The 'why' of Kosovo independence:

NEWS ANALYSIS

U.S., Europe try to appease radical Muslim world

Publishing Date: 23.04.07 16:38

"Just a reminder to the predominantly Muslim-led governments in this world that here is yet another example that the United States leads the way for the creation of a predominantly Muslim country in the very heart of Europe. This should be noted by both responsible leaders of Islamic governments, such as Indonesia, and also for jihadists of all color and hue. The United States' principles are universal, and, in this instance, the United States stands foursquare for the creation of an overwhelmingly Muslim country in the very heart of Europe." -- Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on his support for the independence of Kosovo, April 17, 2007

By Joseph Farah WASHINGTON - What is it that has pushed the United States since 1996 to involve itself - militarily and diplomatically - in support of the Muslim populations of both Bosnia and Kosovo over the plight of Christians in the Balkans? It is a question that has been difficult to understand from the start. At first, President Clinton told Americans it was necessary to intervene in those nations to stop "ethnic cleansing." Was there violence and bloodshed in those countries? Indeed there was. Civil wars were raging. People on both sides - often innocent people - were being killed. But that was not the picture sold to the American people, nor the people of Europe. Instead, Clinton and Tony Blair portrayed a one-sided slaughter of Muslims at the hands of Serbs. In fact, many of those advocating today for the independence of Kosovo and yesterday for attacking Serbia on behalf of Balkan Muslims today suggest Iraq is a lost cause because it is a civil war -- between long-feuding religious sects. Perhaps Rep. Tom Lantos has it right. Maybe his candid statement in a committee hearing last week serves as a spotlight on the truth of U.S. meddling in the Balkans. It may indeed be about providing an example to the Muslim world, making a political statement that the U.S. is not at war with Islam, attempting to buy goodwill - even if it is at the expense of hundreds of thousands of Christians. Read Lantos' statement above. Many have speculated about why the U.S. has chosen sides, maybe even the wrong side, in the Balkans. As far back as 1996, when Clinton first promoted engagement in Bosnia on the side of the Muslims there were suggestions this initiative had little to do with the Balkans and more to do with the Middle East. One noted observer recently put it this way: "Kosovo has nothing to do with the encirclement of Russia, and everything to do with America's failing effort to hold together a coalition of the friendly Sunni Arab states against Iran's challenge in the Persian Gulf." In the coming days and weeks, you will witness a major push by Lantos, the U.S. State Department and others for the "independence" of Kosovo. What this means is the U.S. and Europe are giving the Muslims of Kosovo the green light to eliminate that last 100,000 Christians in the region. About two-thirds of the original population of Christians has been destroyed or forced into refugee status in the last seven years, since it was declared a protectorate of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Could it be the NATO's 78-day bombing campaign in 1999 that killed 557 civilians and caused more than $30 billion in damage to Serbia's infrastructure was no more than a gesture to the Muslim world? The facts, including Lantos' statement, are becoming more and more compelling. Earlier this year, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., wrote in the Financial Times that Kosovo independence would constitute a "victory for Muslim democracy" and a much-needed example of U.S.-Muslim partnership." No one seems to consider the cost of this little social experiment - one, by the way, that did not prevent Sept. 11 and the other acts of terror that have followed since. The cost in Kosovo is not limited to the 100,000 Christians left there, who will be forced to live in dhimmi status or worse. There is also the message sent to the non-Muslim world, especially the 7 million Serbs who will certainly feel betrayed by the West. The Serbs survived the Islamic invasion of Europe that extended to the gates of Vienna. They fought again against the Ottoman Empire in World War I and against the Nazis in World War II In the first world war, Serbia lost 28 percent of its population and 58 percent of its men. The nation made comparable sacrifices in resisting the Nazis. Meanwhile, the Muslim population within the Balkans rallied behind Adolph Hitler and the Germans, even forming Muslim brigades to fight their Christian neighbors. You would think Lantos, himself a Holocaust survivor, would know better.

Joseph Farah is the founder and editor of WND and G2 Bulletin.

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