Kosovo......

[serious14]

So, as of 5 minutes ago (1.50am) the World has a new country:

The Independent Sovereign Republic of Kosovo.

A long time coming.  To say that Serbia and Russia are pissed would be an understatement (they're already pressuring the UN to go "oi, stop it").  Will be very interesting to see how all this plays out, and to watch every other separatist region in the world all of a sudden go "you know what, that's not a bad idea" - Chechnya and the Basque chief amongst them.

Fun times ahoy. 

P.S.  This whole deal, which will see a 90% Muslim country (Albania) declare its independence from an Orthodox Christian country (Serbia), has the full backing of the USA, a predominantly ideologically Christian country.  So by this logic, America is saying that Muslims in some parts of the world are bad and in other parts they're good??  How delightfully convenient!!!!    ???     I don't understand politics sometimes, I really don't......

 

[Atomic]

IMO, the Yanks don't have a problem with Muslums per se, they have a problem with Muslims who occupy oil rich land and are aren't willing to kowtow (like Mr Howard was prepared to do).

I don't know much about the region that Kosovo is in, but I bet the landscape doesn't have big oil rigs ruining the view.

 

[skilbeck]

I believe this thread could cause some tension on an Aussie football forum especially if there are serbs, ethnic albanians and macedonians on the mariners one and since a few of the players are descended from countries that are somewhat involved in it, so would a few of the fans IMO.

My theory is that Americas support for Kosovo is a left over from the cold war i.e. they are trying to limit Russias political influence on the world by backing anti-serb nations in proxy

 

[serious14]

I believe this thread could cause some tension on an Aussie football forum especially if there are serbs, ethnic albanians and macedonians on the mariners one and since a few of the players are descended from countries that are somewhat involved in it, so would a few of the fans IMO.

I'm pretty sure the Mariners player wouldn't have an issue with it, they're a bit more mature than that - you don't see Tommy and Sasho squaring up to each other do you??? 

 

[skilbeck]

Im not saying that the players would be having the circle of death over the issue as we speak, im just saying that in Australia in the days before the Crawford report these issues of Balkan Politics were translated into the football scene in displays of hooliganism

 

[serious14]

Im not saying that the players would be having the circle of death over the issue as we speak, im just saying that in Australia in the days before the Crawford report these issues of Balkan Politics were translated into the football scene in displays of hooliganism

Yeah yeah, I know what you mean...... the Melbourne forum was a bit hyperactive about it last night.  Pretty sure though that any problems between Scummers and Mariners on Sunday won't be Balkan-related. 

 

[brett]

Im not saying that the players would be having the circle of death over the issue as we speak, im just saying that in Australia in the days before the Crawford report these issues of Balkan Politics were translated into the football scene in displays of hooliganism

Yeah yeah, I know what you mean...... the Melbourne forum was a bit hyperactive about it last night.  Pretty sure though that any problems between Scummers and Mariners on Sunday won't be Balkan-related. 

Just Bogan-related

 

[FFC Mariner]

Bogans had their chance in 67 and decided to remain part of NSW.

Dammit

 

[Jimmy]

Bogans had their chance in 67 and decided to remain part of NSW.

Dammit

WTF lol ;D

Last night going up to the game, i mentioned to my girlfriend that the best thing the governments done in the past 10 years was put the Newcastle bypass in. ;D

 

[loyalist]

im very opposed to this
americans are hypocrites
how would they like it if the hispanics in the south of their country who have migrated there over recent years decided to declare independence
i dare say they would be against it

 

[kevrenor]

We've been letting this one go for a while .... so far it hasn't fired up any real angst, but please be aware when talking politics on here that there may be someone out there to really offend.

As for Kosovo ... that part of the world is very complex.  The place is a jumble of ethnic groups but the majority 'muslim' so called albanian people are thought to be largely descended from the Illyrian people who lived there before the Romans came, then they became Christian, then the Slavs invaded - from whom the Serbs are largely descended - and then the Serbs became Orthodox Christians.  The Turks invaded and after overtaking the Orthodox Roman Empire based on Constantinople the Balkans became and area that the Muslim faith was adopted by some groups but not others. The Battle of Kosovo in 1389 however was a key symbol in Serbian nationhood when they started to come together ... at this battle they faced up to the invading Turkish empire, although it took centuries to throw off.  The Albanian's have now basically outbred the Serbs in Kosovo, as the Serbs have migrated.  A situation now in which no one wins.

 

[loyalist]

Croatian social clubs have been flying the shiptari's flag to rub salt into the wound of the serbs.

US Embassy in Belgrade Attacked