Independence of Kosovo

3/7/08

Catherine Story
Business Manager

Alexandre Strokanov, professor of History, warns students of the dangers created by Kosovo becoming an independent nation.

“The world became a more dangerous place,” Strokanov said about the claim Kosovo made for independence. “It can be mimicked anywhere in the world.”

Strokanov put the independence of Kosovo into perspective when he described it as being “worse than the Iraq war.”

Kosovo is a country that is well known for its drug-based economy. The new Prime Minister Hashim Thaci is a well-known drug lord and previously a terrorist said Strokanov.

The unemployment rate in Kosovo is around 50 percent and the unemployment rate of young people is around 75 percent. This makes Kosovo a hotbed for possible terrorist activity.

“What else will young people without jobs do?” Strokanov asked the small group that sat in the Alexander Twilight Theater. “It will be an Islamic radical area, a hotbed for terrorism.”

Another fear that Strokanov instilled was that the world was beginning to move towards force as a means of accomplishing goals.

“Right is the one with more might,” Strokanov said, ”despite international law.” Strokanov said that Kosovo’s independence is a violation of international law.

“The architecture built after World War II is beginning to crumble,” Strokanov said.

“Kosovo will be independent in their own mine and the mind of the United States but will not be recognized by the United Nations.” Strokanov said it is unlikely that Kosovo will ever be an internationally recognized nation.

“The U.N. is losing moral support,” Strokanov said. “This is certainly another injection of power into terrorism.