Every village should have its independence

What could be the link between Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzgovina these days? Something different than war? The answer is independence.

If Kosovo is going to proclaim independence on December 10th, some regions in the north of the newly independent country with a Serb majority would also do this. And there is even more. Some fear that the Republika Srpska (RS) in Bosnia-Herzegovina could also do this. The RS is the northern part of Bosnia-Herzegovina, with a Serb majority. Officially autonomous, but backed by Serbia and more with a tendance to Serbia, this is considered somewhat as one of the poorest regions of the Balkans.

So, the move of independence of Kosovo would cause much more than expected. First of all, if the RS in Bosnia-Herzegovina would also declare independence, it would create a mayor problem for the poor state-structure of Bosnia-Herzegovina. What would the Bosniak-Croat federation in Bosnia do? I think that the ghost of the Dayton peace agreements is fleeing from this place. The independence of the RS would also mean that Bosniaks (muslims) wouldn't be able anymore to move to their places of origin in the RS. After the civil-war, Bosniaks fled from the Serb-occupied territories, or were simply killed. Dayton meant that there was a right to go back to their region. I don't think an independent RS would be keen on proceeding this law...

Normally, the US would back an independence of Kosovo. Not immediatly, but somewhere in January 2008. Some 20 of the 27 member states of the EU would also do this. Greece, Spain, Slovakia and some other countries are protesting against the future independence of Kosovo. And of course, Russia, that has more historical ties with Serbia, remains against independence. One thing is to take literally: the independence of Kosovo could mean new conflicts in the region. Although maybe not violent, Kosovo could cause a big shock in international diplomacy and in diplomatic relations, and not only between members of the EU or transatlantic countries...

There is much to do...there is less to remain...I hope that decisions of any kind will be taken with much respect and knowledge. There are made too many mistakes in the past in this region.