If each refugee was asked "Would you like to return to Kosovo or come to the US?" I would guess that 99.99999% would jump on the chance to come here...I just drove by a Burger King here and it was closed again (due to lack of workers). US needs workers and if US was interested in genuine peace it would accept all the Kosovars to compensate for what it did to them.
Great... Your solution is to give people who held industrial jobs, or own their own farms, jobs flipping burgers at Burger King.
The last time I checked, the pay level received for these kinds of jobs is FAR BELOW what is required to support a family, nevermind the fact that I have enough difficulty understanding the people who work there already. English is a nice ability to possess when dealing in the service economy.
Talk about arrogant Americans... GEEZUS!!!
Don't forget that before the bombing started all these people were living a decent life in their homes while a relatively low level conflict was being fought by Yugoslav authorities against a terrorist group hell-bent on independence which was terrorizing Serb troops, Serb civilians, AND Albanian civilians not sympathetic to their cause (you know normal people just wanting to leave in peace).
Don't forget, George, that the KLA was a marginal political presence at best until '97-98 when Serb repression of Kosovars rose in intensity.
Rugova was the man to deal with as he would have settled for autonomy, not complete independence. Milo's intransigence towards seeking a political settlement is what radicalized the Kosovo population. AGAIN, remember that they had stronger economic ties with Belgrade than with the economic and political basketcase known as Albania. Kosovars had no strong desire to integrate with an economy that was bereft of any economic benefits to them. Belgrade, on the other hand, was their primary marketplace for goods.
Had Milosevic chosen to strengthen Kosovo's economic binding to Belgrade, if would have been beneficial to both ethnicities and could have become a model for healing the wounds between Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia.
These nations are far less strong under separate economies than they could have been under one integrated one. That's a fact.
Regards,
Ron
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