Serbian Independince

As the situation in Serbia continues to unfold, I can not help but draw parallels to the pre-WW I era and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. At that time the Balkan area was a proverbial powder keg, racial tension and political unrest dominated the region. Its is largely the same today. After many years of violence between the Albanians and the Serbs, the government of Kosovo declared its independence and sent letters to the leaders of many foreign nations asking for recognition. This has added to the tension within the United Nations as Ireland, Germany, and France all said they would support Kosovo in their independence, while Russia and Spain denounced Kosovo, stating that recognizing Kosovo’s independence would only bolster the spirits of separatists groups across the globe. Leaders in Serbia made a bold statement claiming that Kosovo would never be a part of the UN. With official word from the United States still pending the atmosphere is tense as the UN prepares to meet to discuss the situation. The atmosphere in Europe has become very tense as Spain and Russia are now worried about the separatist movements in their own nations and as the UN and EU appear divided on the topic. I do not foresee a solution to this problem anytime soon and expect rising tensions and possibly military action by Serbia or the UN to attempt to keep the peace in the Balkan area.