Declaration of Independence

Kosovo declared independence today. if you can't remember where Kosovo is, its at the southern end of Serbia and borders Albania at its upper east border. The most important thing to know is that it is located in the Balkans so named for the Balkan mountain range that extends through Serbia and Bulgaria. The entire peninsula, including Greece, is called the Balkan Peninsula.

The Balkans has been notably unstable since 1991. In truth, Yugoslavia, ruled with a firm hand by Tito, was held together by the Communist Government. The collapse of said government spurned the region into upheaval. The early '90's there was a war between Croatia nad Serbia. And then Serbia made war and genocide on Bosnia. The complexity of these wars cannot be easily distilled but I'll try.

Religion is a key part of identity in this area. In Serbia, many of the citizens were Serbian Orthodox. In Croatia, the people were for most part Roman Catholic. And the alphabet they use reflects that. In Serbia, the Cyrillic alphabet is used. In Croatia, the Roman alphabet is used. This goes back to the schism. In the 11th Century, there was a Schism between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox. The two churches divided for the most part, along the same boundaries that the two halves of the Roman empire in the 5th Century. Look at the map:

Roman Empire at Fall:

Blue = West; Pink = East

So, is anyone surprised about this? What it opens up is the question about other breakaway nations such as Chechnya in Russia, Kurdistan in Iraq and Turkey, Abkhazia in Georgia, and Basque separatists in Spain and France. If one nation can decide to create its own new state, then any nation can. As an American, I should respond that this acceptable, considering the history of my home country. And I do. But I understand the complexity of other nations and their attitudes toward territory. But there comes a time when states need to make a clean break of it. It comes down to the question "What have you done for me lately?"

So, what's the big deal?

Israel and Hezbollah agree to talks about the two soldiers whose kidnapping sparked the recent conflict in Lebanon. Kofi Annan, Secretery General of the United Nations. Israel will undoubtedly be asking for unconditional return of the prisoners. Hezbollah has stated that it would like a swap of Arab prisoners held in Israel. Both sides requested Anna's mediation in the talks.

Sudan changed the conditions for the African Union. Instead of kicking them all out, they will be allowed to stay only if they stay without any involvement in the United Nations. The UN is still struggling to get peacekeeping forces in Sudan. Sudan is split over its black African population and its Muslim majority. Darfur, the region of the rebellion as well as the most bloodshed, has suffered greatly at the hands of the pro-government militias. With the rejection of resolution 1706, Sudan chooses to go on this alone. Though the UN has never called what is happening in Sudan genocide, it is close. The destruction is systematic and to some degree, calculated.

A man was shot dead near an ancient Roman amphitheater in Amman, Jordan. The fatality was a British. Others were Dutch, British and Jordanian. More as this develops.

Yesterday, a military helicopter was shot down in the South Ossetian region of Georgia. No one was injured but it has sparked a maelstrom. Georgia, once a part of the now-defunct USSR, has had its share of problems with regions desiring autonomy. In addition to South Ossetia, Abkhazia in the west would also like to be independent.