Thursday, June 21, 2007
The Virtue of Consistency
Because of the frequency in which Kosovo has been discussed in these pages in recent weeks, the question has been raised about my views on the other frozen conflicts.
I am happy to report that, unlike members of Congress, I do take a consistent approach. For some reason some have assumed that I support independence for Abkhazia or South Ossetia. I don't.
I have a consistent position which is that whether we are talking about Serbia, Georgia, Iraq or Cyprus, that our first order of business is to promote the territorial integrity of states and the maintenance of borders (as cornerstones for regional security).
I have also been a consistent supporter of the "division/partition within unity" approach, of using creative solutions (confederalism, autonomy, common states, etc.) to reconcile the internal need for self-determination with an overriding interest in keeping together the outer shell of states.
The problem that we are facing is that the U.S. is not seen as an honest broker on these issues--or I should say the Congress is not, given the perception that lobbying and healthy infusions of cash are what drives the positions taken there.
I am happy to report that, unlike members of Congress, I do take a consistent approach. For some reason some have assumed that I support independence for Abkhazia or South Ossetia. I don't.
I have a consistent position which is that whether we are talking about Serbia, Georgia, Iraq or Cyprus, that our first order of business is to promote the territorial integrity of states and the maintenance of borders (as cornerstones for regional security).
I have also been a consistent supporter of the "division/partition within unity" approach, of using creative solutions (confederalism, autonomy, common states, etc.) to reconcile the internal need for self-determination with an overriding interest in keeping together the outer shell of states.
The problem that we are facing is that the U.S. is not seen as an honest broker on these issues--or I should say the Congress is not, given the perception that lobbying and healthy infusions of cash are what drives the positions taken there.
