Kosovo's new national flag, in thinly disguised tribute to the EU, is blue and yellow and festooned with stars. But few Kosovans seem very enthusiastic about brandishing the symbol of their new state.
The new flag advertises the following: Kosovo, as an independent, tolerant, multi-ethnic state, quickly wants to join the European Union, which has bent over backwards to remind everyone that the new country creates no "precedent" for other separatist movements.
The problem is that is just not true. Those who encouraged Kosovo's independence have an interpretation of nationhood that is fundamentally at odds with that of those who are now independent. For Kosovo's backers in London, Brussels and Washington, a nation is defined by "values": by how people behave. But in Kosovo, what counts is "identity": who you are, what you speak and look like, how you worship.
Via The Brussels Journal
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