a former member of Yugoslavian federacy, will be the first to recognise the new independent state, with US following the move.
Russia will not be pleased and will probably have something to say in the UN's security council meeting this week (according to foreign minister Sergei Lavrov). Serbia will not give up so easy but its defense minister already said Serbia will not use force against Kosovo (diplomatic and economic sanctions are expected though from both Russia and Serbia).
There's certainly a lot of tension in the air between US and Russia right now and this is only going to make it worse.
Links:
Reuters
More background on Kosovo from ForeignAffairs.org
MSNBC News
You can read about it here.
A recently leaked memo from the meeting of US and Slovene diplomats few months ago on the issue of Kosovo (Slovenia has presidency of the EU from 1.1.2008 till july when France takes over) leads me to believe that Slovenia, as a former member of Yugoslavian federacy, will be the first to recognise the new independent state, with US following the move.
Russia will not be pleased and will probably have something to say in the UN's security council meeting this week (according to foreign minister Sergei Lavrov). Serbia will not give up so easy but its defense minister already said Serbia will not use force against Kosovo (diplomatic and economic sanctions are expected though from both Russia and Serbia).
There's certainly a lot of tension in the air between US and Russia right now and this is only going to make it worse.
Links:
Reuters
More background on Kosovo from ForeignAffairs.org
MSNBC News
Russia will see this as a threat because it undermines its control in the Chechen regions.
Economically I don't see how Kosovo stands to gain from this, it will rely on international aid for some time.
Once more, the Sift is my source of news.
1. Kosovo is rich in minerals such as copper, zinc and lead and even uranium
2. it is situated near AMBO (Albania-Macedonia-Bulgaria Oil) pipeline project. This pipeline would supply oil (monthly deliveries valued at $600 million) from the Caspian Sea basin to Albanian shore and eventualy to the American market. The size restriction for tankers traveling through Bosporus is 150.000 tons while the Otrant straight from Adriatic to Mediterranean can accomodate 300.000 ton tankers. This will also ensure that in the future the US will be less dependant on oil from the Persian gulf. The main investor in this project is Halliburton.
Basicaly, if you look at this map, you can see that all diplomatic and military effort the US put in the countries around the Caspian sea basin, the so called central Asian countries, Pakistan, the war in Iraq, Afghanistan and current threats to Iran are all aimed at cutting off Russia and China from access to those rich reserves (many estimate them to be equal to those currently in the Gulf).
Great plan. And quite perverse. I can't blame the Russians for being so pissed off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q83D1ZZKaI
http://www.videosift.com/video/Kosovo-Declares-Independence-from-Serbia-Crisis-looming
Very interesting reading...
yeah, great, very humanitarian
it's a good video though, that's why I didn't downvote
read this before you spit all over me for dissin' this
http://www.videosift.com/talk/Kosovos-independence
That's exactly why I promoted it, actually.
Few years ago nobody in EU dared to stir this mess but seems US interest prevailed after all. Albanians in Kosovo wanted autonomy for a long time but I don't believe they would have gone for it without substancial US backing. Bare in mind that in Kosovo, after the 1999 bombing of Serbia, US has built the biggest “from scratch” foreign US military base since the Vietnam war. There are two main reasons for building Camp Bondsteel:
1. Kosovo is rich in minerals such as copper, zinc and lead and even uranium
2. it is situated near AMBO (Albania-Macedonia-Bulgaria Oil) pipeline project. This pipeline would supply oil (monthly deliveries valued at $600 million) from the Caspian Sea basin to Albanian shore and eventualy to the American market. The size restriction for tankers traveling through Bosporus is 150.000 tons while the Otrant straight from Adriatic to Mediterranean can accomodate 300.000 ton tankers. This will also ensure that in the future the US will be less dependant on oil from the Persian gulf. The main investor in this project is Halliburton.
Basicaly, if you look at this map, you can see that all diplomatic and military effort the US put in the countries around the Caspian sea basin, the so called central Asian countries, Pakistan, the war in Iraq, Afghanistan and current threats to Iran are all aimed at cutting off Russia and China from access to those rich reserves (many estimate them to be equal to those currently in the Gulf).
Great plan. And quite perverse. I can't blame the Russians for being so pissed off.
BTW, thanks for the background, that makes perfect sense. As usual, truth is found. On the sift.
Like Maaaackmoood Handjob, LIKE Kim Dung Ill......Ethnic tension should be punishable by water-boarding (pulling folks behind fast-boats on a sheet of plywood)
Me??? Moving inland, growing my own food, and hoarding ammunition and gold.....
AND, driving paid for shit, as little as possible. Fuck all if some president can do jack nor shit to change anything-we will probably end up embroiled once again in some clash in the Balkans before it's all said and done, hell, WW1 started with some "damn fool thing" there.......and Thank fucking God, Otto Von Bizzy was right when he mused.."
"There is a Providence that protects idiots, drunkards, children and the United States of America. "
oh, and what about the serbs?...all the gypsies, etc-they are getting fucked again as well. Not that the serbs are w/o their "atrocities"....but hey, thank Bill Clinton, and the Nato Goonsquads for playing on human weakness......Politics are for people who have their head shoved so far up their ass they can only see from that limited perspective......