An Offensive Plan for the Balkans That the U.S. Should Get Behind

The conflict between Serbia and Albania is just another example of the negative effect of the human belief system on a peaceful survival on this small planet. In the near future, we will program the human mind in the computer, and this program will be based on a "survival" algorithm. When we do this, we will have irrefutable proof as to how we have tricked our minds with ridiculous beliefs about just exactly what is supposed to survive. We will finally see the harm in all beliefs and begin the long road back to reason. It won't be easy or quick, but necessary if the human species is to survive. See RevolutionOfReason.com

Wow, what a cynicism! To talk about respect of national borders after the West annexed Kosovo from Serbia. Seems like respect of borders is optional, and mostly depends on ability of each country to protect its own territory.

"Offensive plan" are you kidding me here we go again with false reporting why didn't you show the true that is happening in Kosovo what about the mass drug problem,human trafficking organ trafficking the way the Serbs are being killed Vucic just visited Kosovo and was greeted with gun fire people blocking roads and lighting fires and such so that he couldn't pass to serb towns he held a speech stressing peace and stability in the region for both sides. Kosovo was an illegal land grab by the powers that be according to resolution 1244

Encouraging two nations to peacefully adjust their borders, is morally reprehensible?? And exactly what is - War? Pragmatism indeed. We all wish we lived in Lennon’s imaginary world, but we don’t. On the eve of the 100-year anniversary of the 1919 Western border-drawing victory-fest, the EU members should be the last ones to object to nations deciding their own borders. Perhaps instead of continuing bloodshed, it might be an example for Sunni/Shia nations, for all the Mideast to convene a borders convention. Ethnic cleansing- or common interests, goals, wanting a government that reflects their distinct concerns? Labels are easy- until it’s your village the ‘other side’ destroys in the name of....power, control. 54-40 or fight. The U.S. and Canada adjusted their border dispute based on differing interests. And if Russia believes parts of Ukraine ought to be in Russia, talk, swap some land, work it out. But hey- let’s take the theoretical high ground and stand on the side of War. It’s such a comfort, sitting thousands of miles distant.

It us against any norm of international law and humanity in genaral to resolve disputes among countries by exchange of population.

What about the Trebka Mines northeast of Mitrovica? Once Europe's largest lead-zinc and silver ore mine which in the 1990s employed 20'000 workers. The mines still have a reserve of three million tonnes of lead, two million tonnes of zinc and 4,500 tonnes of silver. With the land swap Kosovo would loose an important economic potential.

Just wondering if similar opinion pieces were being published prior to another great "breakthrough," the one in Munich in 1938?

What is it about some Americans that they want us to borrow more money, and send more of our kids to die, for countries where the residents apparently don’t care enough to solve their own problems ? When it comes to other countries - I don’t care. That why Trump’s wife’s jacket should be our new national motto when discussing anybody’s problems but our own.

Kosovo again? That makes no sense at all. Here, once again, we have the discredited foreign policy establishment of the United States calling for revisiting an intervention that was inappropriate the first time we tried it.

This is a terrible idea. Land swaps will not solve anything in the Balkans. Serbia and Kosovo should focus their efforts on opening up economic and cultural opportunities for all minority groups, and recognizing them as equal citizens. With guaranteed freedoms and protections under the law. So they can live in peace, work, travel and contribute in either country.

Kosovo should not be an independent state. It's not a viable state - it's a basket case, with a huge number of former residents as "refugees" in Europe. We interfered in an internal matter in Serbia, who has traditionally been our ally. Serbia was at fault in the Balkan Civil War, true, but did not deserve to be bombed to assist a faction in Kosovo who wanted their own state. We should oppose anything to make the situation better, and force Kosovo back into Serbia.

All of Kosovo belongs to Serbia. The Albanians oozed in over the centuries due to the Moslem occupation. Milosevic was on the verge of solving the crisis when Bill Clinton made a mess of things so that he could prove the U.S. loved Moslems.

Here is the inconvenient truth: there is no consistent application of "the international law" and every case is "an exception" whose resolution is dictated by the relative strength and willingness to deploy resources (military, diplomatic, economic) by the major powers. If the "territorial integrity is inviolable", why was Yugoslavia not preserved and why was Kosovo's secession from Serbia recognized? If Saddam and Gaddafi had to go, why not Asad, who killed more of his own people than the former two combined? The answer is obviously the different Russian responses to the US moves. Having a ragtag bunch of Russian trolls posting derogatory misinformation about Hillary Clinton is a grave interference in US elections, but coordinating a coup with Venezuelan army officers is somehow a fight for democracy (not to mention shenanigans of the more distant past such as killing Allende, bringing shah in Iran, love for murderous dictators such as Somoza, etc.). BTW, soldiers and citizens of the world must answer to an international court for human rights violations, but not so for US warriors and citizens...

