Kosovo and Palestine

The people of Kosovo are awaiting a decision by the UN Mission in Kosovo over its status related to Serbia. After Montenegro's successful referendum, it seems that Kosovo will surely receive some level of autonomy while there will remain some international protection for the Serbian minority that still exists there. Kosovo is still planning to establish an independent democracy in the region regardless of international decision-making.

The UN, the US and the EU with the help of NATO have successfully dealt with an aggressive power in Serbia and liberated the Kosovar Albanian population.

In much the same way, a similar intervention requiring harder diplomacy with tighter timelines could make inroads in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Western powers have shown that they can respond to situations when they do not have a vested interest in the region. But the Balkans is also a perfect example of how a situation deteriorated and how these countries played a reactive role based on an incoherent foreign policy in the region.

Since the 1993 signing of the Oslo Accords, the Balkans are closer to achieving a forced peace than the Israelis or the Palestinians are.

Will the world have to wait for an unnecessary escalation or a full out war to commence before this impasse is dealt with in a more coherent and holistic manner?