A partition within a partition within a partition

OP-ED: "The U.N.'s Flawed Kosovo Plan," by Alan J. Kuperman, Wall Street Journal, 16 August 2007,p. A11.

The saga of the Former Republic of Yugoslavia continues, largely hidden from global view.

Kosovo was the last great chapter, but it's one that refuses conclusion. Serbia wants to keep Kosovo in some political association, even as it seeks EU membership and knows this stance threatens that process. The U.S. and most others support some clear sense of Kosovo's independence. Naturally, there's an enclave inside Kosovo, to the north, full of Serbs, who want their independence inside Kosovo. Give it enough time and we'll find a tiny enclave of Albanians, inside the Serbian enclave, who want protection from the new, proposed Serbian protectorate.

In short, the drawing of the appropriately "squiggly" line continues, with the threat of mass violence always looming in the background. A new crisis to some, the continuing resolution of an old one to others.

So ethnic enclaves prefer not to have much to do with one another, when given the opportunity to separate. Where have I seen this before?

Well, I guess I see it everywhere. When globalization gives you the chance to seek your individual happiness, you more likely than not will seek to define that happiness in its first instance as focusing on your "given family." Expecting people to quickly move on to the more mature "chosen family" mindset is unrealistic. Indeed, their definition of happiness may prevent it for any foreseeable future.

So don't expect fundamentalists, whether they're Salafi or Amish, to disappear any time soon. Instead, expect them to proliferate in direct correlation to globalization's advance. Many will naturally interpret this as a "failure" of globalization, or it's nation-state-level expression (immigration), but frankly, that's an unsophisticated analysis of a very complex dynamic.

Remember my admonition not to confuse friction (nationalism/fundamentalism) with the force (globalization). Read Roy on "Globalized Islam" for this analysis.

Comments

[Tom Barnett]

I dunno. People do it all the time with real estate. A very sensible suggestion.

[Dave Goldberg]

I remember an article that described Shiite and Sunni Iraqi's swapping homes to align themselves in their respective neighorhhoods. A tough and bitter choice, given generational ties to the property, and would only fuel further resentment if the decision is made because your back is against the wall.

see http://www.albionmonitor.com/0707a/iraqhomeswap.html