sigh
. THe worst violence since 1999, about 600 wounded, 16 churches and holy sites destroyed, approximately 1000 Serb refugees on the move and lots of burning homes.
However, in several things I have been very pleasantly surprised. 1)I am finally starting to hear the words *Greater Albania* and *Albanian terrorism* on the news, which marks a nice change from blaming Serbs for everything (I'm surprised the death of Christ has not yet been added to our crimes)
So up to 1998 the KLA were internationally recognised as a terrorist organisation. Then in timely fashion they became *freedom fighters* fighting for a noble cause- fuck the collateral damage- and now, they're back to being terrorists again. Oh fickle are the ways of the world.
2)There were some predictable retaliations in Serbia, several mosques were set on fire (unsurprising but wholly indefensible), however, for once the Yug leadership actually used sense and compassion *shocked gasp* condemned the violence and arrested people in connection with the burnings and my countrymen managed to demonstrate peacefully. Perhaps they've been sedated en masse. Like in the good old days when you could get benzodiazepines without a prescription. Ah. The golden era.
Horrible as the violence is, any violence, and much as it hurts me, it seems that finally it is getting talked about because now it's in an intense and organised fashion as opposed to the slow picking off and intimidation of the last five years. So hopefully people might actually take notice and things might get done about it.
I live in hope.
Some newslinks are below.
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13019536,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Kosovo/Story/0,2763,1174028,00.html
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1174452,00.html
http://www.serbia-info.com/news/kosovo/terrorism/terrorism.html gives some of the history.
However, in several things I have been very pleasantly surprised. 1)I am finally starting to hear the words *Greater Albania* and *Albanian terrorism* on the news, which marks a nice change from blaming Serbs for everything (I'm surprised the death of Christ has not yet been added to our crimes)
So up to 1998 the KLA were internationally recognised as a terrorist organisation. Then in timely fashion they became *freedom fighters* fighting for a noble cause- fuck the collateral damage- and now, they're back to being terrorists again. Oh fickle are the ways of the world.
2)There were some predictable retaliations in Serbia, several mosques were set on fire (unsurprising but wholly indefensible), however, for once the Yug leadership actually used sense and compassion *shocked gasp* condemned the violence and arrested people in connection with the burnings and my countrymen managed to demonstrate peacefully. Perhaps they've been sedated en masse. Like in the good old days when you could get benzodiazepines without a prescription. Ah. The golden era.
Horrible as the violence is, any violence, and much as it hurts me, it seems that finally it is getting talked about because now it's in an intense and organised fashion as opposed to the slow picking off and intimidation of the last five years. So hopefully people might actually take notice and things might get done about it.
I live in hope.
Some newslinks are below.
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13019536,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Kosovo/Story/0,2763,1174028,00.html
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1174452,00.html
http://www.serbia-info.com/news/kosovo/terrorism/terrorism.html gives some of the history.