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ARAB NEWS (SAUDI ARABIA) EDITORIAL Kosovo Implications 8 March 2008 Last month, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. Around the world there are other entities that have declared themselves independent and, to all intents and purposes, are - at least in terms of being free of their former controllers: The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazia and Somaliland being the most prominent. There are other "de facto" independent entities where there is a strong political will to declare independence: Serbian Bosnia, Taiwan, Iraqi Kurdistan among others. Most people would initially say that the reason why Kosovo is independent is because its people have chosen to be so; a link is made between independence and the will of the people. But then why do they regard Kosovo as independent but not places such as Somaliland or Abkhazia? In fact, the ultimate determining factor in a country's independence is not popular will but recognition by at least one major power. Kosovo is seen as independent because enough major powers, in this case the US and most European countries (with a few notable exceptions) have recognized it. Somaliland and Nagorno Karabakh are not, because no major power recognizes them as independent. And because of that, no one else does either. Their "independence" goes as far as the border. That is not enough. Real independence means being accepted in the family of nations, having a voice on the world stage and citizens of the country being able to move and trade freely with the rest of the world. The fact that Russia, China and most countries, including all Arab or Muslim states other than Turkey, Afghanistan and Senegal, have not recognized Kosovo is of no consequence. What matters is that enough countries have. In fact, nonrecognition by Muslim states is not due to any lack of goodwill but because Kosovo's declaration of independence could have momentous international consequences. Likewise, Russia's opposition is about much more than its alliance with Serbia. The reason why it and so many others have refused to recognize Kosovo is because of fears where it will lead. If Kosovo can separate and be independent simply because that is the will of its people, then what about Chechnya, Taiwan, Tibet, the Basque region, Mindanao or Kashmir? The implications of Kosovo are not lost on any country with secessionist headaches. Nor are they lost on Turkish Cypriots who have also recognized Kosovo; if the US and others can recognize it simply because independence is the democratic will of the Kosovars, why not recognize Northern Cyprus? Abkhazia is already using what has happened with Kosovo to demand recognition from Russia. It is no surprise that so many countries have not recognized Kosovo and have no intention of doing so. It opens a Pandora's box. Not for nothing is Bosnia now terrified that its Serbian province will follow the Kosovar lead. The principle of national sovereignty, the basis of international relations since 1945, has been sorely tried in recent year but it has survived. Common sense says that recognizing a state such as Kosovo which wants to break away and be free is the right thing. But the fact is that doing so without endorsement from the UN, the only body that can legitimize such a move, drives a coach and horses though international law. Who knows where it will end up?
