Another war in Kosovo?

[LolaTheShowgirl]

So, with the declaration of independance in Kosovo tomorrow, do you think Serbia will kick off or just hand over Kosovo peacefully, even though they will have to anyway because Kosovo will declare whether anyone likes it or not? I know France, UK and USA are on Kosovo's side but Serbia has Russia and even though Serbia say they don't have any plans to cause trouble, I think they may have a few nasty tricks up their sleeves. Also the UN and police have been trained up to deal with a possible war and potential arrangements have been made for the possibility of refugees having to flee the country. So, will there or will there not be another war? Discuss...

seems somehow possible, doesn't it It would be such a shame, really...so much of what was a beautyful country (Yugoslavia) has been distroyed and had to be rebuild, etc...it would be terrible if it all starts over again

Must say, there are moments where I am very glad that dh won't be much longer in the army!

I don't think there will be another war, not with so much international presence and observation. But they will need to also keep a very careful eye on republika srpska in BiH. Serbs are good at heightened feelings and long memories.

The Serbs are very, very bitter about all this. There are isolated Serb villages in Kosovo whose life is very hard indeed. I'm not excusing the terrible actions of the army under Milosovic, and that is really why the serbs 'deserved' to lose Kosovo, but to ignore the increasingly resentful attitude of the serbs both in and outside of Kosovo is foolish. DH [Macedonian] thinks there will be another war eventually.

very likely

Russia already stirring it up in the UN to keep a respectable facade.........while encouraging serbia.

Wellies.....no war, not with so much international presence and observation?
Have you forgotten the complacent UN forces in Srebrenica? the large scale genocide in Rwanda?

I think it was a very premature move from Kossovo....

DPs father is Serbian and they are VERY bitter about it all. And I agree with Wellies&Pyjamas, Serbs definately have heightened feelings and long memories. It's amazing how FIL will talk about the Ottomans and tribes rampaging down from the Carpathian mountains as if it were yesterday ....and he's talking about 1300s history!! They seem to be very caught up in history, land and past wars.

DD has a very Serbian last name and when people ask 'Ooo where's that name from' I almost cringe saying 'Serbia' because of the conatations associated with it. Shame - I don't want her growing up with that. We shall be watching with interest.

Hmmm, without knowing too much about it, there seems to be a collective sense of guilt in the West about not having done enough to prevent some of the atrocities committed primarily against the Kosovans, whether specifically in Cuska, Podujevo or Velika Kruze or more generally in failing to live up to promises (particularly from the US). It seems to me, at least, that the West's rapid recognition of Kosovo as a state might just stem from this.

slim22, I absolutely agree that last time around Srebrenica should so not have happened.
My thoughts on 'so much international presence and observation' is based on living in the Balkans now, and based on what I see here and how people feel about the past, present, and future. I ope tha helps make sense of my opinion?

ope tha = hope that

Hope that too. But as Jeanjeannie said, people in the Balkans have a loooooooong memory.
And with Europe showing such a fabulous united front on foreign policy in a region that is at the centre of every european conflict since Bismark.....one may wonder if hope is going to be enough!

It's so depressing reading about today's events in Belgrade, on the Kosovo/Serbia border and in Banja Luka (sp? in the capital of republika Srpska in BiH). I hope the situation can be kept in control this time.