Sunday, February 24, 2008
Kosovo Liberation Army
With everything going on in Kosovo right now, I thought it would be a good idea to brush up on the KLA, or Kosovo Liberation Army. Here's a good description of the group. I also found a very interesting article on the KLA and other terrorist groups in Kosovo. While I disagree with the premise of the article, the information on al Qaeda's presence in Kosovo and the Balkans is interesting. (Sidenote- Bosnia was a part of my mission, but missionaries were not allowed to serve there. One of the main reasons we were told for this was because of the presence of radical Islamic fighters that stayed after fighting in the war.)From what the articles suggest, even though the KLA is officially disbanded, if Serbia really tries to prevent Kosovo from becoming independent, it wouldn't take long before Kosovars rally to the cause again.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
The author makes a point in this article that reminded me of our class discussions about terrorist organizations. Although the citizens of Kosovo are not specifically affiliated with al-Qaeda, they certainly sponsor the group. This is evident as they provide a shelter for the terrorists, and in how they have allowed the group to set up drug operations there. I'm wondering whether this sponsorship will eventually lead to involvement, as would be suggested by Madeline Gruen's pyramid.
I know this will sound absolutely terrible, but I in a way root for the KLA. I suppose it has something to do with the attempted genocide by Milosevic against the Albanians, but even if they are supported by al Qaeda, their cause is similar to Israel's circa 1947, and Cyprus circa the 1950s. I'm glad they could separate from Serbia.
Kosovo has become a very interesting case in the last couple of weeks. I have been aware of the idea that Kosovo has been trying to become independent from Serbia for a long time, but I find it very interesting that they can simply claim independence with no authority and expect everybody to respect it. While they have gained much support and respect in this action I can't believe that Serbia will come onto their side anytime soon. I see nothing wrong with rooting for the KLA, I think that opposed to most terrorists they seem to have a legitimate cause. They feel repressed and in many ways they are because of the ethnic differences. If they continue to fight they may one day gain legitimacy from more than just the United States and a few other select western states.
I find that I am not at all familar with the situation in Kosovo. What is the history of the conflict that has been going on there? Has it improved at all in the past five years? What exactly happened?
Braidy- When in doubt, check wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Kosovo
Post a Comment