"A Kosovo-Serbia land swap would be peaceful ethnic cleansing." -- Excuse me?? "Peaceful ethnic cleansing" doesn't exist. Especially in the Balkans. Shame on the NYT publishing such nonsensical rubbish.

Salesman leaves out key details: (1) HOW MANY non-ethnic Serbs will find themselves in Serbia and surrounded by empowered nationalists? (2) What concerns are being raised by E.U. and United States? Bolton's statement keeps these 2 countries' talks appropriately at arm's length. We shouldn't stop their talking, but these are STILL NEGOTIATIONS to an end that THEIR citizens have to live with. Charles A. Kupchan may actually believe-in a "tentative green light", but talks are underway and unthwarted by US and Brussels. So, negotiations are happening. Mr. Kupchan's reasoning for weighing-in is to move public opinion behind a deal. First, even a broad weighing-in can serve one side of the negotiations, so insertion of externals also does harm to public opinion. Second, there will be citizens disgruntled by land swap (even for greater good), ALLOW the deal to be THEIR LEADERSHIPS' DECISION and their responsibility to sell it.

Peaceful land transfers approved by the legislatures of both countries should be supported especially if they can help bring long term peace to the region.

Peaceful Ethic Cleasning? Call this what it is. This is nothing but a Russian backed ploy. The US shouldn’t get behind anything like this. SICK!

"Peaceful Ethnic Cleansing" What the heck is wrong with you that you think any part of that phrase works, let alone that it's a GOOD IDEA?

There's no such thing as "peaceful ethnic cleansing."

The solution is simple. The Serbian and Kosovo presidents should move ahead with the deal, invite a group of international media outlets to witness the agreement ceremony, compensate and assist families to move to the new territories, and last but not least, loudly proclaim to the people of the planet, that the decision to swap territory is no business of anyone or any nation, other than Serbia and Kosovo, and any interference by any entity, covert and or overt, will be looked upon as an attempt to subvert the legitimate wishes of the people of Serbia and Kosovo, with unpleasant consequences for any and all interlopers. Time to stop interfering in the affairs of other nations.

How long until the countries in this region get to define they're own borders based on like-minded thinking and cultural similarities. For centuries this part of the world has had their borders imposed up on them from powers a far, so it's no surprise it has seen little stability. Yes, if the EU is good enough to let the people of these countries swap land (the arrogance!) there may be some inconvenient instability, but I can't help but think a quick & painful solution would be better long term than to just drag out the inevitable through slow motion diplomacy. That said, after a view visits there it seems like a shame to me that Yugoslavia couldn't last, growing into something like a modern secular Eastern EU. For all the supposed difference, these countries have a lot of similarity and would be better off, in my eyes, by having greater local autonomy to maintain cultural distinction, while a loosening of borders for trade. A dozen countries with city-sized populations seems impractical and hugely inefficient.

Complete nonsense. This is a powder keg idea. The insistence on "consensual" is tentative at best. Who agrees here? Who was asked about this? Was there a fair public discussion anywhere? This is realpolitik at its worst and whoever knows anything about the region will see this as a Trumpian (read: short-sighted, short-term) solution. The EU needs to step in and focus on the rule of law and democracy. This will invalidate the medieval nature of this idea. The EU has enough carrot to do this - e.g. the visa liberalization for Kosovo and accession talks for Serbia. Let's refocus this.

I find any form of ethno/tribalism as primitive, savage and repugnant (we are all citizens of the same planet in a vast universe, and we all evolved from the same primordial stew, for pete’s sake!). But at least this proposal is for peaceful tribalism, and if it helps to heal the wounds and finally make friends and partners of two formerly warring ethnic groups, I fully endorse it. Who knows, once they are at peace maybe one day Serbian boys will be dating Kosovar girls (and vice-versa), families will mix, and all this tribal mumbo-jumbo will finally be forgotten.

Paddy Ashdown, former High Representative for Bosnia, rightly pointed out to the BBC that a very likely beneficiary of the proposed agreement would be Vladimir Putin, who would use the precedent as justification for furthering irredentist aspirations of pro-Russia separatists in places like Ukraine and Georgia. One could also argue that Putin would benefit in other ways, too: Irredentist populations exist throughout the Western Balkans, leaving the region in a tense, frozen conflict that threatens the stability of Europe. Croats and Serbs alike wish to leave Bosnia; Albanians are a disgruntled minority in Macedonia and Montenegro; Muslims in the Sandzak region straddling Serbia and Montenegro feel like second-class citizens and would perhaps prefer to be ruled by Sarajevo rather than Belgrade and Podgorica. And while it often goes unreported in the West, the Serbian far right still dreams of reclaiming the terrority that they they briefly held in Croatia - their unrecognized Republika Srpska Krajina - during the 1990s wars. If war resumes in the Balkans, Putin would capitalize on the significant strains that conflict would place on the EU, and he would also have the opportunity to position himself as sponsor and savior of his Orthodox Slavic cousins - Serbs, Montenegrins and Macedonians - among whom he already enjoys considerable popularity. And just as he did with Ukraine via the Janukovych regime a few years back, he would leverage influence to scupper EU expansion.

