Thanks. I have tried to navigate this minefield without falling prey to too many myths and lies from either side, but as you say, it's hard.

The mentality you describe is why I suspect it's a bit  shortsighted of the EU/US to ignore the Serbian interest in retaining at least part of Kosovo. Even though it's my understanding that young people in Serbia today are less preoccupied with Kosovo than the oldies, these things wax and wane.

There may be no adequate solution. But one possibility that noone in the West wants to consider is partition, whereby the north and west with Serbian majorities and most of the monasteries remain in Serbia and the rest of Kosovo either goes indepedent or joins Albania, as decided by referendum.

Noone will love this solution, but in the long run it may be far more stabilizing than full secession of the entire province, which satisfies the Kosovo Albanians now but provides enduring grist for the mill of Serbian revengism.


The world's northernmost desert wind.