Sticking our head in the sand again
Tension is rising again in the Balkans as Kosovo, the former Yugoslav province, has broken away from Serbia. Unfortunately, no one – not the United States, the European Union, or Belgrade – can be sure when the tensions will abide. Greece could have exploited its longstanding relations with all the governments in the region and provided useful input for a solution to the current problems. But it hasn’t. Just as it didn’t back in the 1990s when it actually managed to become part of the problem while simply hoping that things would not go wrong. If the past is any guide, sticking our head in the sand will not do us any good. Greece has relinquished its hegemonic status in the region. The country’s political leaders seem more preoccupied with politically expedient objectives and petty politicking instead of trying to shape the world in which we will have to live.
