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Thursday, October 27, 2005

THE QUAGMIRE THE NY TIMES SUPPORTS

Captain’s Quarters points to an editorial in the NY times supporting the continued occupation of Kosovo – after seven years.

While Iraq is moving toward democracy and increasing its ability to govern itself without the despotism that is a feature of virtually all of the Middle East, Kosovo is still a ward of outside powers. And the NY Times wants to continue that with no end in sight.

Says the Captain:

Kosovo should embarrass everyone who participated in its separation from Serbia. No doubt that the Milosevic reign of terror caused great hardship for the Kosovars, but its severance from Serbia created an expectation of independence from the start. The UN and NATO should have realized that before they interceded in what had been a civil war along ethnic and religious lines, and prepared a long-term strategy rather than a repeat of the Korean War.

Now the Times wants this quagmire to continue without any resolution until the Kosovars prove themselves worthy of liberation and freedom. Not only is that a recipe for perpetual occupation, it might be one of the most elitist sentiments ever issued by a supposed voice for liberal thought. Human beings qualify for liberty and freedom on the basis of their humanity, not their politics, at least until they can individually show that they cannot handle it. Condemning the entire region to essentially martial law on the basis of their ethnicity betrays the same kind of arrogance that led to Kosovo's mindless occupation in the first place.

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