Kasovo’s independence with kinks and hiccups has more or less become a power game between the two political giants of the world - Russia and US. The fierce altercation doesn’t seem to end, as neither former will stop opposition to Kosovo independence nor latter eschew meddling in European affairs.
Well, amid the rift over independent status of Kosovo, European countries abandoned the latest attempt to push through a Security Council resolution paving the way for Kosovo’s formal secession from Serbia.
However, Kosovo is set to become independent as the Prime minister of Kosovo Agim Ceku, criticized UN for taking too long a time to extract independence and has declared 28th Nov, 2007 as the final date, which happens to be the Albanian Independence day.
Russian concerns for defying Kosovo’s Independence
Kosovo’s independence is one of the cardinal factors, which is governing the present chaotic relations between US and Russia. Russia rejected US’s move on the independence of Kosovo, because it will give impetus to the Southern Russian territories for autonomy. Tatarstan, an energy-rich republic within Russia, as well as the Kaliningrad enclave will be future candidates to leave Russia if such an opportunity becomes viable. Therefore, US strive to alienate Russia in Europe.
With oil rich coffers and booming economy, Russia is recovering from shackles of its fall in 1992 and wants now a force to be reckoned with. Therefore, Russia is determined to show the West and the US in particular, that it should be taken seriously and as one of the key players on the international stage, it is threatening to use veto power even on the cost of Kosovo.
US dirty power politics to save its hegemony
US have intensified the rift between EU and Russia for political gains. US is instigating the Baltic republics and new members e.g. Poland against Russia and is providing them ample financial help to play a wider role in EU that their economic weight actually allows them to. Again, US is luring Serbia with EU membership in return for granting freedom to Kosovo and thus every US gain in EU will be a loss to Russia.
Furthermore, angered with NATO allies for not sending the additional troops to Afghanistan and Iraq, US started helping its favoring Eastern European countries. It started strengthening EU against Russia, which will allow US to kill two birds with one stone: to make its own coterie nations, who can serve US interests in Europe to outdo Russian influence and secondly to undermine Europe’s strength.
At the end, the power struggle (between US and Russia) and internal Serbian conflicts have undoubtedly led Kosovo to a no man’s land where it is neither an integral part of Serbia nor an autonomous body. Therefore, it is better to segregate Kosovo from Serbia than to further encounter slaughter for the Serbian unification.
After declaration of independence, which seems imminent, if Russia remains hell-bent on its stands - even than it stands a looser. It’ll not only deteriorate its image but also provoke fierce opinion against it in Europe. Moreover, 90% Albanians in Kosovo province has the right to decide whether they want a separate country or want to stay with Serbia either. Therefore, decisions based on false interpretations and pretensions would do no good to all including - UN, EU, US, Russia, and above all to the world.
The statement from Kosovo’s PM of full independence on Nov 28 clearly depicts that the country is set to be separated from Serbia. Now the challenge is to see whether it will be fruitful or not and how far the Albanians and Serbs could go hand in hand while drawing the peaceful borders. What if there will be upheavals after independence, as Albanians can plan to shove the 10% Serbs from Albania, then how successfully UN and independence favoring nations will be able to stem the bloodshed, remains to be seen.
