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EDITOR'S NOTE: These are comments from John Toohey, a longtime Democratic political operative, who spent the summer in Kosovo working with NGOs and the local government on the independence effort.

Kosova Independence

Most Americans could not find Kosova on a map. I hope it remains that way, for if it does become a center of attention in the days to come it will most likely be a result of ethnic conflict. Like many familiar with the recent history of the region, I watched this weekend's unfolding events with hope and trepidation. I spent a good deal of last summer in Pristina working on the independence issue with the political leadership and various NGO's. The challenges faced by Kosova are just beginning; independence will not provide a solution to rampant unemployment and potential ethnic friction in a country that boasts the youngest population in Europe - a potentially dangerous mix.

Kosova's independence was long overdue, and it's fitting that it was declared over the weekend. It's now Monday, the party is over, and the hangover that is responsibility is about to set in. Kosova needs to revamp its entire physical infrastructure - in addition to health care, rule of law, civil society and education - if they are to compete in the EU. They must also overcome a longstanding culture of corruption that has pervaded every aspect of business and society. PM Hashim Thaci has made efforts in that direction, but it remains to be seen if he is instituting a clean-up of corruption or merely consolidating a hold on it.

Much can and will be written on the events in the Balkans over the last 15 years; for Kosova this is not the final chapter, but the beginning of the next volume. It remains to be seen if the region can survive the latest events without further "balkanization." Will Kosovar Serbs flee North? Will Mitrovica attempt to split and rejoin Serbia? Or will there finally be a sense of resolution that can lead to prosperity for the region?

It was nice to see the pictures from Pristina this weekend, it looks nice and festive under snow. I only knew it as a tense, dry, and hot place - a seeming tinderbox in the hot days of August. At the time I often thought of Keats, but then I'm Irish:

"Things fall apart; the center cannot hold mere anarchy is loosed upon the world
The blood dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned
The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity."

I have friends in Pristina - they are the best, they do not lack conviction and are full of passionate intensity, and I have confidence in them and wish them well. We here in the States still struggle with elections and primaries after 200 plus years, and many might say we still don't have it right - the West needs to do all it can to support Kosova. Albanians and Serbs need to be patient with each other now - not the outside influences overseeing their country - it will take time, but they are moving in the right direction. They're a lot like us in that way.