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Kyle Wark's Blog

Web Address: http://www.zcommunications.org/zspace/contra_todo
Bio: Point form for now, I\'ll write it better later. Not sure if anyone\'s interested. 24 years old Libertarian Communist Work in Halfway House Study Spanish literature part time From Thunder Bay,... (More)

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Kosovo and Self Determination

By Kyle Wark at Feb 21, 2008

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I've been reading articles and comments in "left wing" websites (such as this one and counterpunch) trying to get some information on Kosovo's declaration of independence. I am struck by the sort of arguments used to dismiss Kosovo's claim to independence. I understand that every situation is unique, but I think if one supports the right for a people to self determination, this should be consistent across the board. It saddens me that often the only consistency to be found among some leftist commentators is the opposition to anything that the United States supports (though of course the United States isn't really supporting geniune independence for Kosovo).

Leaving aside the fact that the United States is looking to exploit the situation to develop a client state in Kosovo (something that has rightly been exposed and critisized). The arguments against Kosovo's independence appear to be the following (in no particular order):

1. Despite Kosovo's current ethnic make-up, it has historically been an important region for Serbs.

2. There are no real "Kosovars", they are all Alabanians or Yugoslavs, etc.

3. There is already one Albanian state and there is no need for two of them.

4. Kosovo shouldn't have independence at least until they stop "terrorist" actions against Serbs. The leaders of Kosovo are all thugs and terrorists.

5. Serbia is a sovreign nation and shouldn't be split up. Serbia should have the authority to veto the decisions made by peoples within its territory.

Anyone familiar with liberation movements in places such as Palestine, Chechnya, Chiapas, Basque Country, Quebec, First Nations land etc. should know the above arguments all too well. I find it a little strange that people who can see the weakness in these arguments when applied to other places seem to accept them when it comes to Kosovo.

Clearly there are serious concerns about the current situation in Kosovo and the mainstream media's representation of it. The United States and NATO are being hugely hypocritical in their positions and seemed poised to exploit Kosovo. There has been a lot of anti Serb propaganda and Serbia's concerns certainly are legitimate and need to be addressed. The leadership in Kosovo is not made up of saints committed to co-operation,  freedom and democracy. All of these things are important and need to be exposed and addressed. However, none of them mean that Kosovo does not have a legitimate claim to indpendence that should be supported by anyone who thinks self determination is a right.

* I am not suggesting that the left as a whole is guilty of double standards. These are simply observations I have made from reading *some* elements of what is generally considered "left wing" media.

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Person

Self Determination and Consistency

By Kiely, John at Mar 18, 2008 17:30 PM

Kyle states:

“…if one supports the right for a people to self determination, this should be consistent across the board.” 

It saddens me that any thinking person, especially a thinking progressive, could make a statement like this.  Kyle, I seriously doubt that you have a small mind, but this is one case where “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”  (Ralph Waldo Emerson)  Let’s ask ourselves some questions about knee-jerk self-determinationism: 

  1. During the U.S. Civil War, should northern progressives have agreed with plantation owners and their southern elected representatives that the southern states should secede because the South had the right of self-determination?
  2.  Many people of German ancestry in the Sudetenland began demanding secession from Czechoslovakia in 1918.  Should progressives have cheered Hitler on when he invaded Czechoslovakia in 1938, in order to give the ethnic Germans there self-determination?
  3. What does self-determination mean in the context of Northern Ireland?  Ask average Northern Protestants, Northern Catholics, citizens of the Republic, and IRA militants, and you’ll get several different answers.  So what’s your answer, from the point of view of “across the board” consistency? 

Views from “the left” on Kosovo’s independence need to be informed by a historical understanding of Serbia and Kosovo over the last two decades.  Before you write anything else on the subject, I highly recommend Diana Johnstone’s Fools\' Crusade: Yugoslavia, NATO, and Western Delusions and Alexander Cockburn’s Imperial Crusades: Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yugoslavia.  And have you really carefully read Diana Johnstone’s and George Szamuely\'s recent articles at CounterPunch?  Your five-point summary is an absurd caricature of the complex picture portrayed in their articles. 

Of course, we could argue about Kosovo forever, but this is mostly an empty exercise, since “independence” is now a fait-accompli.  Still, thinking progressive activists can ponder the current situation in the Balkans: 

  1. There is overwhelming evidence that Serbs, Gorani, and Roma in Kosovo have been intimidated and murdered for the last nine years.  Will this continue?  What can we, as activists, do about this?
  2. Kosovo is now a U.S. colony with a huge U.S. military base.  How will the people of Kosovo react when they figure out the true meaning of their “self-determination”?  The same way that the people of Iraq did under similar circumstances?  Does the presence of Camp Bondsteel indicate plans for more war in the region?  What can we do about this?
  3. Many people in Serbia now think that they are the most humiliated nation on earth.  Think about young Serbs there, who are not ignorant of U.S. involvement in their humiliation. 

Lastly, one last question to ponder again: Is self-determination always a right “across the board” under any circumstances?

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Person

By Karadjis, Michael at Mar 08, 2008 04:31 AM

Good on you Kyle, 100% right.

Here\'s a couple ofmy pieces, parts of an ongoing series:

http://links.org.au/node/290

http://links.org.au/node/296

I also keep my articles on a site, though not always updated:

http://mihalisk.blogspot.com/

 

Michael Karadjis

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667394

Re: Kosovo and Self Determination

By Weston, William at Feb 22, 2008 08:36 AM

Just wanted  to clarify:

"therefore the issue of self-determination seems irrelevant to me."

In the sense that self-determination for the people of kosovo will not be achieved by the current means.

 

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667394

Re: Kosovo and Self Determination

By Weston, William at Feb 22, 2008 07:29 AM

Dividing the world into tiny "ethnic" statelets is not my idea of self determination.  In the case of  Kosovo, it seems it will end up as a US-EU colony, therefore the issue of self-determination seems irrelevant to me.

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Kosovo

By Spannos, Chris at Feb 21, 2008 13:48 PM

Hi Kyle,

This article may be more to your liikeing:
http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/16591

 

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