Kosovo Declares Independence

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia today as it declared itself an independent democratic nation. A democratic nation according to this article.

"From this moment, the political position of Kosovo has changed," announced the
speaker of parliament, Jakup Krasniqi, after a unilateral declaration of
independence was adopted by lawmakers through a show of hands.
"We are now
an independent, free, sovereign and democratic country. Congratulations to all
of you."

This could change the landscape in the Balkans. The former Yugoslavia has been a mess for some time. It will be interesting to see how Serbia reacts to the new nation to its south.

"We declare Kosovo to be a democratic, secular and multi-ethnic republic, guided
by the principles of non-discrimination and equal protection under the law,"
read the key paragraph of the nearly 1,200-word text

This could prove quite interesting. How is this "secular" republic going to deal with the large Catholic population? There could also be a sizable Moooslem population. How will the new nation address them? Ol' BC doesn't have enough of a grasp of the political climate in the area to know what to expect. One thing can pretty much be certain - someone, probably of somewhat unsavory character, will see an opportunity in Kosovo. How will the new democracy respond?

Just a thought.