Conflict in Kosovo Province

Jim Hoagland (Commentary, March 13) advocates that the U.S. should stop opposing the aspirations of Kosovo Albanians, Kurds, Timorese or Tibetans. Bosnian Muslims have succeeded in dragging the U.S. and NATO into their quest for domination of Bosnia-Herzegovina at the cost of $20 billion-30 billion thus far, with 35,000 troops on the ground indefinitely. Following this precedent, our troops, as revolution implementors, should start training for Kosovo, Kurdistan, East Timor and Tibet.

Hoagland claims that “demographic laws of gravity” cannot be defied. Adoption of this principle would ignite conflicts all over the world. Can one presume that we, living in Southern California, in a hypothetical scenario of Greater Mexico, would be abandoned by our government?

Hoagland’s thesis is riddled with factual errors. As an example, the population distribution in Kosovo is more likely 1 million Albanians, 250,000 Serbs and 250,000 others.

VOJIN JOKSIMOVICH

Escondido

* As long as the great powers are promoting their proxies in the Balkans, rewarding them with territory and privileges, there will be no peace in the troubled region. From the Middle Ages until the 19th century, Serbia was under Ottoman domination and did not play any significant role. However, the advent of national awakening throughout Europe stimulated Serb nationalists. They started promoting the idea of assimilation and subjugation of all southern Slavs and creation of Greater Serbia. The Berlin Congress in 1878 bestowed Serbian independence and created grounds for the implementation of a Greater Serbia plan, which brought a lot of misery to the region and directly caused World War I.

Later generations of Greater Serbia protagonists used Yugoslavia in the realization of their plan, culminating in the last 10 years with Milosevic, Karadzic, Mladic, etc. If all present ethnic cleansers are removed, but the means for the Greater Serbia aspirations are left intact, other Karadzics or Milosevics will emerge. The only long-lasting solution is a quasi-balance of power among the Balkan states. Therefore, Kosovo should be independent.

YUL B. DRASKOVIC

Inglewood