Nations: Internal politics informs Kosovo recognition decision

It might appear strange to say, but no one really cares about Kosovo.

Yes, as a region of Yugoslavia, it suffered at the hands of Slobodan Miloševi? (who was President of Serbia before being elevated to President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). And since the break-up of Yugoslavia to form Montenegro and Serbia, the ethnic Albanians who make up 90% of the population of the Kosovo region have felt that their interests are not served by a Serb dominated parliament. Largely, they do not hold a grudge against the Serbs living in Kosovo, nor against the current Serbian leadership - although they do point out that, unusually in the Baltics, they have a 40% unemployment rate for males of working age.

As Kosovo declared independence yesterday, with some minor violence in Serbia against those who support its formation, the diplomatic community has been deciding whether to support the formation of the country.

The division lines are not drawn according to the usual political alliances. Instead, they are being drawn from based on domestic policies.

The UK instantly supported the formation of Kosovo as an independent state. History and current UK Government Policy demands that it should: first, the UK demanded and secured that the majority Protestant population of Ulster be carved out of the formative Ireland when the majority Catholic population (for non-religious reasons) demanded independence from Britain. For decades, the British government faced terrorist uprising from those who opposed the separation of Ulster from the remainder of Ireland. Also, it has in recent years under its current (Scottish dominated) government provided semi-autonomy to Ireland, Ulster and (to a lesser extent) Wales. Some Scots are calling for full independence within Europe - something that none of the Scottish ministers in the British parliament have objected to. Also, Britain has, with a few exceptions, allowed countries wishing independence from Colonial rule to have it and have, often, aided the transition to independence.

The USA, mindful that it is a country only because it broke away from British rule. And so it has rapidly accepted Kosovo.

But other countries are entirely opposed to the formation of the new country: China rejects the idea of recognition. That position has been underlined as Taiwan immediately complimented Kosovo on its independence. China is hostile to the idea of recognition of Taiwan as an independent country and to the idea of any of its provinces - for example Tibet - becoming independent.

Russia is equally vocal in its rejection of Kosovo. The underlying reason here is the question of, in particular, Georgia which wants independence but Russia continually squashes the independence movement*.

Spain, too, has said that it will not recognise Kosovo. Spain's Basque region has been fighting (sometimes literally) for independence for decates.

France and Germany, both of which have permitted - indeed in the case of France encouraged - countries to be formed from former protectorates have acknowledged the formation of Kosovo and said they will recognise it.

There is a religious dimension. Serbs - who are Christian - have many holy sites in Kosovo and regard it as a holy land for them. The Orthodox Bishop of Kosovo says that he fears "attempts to complete the practice of violent ethnic cleansing and destruction of remaining monuments of our cultural legacy, a legacy that bears evidence to our having been in this land for many centuries." Bishop Artemije's comments on the Church's website include ""I have been saying for a long time that, regardless of what the Albanians have done, we must remain here, next to our holy sites and our family graves, in our land, because this is our country."

Russia's Chief Rabbi, Berel Lazar, added his voice - but based it on different arguments: he was concerned that anyone could declare themselves a country: ""Today it is Kosovo, tomorrow it will be someone else or Kosovo itself will be divided in two, and there will be no end to this process... When everyone starts saying "we want sovereignty," what is going to happen then?" Although saying that the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia does not comment on political issues, it is difficult to read his comments as anything other than an expression of concern that Palestinians may decide that they are a country and formally seek UN and other recognition.

But there is a further dimension for the Rabbi - Kosovo's ethnic Albanians are predominantly Muslim - and there is currently no majority Muslim country in Europe. Borislav Miloševi? says that US support for Kosovo is a device by which it can provide overt support for an Islamic state and in doing so "they can make concessions to the Islamic world and reverences to the ‘cool’ Muslim regimes at a time when the U.S.A. backs Israel’s policy almost in everything," he said in an interview in a Russian daily newspaper, Moskovsky Komsomolets.

Turkey has said it will recognise Kosovo. The fact that the European Union is already planning, through its enlargement division, to accept Kosovo - initially for substantial aid and ultimately for membership, is helpful to Turkey which is convinced that its applications for membership are rejected principally because its population is primarily Muslim. Also, Turkey is the only country that formally recognises the breakaway Northern Cyprus - again largely along religious divide.

* Correction: Georgia is in fact independent but Russia tries to "bring it back into the fold."