Independence Day

Monday, Monday. Any other day would be just fine. This Monday, however, the U.S. and several EU member nations are set to recognize the independence of Kosovo, part of Serbia and once part of the former Yugoslavia. But apparently nobody bothered to discuss it with the Russians and the Serbians who are less than pleased by this. Russia has demanded an emergency session of the UN Security Council and means to block its admission of Kosovo into the august body that is the United Nations. The nation, having been under the UN's watchful eye since 1999, with 16,000 NATO troops stationed there, will now be under the EU's watchful eye. The EU is sending police and judicial officers to replace the UN's mission there. The detractors argue that Kosovo's unilateral declaration is illegal and will only ignite a wave of similar actions throughout the world (read: in Russia's backyard). With the an open session of the Security Council scheduled, we're going to find out if the Serbian president and his Russian allies will succeed in shooting Kosovo's day down.