The problem with this solution is that Serbia would be required to relinquish a claim to her occupied province in its entirety and forever. The creation of Kosovo was not sanctioned by the UN security council and is illegal under international law. Also, most of her precious spiritual monuments are located south of the river Ibar. I am convinced that Serbia will join the EU come what may. Serbia is far more important to the EU than Kosovo. Furthermore, Vucic would be insane to cede any of southern Serbia to the Albanians. This is a highly mixed area, unlike northern Kosovo, which isn't ethnically homogeneous and is strategically important as the gateway to Greece. This is a bad idea and should be avoided at all costs.

"Serbia’s help would be particularly welcome in discouraging Republika Srpska, the Serb-dominated region of Bosnia left behind by the war there in the 1990s, from seeking to break away." Mr. Kupchan, if this exchange happens, Milorad Dodik, the leader of Republika Srpska, will not listen Serbia but rather he will wait for Mr. Putin’s green light and go for establishment of The Great Serbia.

... and what is wrong with the Serbs in Bosnia leaving Bosnia? Bosnia was artificially created from the start. It would have been much less of a problem and sacrifice to let people go and live with like-minded people.

Yes please. This should have been done 15 years ago. Right now Kosovo heavily discriminates against its Serb population. And realistically this is not going to change, whatever Merkel says. A land swap would solve this issue, leaving population mostly mono-ethnic.

Seems like a reasonable idea - especially if it is consensual.

I couldn't disagree more. This would only encourage Mr Vucic and his nationalist allies to continue destabilazing other countries with Serb minoroty population feeding on the "Greater Serbia" and unification of all Serbs idea. The EU should encourage and reward ethnic tollerance and not set precedents sending the wrong message of tacit approval of ethnic clensing measures.

What a disgusting idea to allow little countries to define borders according to the wishes of the majority in the regions being exchanged. I never realized that the West was so against the rule of the majority. Greedy Germany helped fragment Yugoslavia for economic gain, and the US also benefited and participated in this crime against humanity. The irony is that once the little nations states get admitted in the EU (as they ALL strongly desire) the Croatians can sell potatoes in Slovenia again like they use to. As part of the EU the 6 fragments of Yugoslavia can enjoy free trade. Hey maybe they could fire up an all electric Yugo to punish the fossil fuel interests that are behind this inhumanity.

I find it surprising that Professor Kupchan fails to make any mention of the Bear in the closet. Serbia is likely acting on behalf of Russia to continue its program of destabilizing the Balkans. Kosovo's Thaçi has been deeply entwined with criminal elements for decades; his nom de guerre in the Kosova Liberation Army was The Snake. The Russians have likely bought him. Russia does not want an enlargement of NATO and will do anything to prevent it. This play is part of that intent. "Critics of the swap claim that it would set a dangerous precedent ... In particular, the swap could fuel calls in other parts of the Balkans for borders to be redrawn along ethnic lines... Separatist sentiment among ethnic Serbs in Bosnia, ethnic Albanians in Macedonia or minorities elsewhere could strengthen." That is a slight understatement of exactly what Russia wishes and is actively working on.

I strongly disagree. What makes Dr. Kupchan believe that this could ever be done JUST ONCE? Ethnonationalists throughout the Balkans and beyond would seize upon it as a precedent they would STRONGLY DEMAND be followed. Merkel and the rest of Europe is right to oppose this idea.

It is unfortunate that the article did not include a map.

It would be great if the Trump administration could do something positive and help bring a country closer to EU cooperation and away from the waiting arms of nationalists. It is highly unlikely.

I was living in Belgrade when Kosovo declared independence. I remember a lot of protesting, both civil and uncivil. The changes this region has gone through recently cuts the population to their core. On the surface, the statements of Angela Merkel on this matter seem to reflect a double standard. Before Kosovo declared independence, who exactly drew up those borders? Why were the borders selected at that time considered approved, and what makes those borders legitimate and these borders not? I think it unwise to turn down changes both parties are agreeing to based on a slippery slope argument. This looks like the first opportunity for their to be mutual resolution, and that monumental achievement should not be soiled by third-party influence worried about a precedent.

All they are saying is "Give peace a chance."

The author of this essay is a senior fellow on the Council for Foreign Relations, a neocon think tank. No more neoconservative-driven foreign policy, please!