I think Kosovo is legitimately part of Serbia. You may think it deserves self-determination and should become a part of Greater Albania, along with Macedonia, and for all I know of the Islamic Albanian mindset, Toledo, Ohio.
When the Albanians living in Kosovo were given greater autonomy, they used their newly won state powers to oppress the Serbs and drive many from Kosovo. This was amply documented, in of all places, the NYT of the mid-80's.( look it up. The NYT is no friend of Serbia.) When the Serbs rescinded political autonomy for Kosovo, it was the Albanian police who became the nucleus of the KLA and allied themselves with Islamic terror groups from around the world.
Did the Serbs overreact (and very badly) when they got the chance? You bet. Simplistically, it would be a somewhat analogous case if the Mexican-Americans, whose families have lived in Texas and California for hundreds of years and newly arrived Mexican illegals, combining to become the majority, were to arm and dedicate themselves to driving the gringos out. Would not the gringos call for help from the other American states in the Union. If the Mexicans succeeded, would life be worth living for the remaining gringos ... without rights to property and representation?
There would probably be many atrocities on both sides in the ensuing civil wars. What side should any foreigner choose in such a case? (Come to think of it, Hoplite, this may not be THAT farfetched an analogy!)
Now our allies, the Albanians, are conducting operations in Macedonia as well as in Kosovo and are preparing, it is said, an offensive against cities in Southern Serbia. Who will stop them? NATO? The Russians? The Serbs and Montenegrins?
The Albanians continue to commit 'war crimes' against the residents of Kosovo (including the so-called 'moderate' Albanians, which may be newspeak for "Christian Albanian" ) Macedonia, and perhaps even Bosnia. They are harboring al-Qaeda and others. They have massacred Gypsies (Rom) They burn churches and monasteries, killing priests and nuns. Where are the arrests and trials for them? Is there any doubt that the Albanians would not allow the Serbians rights in a Kosovo they would dominate? They certainly did not when they ran the place before.
By all means, try Milosevic. Let him cross-examine Clinton and Blair. Let's find out who did what. If the court still finds him guilty, hang him high. But who will put an end to the megalomaniac Albanian dreams of the Islamic Greater Albania?
We can't very well do it if they are our allies against the Serbs.
Cabbage crates over the briny? Sorry, don't understand your lingo - I only perpetrate being educated. = )
I think that Kosovo is also legitimately part of Serbia, and that the borders that we have in place today should remain – I also realize that this is going to necessitate a sea change in both Pristina and Belgrade as to how to treat ethnic minorities in one’s midst. I have hopes that this can be done, and have historical precedents to base those hopes upon – same same with Macedonia and Southern Serbia, Greater Albania is a chimera, and is as viable as any other Greater whatever.
I don’t disagree with your premise that the Kosovar Albanians, when given the opportunity, turned into Nationalist thugs, but turning Kosovo back over to a different set of Nationalist thugs isn’t the answer, and right now the 40,000 troops who wield the true political power out the end of their gun barrels don’t subscribe to a Nationalist ideology. Hopefully, their presence will give the residents the opportunity to explore more rational forms of politics than the current failed ethnic based standard, and the moderates will prove that pragmatism is more attractive than hatred, and crimes will be considered crimes, regardless of the ethnicity of the victims.
The counterpoint to your Mexican analogy is that we don’t treat Mexican illegals as punching bags, and their offspring are given the opportunity of integrating into our society rather than continuing to be alienated from it – strangely, those that I know don’t seem the least interested in driving me out, nor returning California to Mexico, and I would be a ‘race traitor’ before I turned upon the people who I share common values with instead of a common skin color. (I’m for enforcement of existing immigration policy, btw, so don’t anybody get any stupid ideas.)