Serbian Rioters attack US Embassy in Belgrade
CNN’s front page right now shows breaking news regarding the situation in Kosovo and Serbia. Since Kosovo’s declaration of independence this past Sunday, Serbians have taken to the streets to protest the international recognition the newly independent state has received. There seems to be a divide in the consensus of whether the declaration should be recognized. Whilst the United States, Britain, and many European countries have recognized Kosovo’s newly found independence Russia and China have protested the move citing it as justification for others to follow in Kosovo’s footsteps.
Rioters have taken to the streets in Belgrade to protest both the declaration by Kosovo as well as the support it has been receiving from the United States. Today, rioters attacked the US Embassy in Serbia by starting files and committing other acts of destruction. It seems Serbia intends on fighting back, reluctant to give up its hold over Kosovo and has responded by withdrawing its ambassador from the United States.
I vaguely recall the Kosovo War back in the 90’s, but between still being young at the time and not as interested in politics either it is difficult to remember a lot of the details. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how the situation plays out. On one hand, I respect the cultural significance of Kosovo to the Serbians, and can understand their sentiments and anger towards losing something that must be considered quite precious to them. At the same time, the government in Kosovo seems to have unilateral support for declaration of Kosovo as its own nation. As violence flares in Belgrade and along the Kosovo-Serbia border, it seems more and more unlikely that this will end soon nor in a peaceful manner. I’m sure that many of the Kosovo Albanians still harbor ill feelings towards the Serbs from the 1999 conflict, but hopefully the two nations as well as support from the UN and the international community can resolve this with minimal violence.
I’ve collected a number of links to various news sites that have been covering the story. Much more information can be found there.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/02/21/vo.serbia.protests.turn.violent.ap
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/02/21/kosovo.independence/index.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL2087155420080221
http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=125712
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/19/2166402.htm?section=justin
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