...Up to a year and a half ago things were normal (remember Balkans and normal don't quite get along,especially in this decade). Then the KLA miraculously bursts into the scene with lots of weapons hell bent on terrorizing(not just against Serbs but also against everyone overthere) its way to the cause of Kosovo independence.
You neglected to mention the 80's; don't forget that the Constitution under Tito granted autonomy to Kosovo. Milosevic rose to power on the basis of nationalism and ethnic hate. We've seen that before.
1980
Tito died May 4, and the absence of the man who had unified an ethnically diverse federation led the region to drift into a decentralized system with some measures of self-government for Yugoslavia's six constituent republics – Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Macedonia – and to the Serbian province of Kosovo, which is 90 percent ethnic Albanian. The development stirred resentment among Serbs.
1987
Feeding off the resentment, political rising star Slobodan Milosevic sparked nationalism by promising Serbs they would reclaim Kosovo. In September, Milosevic became leader of the powerful Serbian Socialist (formerly Communist) Party.
1989
March
The Serbian National Assembly ratified constitutional changes in March that returned Kosovo's judiciary and police to Serbian control. Rioting in the province followed, killing more than 20 people.
May
Milosevic was named president of Serbia, the largest of Yugoslavia's six republics including Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia.
November
The Berlin Wall fell and communism crumbles across Europe. The eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union sparked nationalism in Yugoslavia's republics.
(Continues)
washingtonpost.com |
