World Events: Kosovo
The battle in Kosovo seems to be a pretty simple matter to Americans, if the media is to be believed: ideally, Slobodan Milosevic should get over it and leave the ethnic Albanians alone. If that doesn't work, the ethnic Albanians should realize they're not wanted and move on. If that, too, fails, NATO should step in and resolve things, the quicker the better. Pretty simple matter.
To understand what diversity has to do with Kosovo, I think it's important to understand the history of the region. Unlike the U.S., the entire Balkan region has been a hotbed for most of this millenium. For a concise explanation of the current situation in Kosovo, check out Kosovo Q & A. A Beginner's Guide to the Balkans is an excellent resource, in timeline form, for those interested in a broader look at Balkan history. For those who'd rather not go to those links, following is Balkan History for Dummies: Melissa's Version. I must add that this information came from various media sources and I am not a history expert by any means.
Around 1200 BC, the Balkan Peninsula is settled by the Illyrians, ancestors to modern-day Albanians. Archaeological evidence suggests they were there before the Serbs; Serbs disagree. Archaeologists believe that about 17 centuries later, Slovenes, Southern Slavs, Serbians, Croatians and Bulgarians arrived (not necessarily in that order). Bulgaria and Macedonia are settled around this time; Serbs today argue that Macedonia is rightfully theirs, although the Macedonian language is more closely linked to Bulgarian. Around 800 AD, missionaries arrive in Croatia, which then becomes a Roman Catholic nation. The Serbs become Orthodox Christians. About two centuries later, Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats in Croatia split following an argument between church leaders. In 1172, the first official Serbian state is formed.
Fast forward to the 1800's. To give you a glimpse at true diversity in that time period: as the Ingall's family was flitting around the American prairie, Balkan leaders were doing things like chopping off each other's heads, stuffing them, and sending them on to the family of the deceased. Okay, this may have happened just once. I'm adding that allegory simply to demonstrate that North Americans have very little history in common with the Balkan Peninsula (would it sound hipper to say, "We ain't got a clue!"?) In 1844, the Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs comes up with a plan to capture Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Northern Albania; this is the plan modern day Serb leaders want to carry out today.
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