Canada announced last Tuesday that it will recognize Kosovo as an independent nation, approximately a month after the Balkan province unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia on Feb. 17. Canada's decision accompanied similar declarations by Japan and three of Serbia's neighbours: Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia. Some 33 countries now recognize the fledgling state, including the United States and 18 EU nations. According to the Canadian Press, approximately two-dozen countries are opposed to Kosovar independence, including Russia-a staunch Serbian ally and a UN Security Council member.
While Canada's hesitation to grant its official recognition to Kosovo may seem unwarranted given the apparent willingness of other democratic countries, the situation is far from straightforward. Much fuss has already been made of Canada's unwillingness to encourage Quebec separatism. Other countries with secessionist movements, such as Spain and China, have opposed Kosovo's independence. This, however, is possibly the least problematic issue regarding Canada's recognition of Kosovar sovereignty. Indeed, the very comparison of Kosovo to Quebec is ludicrous and hinges on the idea that any separatist movement is analogous to any other separatist movement-regardless of time, place or socio-historical circumstances. A comparison between the violent, war-torn history of Kosovo and the cultural tensions in Quebec belittles both Kosovar Albanians and Serbs and is a disservice to those who might try to exploit it.
Kosovar independence may not provide a legitimate pretext for the likes of Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois, but it nonetheless is rife with legal and diplomatic problems. Indeed, even Kosovo's strongest supporters, such as the United States, acknowledge that this is a special situation with special circumstances, without which Kosovo's independence would not have been acceptable. In particular, they point to the violent Serbian regime of Slobodan Miloševi?, which killed, raped and displaced thousands of Kosovar Albanians in the late 1990s and which prompted NATO to take drastic military action in the region. Since then, Kosovo has been under UN protection and Miloševi? has stood trial before the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Without these special considerations, however, it is generally acknowledged that Kosovo's bid for independence would carry little weight with the international community, at least not without Serbia's unlikely acquiescence.
2008 Woodie Awards
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