Day: April 7, 2023
The Hague goes astray
I did this interview yesterday for for Sokol Berisha of Periskopi:
The rial against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)- Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi – who the Office of Specia Prosecutor claims to have committed war crimes, has begun this Monday in the Special Court of Hague.
Q: If the KLA leaders are found guilty and sentenced to prison, do you think that this will damage the image of Kosovo internationally? How do you see this process?
A: It would certainly damage the image of the KLA, but it seems to me the Kosovo state has some things to its credit: creation of the Tribunal, the resignation of the Head of State, and his appearance with his colleagues in The Hague.
Q: Many have said that this process is not against KLA itself, but its leaders. In your opinion, can KLA and its leaders be distinguished?
A: Yes, they can be distinguished, but the Court’s indictment doesn’t do that.
Q: The US president, Joe Biden, has called the former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, “The George Washington of Kosovo,” and on the other hand, NATO’s intervention in the conflict on the side of the KLA and against the forces of Slobodan Milosevic seemed as a strong proof that KLA and its leaders were in their right to protect the people of Kosovo. Is this discourse now in danger?
A: Yes, it is in danger because the accusations are so wide-ranging.
Q: The report of Dick Marty was crucial in establishing The Kosovo Specialist Chambers & Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in Hague. Now that this report is no longer discussed, do you think that the whole process has changed its aim?
A: I do. The mandate of the Chambers is limited to issues in that report. But very little of what is in the report is in the accusations against the KLA leaders.
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Stevenson’s army, April 7
– NYT reports deep conflict among House GOP, with mutual charges of incompetence.
– Rigged election in Montana: GOP legislature wants one-time jungle primary to prevent Tester reelection.
– Jeff Greenfield foresees supermajority power grabs.
– Defense News reports authorizer/appropriator clash over Taiwan aid.
-Risa Brooks analyzes anti-woke campaign against Pentagon.
– Somebody leaked Ukraine arms information.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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