“That’s What You’re Worried About?”: Balkan Security Has Global Impact; Serbs Not Always to Blame

Rarely do I post messages from friends on the blog, but I just had to share this one from a close friend. Sometimes, our national security perspectives are a little out of whack:

So… let’s review:

– Evidence continues to mount (and the investigation, now led by the EU) that KLA soldiers kidnapped Serbs, transported them to Albania, killed them and harvested their organs;

– A village in Bosnia, living in total isolation, was raided by Bosnian police (after ignoring pleas by Serbs, and acquiescing only after the AP wires carried it)… why significant? This was a community of Wahhabis… that have imposed Sharia law and isolated themselves. Heavily weaponised storehouses were found;

– The current president of Croatia gives an interview citing how he planned on an invasion of Bosnia (more specifically, the Republika Srpska), and how the RS should be erased. He then followed up by reiterating the same.

Interestingly enough… the story that makes headlines and gets the US to say anything is a referendum scheduled by the Republika Srpska. (eg. Lieberman decides to chime in… whatever, dude…)

THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT? For the love of everything holy…

The situation in the Balkans is even more tenuous than when the Dayton Accords were formed. Tensions continue to rise, as my friend comments in his message, with little to no attention to the either the details of these tensions or their root causes.

Serbs and Serbia still get a bad rap in Washington. Despite the revolution that overthrew Slobodan Milošević and the significant shifts that have taken place in the Serbian political, military and cultural landscapes, Serbia and Serbs cannot escape the public relations stigma that came with the Milošević nightmare.

Serbia may not have an innocent history, but all problems that exist in the Balkans are not caused by Serbs or Serbia.

The United States has a unique responsibility and commitment to the Balkans. And with that responsibility comes the duty to assist in the stabilization of the entire region. It is fundamental that stability and security in the region be maintained vigilantly because security in the Balkans directly affects security in Europe and America.

Perhaps the time has come to review the Dayton Accords and measure their effectiveness to see if another round may be necessary…