More Proof That the UN is Irrelevant

Kosovo yesterday declared their independence amid threats from Russia and ethnic Serbs. I don't know enough about the Kosovars to say whether this is good or bad but in general, freedom is good for anyone.

The real story I saw in all this is that the Kosovars bypassed the UN and went right to the US and European leaders:

ill protected by 16,000 NATO-led peacekeepers, and the alliance boosted its patrols over the weekend in hopes of discouraging violence. International police, meanwhile, deployed to back up local forces in the tense north.

By sidestepping the U.N. and appealing directly to the U.S. and other nations for recognition, Kosovo's independence set up a showdown with Serbia — outraged at the imminent loss of its territory — and Russia, which warned that it would set a dangerous precedent for separatist groups worldwide.

The Russians are worked up because they know that if other areas see success, they to will eschew the UN and declare themselves free as well. This includes many Russia client states such as Georgia. I guess the Russians have never really stopped being Soviets, it's just in their collective DNA

I commend President Bush in recognizing the nascent state as it shows that he believes a predominantly Muslim population can be a free democracy. Let's hope they have the same idea. Still, the US military is at the forefront of helping another nation gain freedom from oppressors and that isn't a bad thing at all.

We'll wait and see how things progress but it is quite interesting that Kosovo saw the UN as an impediment and decided that UN approval just wasn't that important in the end. Another nail in the UN coffin perhaps.