“In what sense is Kosovo a “Muslim nation-state”?”
“ratbert38”, because it’s a nation-state and it’s people are mostly Muslim.
I did NOT say, nor intend to imply, any more than that.
“Believe me, secular national identity, which is part of the liberalism that ended Europe’s religious wars, is going to be something we miss deeply if we throw it overboard.”
We (the U.S.) are incapable of throwing European/Balkan “secular national identity” (or lack thereof) “overboard”.
“The US should have encouraged political negotiations between the Albanian Kosovars and Belgrade, and our message should have been: ensure the equal rights of this minority population. This is the only way to peace.”
Sounds good in paper. I might even wish it were possible. But the belief that “secular national identity” will always triumph, if only the U.S. pushes it sufficiently, a) overestimates the power of the U.S. to push anything, and b) presupposes that the Serb and Kosovar activists think in terms of secular national identity.
For better or worse, 19th century-style secular “liberalism” has little bearing on Kosovo.