Home » blogs » Lucy Moore's blog

Tuesday Map: Fear of endless partition

Tue, 03/18/2008 - 4:26pm

Tensions in Kosovo between minority Serbs and U.N. peacekeepers turned violent Monday when a peaceful protest in the Serbian controlled northern half of Kosovska Mitrovica got ugly (think Molotov cocktail ugly). The clash left one U.N. police officer dead and more than 130 people injured. And despite today's calls for an end to the violence from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, riots have only continued.

You may be wondering: Why is it so important for Kosovo to keep this little town within its newly declared borders? Ask an Albanian Kosovar, and he'll tell you it's not. Mitrovica is a sad little town, once ravaged by war and now home to a bunch of scared, isolated Serbs. And the same can be said for many small towns situated between Kosovo's northern border with Serbia and the Ibar River.

So why not just let them go? After all, if Albanian-majority Kosovo can just leave Serbia, why can't Serb-majority Mitrovica leave Kosovo in turn?

Because, for the last eight years, the West has toed the "partition is not an option" line, and with good reason. In a region already teeming with disputed boundaries drawn around ethnically cleansed communities (fruits of the wars of the 1990s), partition could only make things worse.

Looking at Kosovo alone, partition would be tough. More than half of Kosovo's Serbs live south of the Ibar. To only partition the northern enclaves would only half address the issue, and even moderate partitioning would indirectly legitimize the population swapping that turned so bloody back in 1999. Regionally speaking, partition would also only add fuel to separatist flames, sending the wrong message to Serbs in Bosnia's Repulika Srpska and Albanians in Macedonia.

So even as the U.N. withdraws its forces from the north, the West will keep up its "no partition" mantra. Good thing, too. The last thing Europe needs right now is a precedent for the creation of endless mini ethnic states.

Lucy Moore | Permalink | | Comments? Login or register
( filed under: )


Advertisement

 

Partition is not an option

by Dan Asta on Tue, 03/18/2008 - 3:56pm

Hmmmmm, you write:

"Because, for the last eight years, the West has toed the "partition is not an option" line, and with good reason. In a region already teeming with disputed boundaries drawn around ethnically cleansed communities (fruits of the wars of the 1990s), partition could only make things worse."

Let's see. I think you're right. For the life of me, I can't recall a partition happening in the Balkans in recent days, weeks, months or heck, years. To partition Kosovo now would set a bad precedent. No other nation there has been partitioned, how can we justify partitioning Kosovo? Furthermore, if any Serb tries to argue that this proposed partition is "unique" and would NOT set a "precedent" elsewhere, we can laugh at them and point out their naivete. Partitioning countries is against the UN's final act and it sets a very bad precedent. We agree.

Oh, and I'm reminded of Vance-Owen-Carrington's plans

by Dan Asta on Tue, 03/18/2008 - 4:00pm

to partition Bosnia back in 1991/1992. These interlopers were actually prepared to give the Serbs 51% of Bosnian territory so that they could set up their own Serb republic. Thank God no one agreed to such a ridiculous plan for partition.

Luckily, many years later, all ethnic groups agreed to divide the nation into constituent units in a plan hammered out in Dayton. There, the Serbs received 49% of the territory for their federated republic. Vance-Owen were bad poker players. They gave in too easily when they should have held out for that extra 2% the Muslim/Croats received in 1995.

That extra 2% was very worth it.

Dear Dan

by Lure D. Lou on Tue, 03/18/2008 - 4:34pm

You insist on harassing poor Lucy with your Serbo-apologetics. The fact of the matter is that Serbia lost its seat at the table of nations because of its atrocious behavior in the recent past and is now suffering the consequences. Just like Hitler brought Germans to their knees so did Milosovic the Serbs. Frankly, no one (except cynical Putin ) cares about Serb aspirations at the moment because they have done their best to eradicate the aspirations of their closest neighbors but thankfully have failed. If the Serbs had another idea in their head other than their millenial sense of resentment and entitlement then perhaps the rest of the world would listen. As it stands now they should just shut-up about Kosovo and try to make something of what they have left...which is not unsubstantial. (They should also be grateful they aren't occupied by a coalition of the willing. Penance is a healthy thing. Ask the Germans.)
Lastly, given that Kosovo is likely to be an economic basket case for quite some time they are better off without it...but only a sane person could see the logic of that. If I were a Serb living in Kosovo I'd start an NGO focussed on peace and reconciliation...the international money tree is about to shake.
I'm sorry, Dan, but I can't shake Srebrenica from my moral calculator....or was that too small a kettle of fish when thinking geo-politics?

Lure D. Lou

by moler on Thu, 03/20/2008 - 5:13am

When Americans start talking about "atrocious" behavior of other nations, one starts wondering if Chaves was talking truth that he sensed the devil himself.
“Coalition of willing” didn’t occupy Serbia because the stain on Monica Levinsky’s dress was, at that point, unfit for positive DNA identification. Behind all that “wag the dog” business, Serbs were naive to believe NATO’s word that Serbian police will be allowed to return to protect Serbian minority, their cultural heritage and borders. How much Albanian heroin dollars is worth an American promise?
First country that recognized Kosovo was Afghanistan. Think of the opportunities!

What?

by Dan Asta on Tue, 03/18/2008 - 5:03pm

I agreed with her.

Whatever are you talking about?

You're not a very friendly person.

Dear Dan

by Lure D. Lou on Wed, 03/19/2008 - 8:27am

What's love got to do with it?

It's what the West wants

by savoheleta on Mon, 03/24/2008 - 3:28pm

Lucy, you write that “the West has toed the ‘partition is not an option’ line, and with good reason.”

It is sad that the West does not care what Kosovo and the people in the region need and want, but what THEY [Western countries] think they need.

The “wrong” message was sent – Kosovo was a province of Serbia and its self-proclaimed independence and partition were supported. It will be hard now to say no to others around the world who attempt the same.

SAVO HELETA
Author of "Not My Turn to Die:
Memoirs of a Broken Childhood in Bosnia"
http://savoheleta.livejournal.com