In the news...

The region, well, Serbia has been getting some ink lately. Since 2000, marking the end of Slobodan Milosevic's reign, Serbia's constitution has been in need of a face lift. It is no longer the Yugo Republic and it no longer owns Montenegro as of late, with their indepedence that happened without so much of a whimper. So timely it would be that a referendum was called to update the constitution right before Kosovo's expected independence.

Kosovo is the holy land for Serbia and that of Ethnic Albanians, the latter population makes up 90 percent of the region, while most Serbians have fled for safer passages in the last decade of warring. The stalwart Serbian population therein is estimated to be 200,000.

I have a couple of colleagues who studied at the single University in Kosovo. The language of instruction is Serbian, which is not the native language of Ethnic Albanians. According to my friend, Svetlana, who is Serbian, the city is not easy to inhabit. She could only walk down lanes that had bumpers lining them. Over the course of four years, she did not have one Kosovarian friend.

Best ref: http://www.economist.com/agenda/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8098850

Since the end of the Kosovo-Serbian war in 1999, the U.N. principally governs the region. This is at a price of some one plus billion per month. The negotiating bodies are expected to give Kosovo its expected impasse in November. GW also anticipates Kosovo's independence before he leaves office. The only countries that disapprove is Mother Russia where Putin fears Chechyna and other states gaining some more inspiration.

Serbs have proved that Kosovo will not be given up without a fight. It remains to be in their constitution, as now written, "an integral part of Serbia..."

By a narrow margin, voters did approve of the referendum which in effect, keeps Kosovo on the Serbian Constitution. To many, this looks like more Serbian defiance, and would only further delay their entry to the E.U. even though politicians promised otherwise.

What most of the media overlooked, is that there is a very important strategy in place. A confusing one. The vote will delay Kosovo's indepedence, but it will allow the current government to fend off radical parites from picking up voters and thus creating serious instability in the region IF Kosovo was to get its steadfast independence.

Once again, reading between the margins. We can expect on an implicit level that Kosovo will get its wish come Christmas, however you will have to read the fine print.

What this means is that if Kosovo gets its independence as Montenegro has, then why can't the Republic of Srpska? Thus putting this town back on the firing line-- again...