Kosovo is technically part of Serbia, but it's been governed by the U.N. since 1999, after NATO militarily intervened to stop Slobodan Milosevic's brutal suppression and expulsion of ethnic Albanian separatists. Now that it has declared its independence (with US support), the elephant in the room remains:
Independent Kosovo? Why Not Vermont? "Why is statehood OK for some people but frowned on for others?" There is no internationally accepted standard for independence. "This is the great hole in democratic theory."
posted by stbalbach
on Feb 17, 2008 -
83 comments
Pope John Paul II has had a
heart attack. Soon, the
College
of
Cardinals will
assemble
to
choose
his successor. Even in death, however, this pontiff will exert extraordinary control over
the process, having
elevated an
unprecedented number of clerics to this body.
The choice of
Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino,
archbishop of Havana, would
continue
John Paul II's
legacy of opposition to communism and totalitarianism. Another frontrunner is the socially conservative Nigerian Cardinal
Francis Arinze.
Arinze would continue John Paul II's cultural legacy while
recognizing the
demographic reality
of modern global Catholicism. Also mentioned as a frontrunner is
Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga
of Honduras, a strong
proponent of third world debt relief. Progressives would welcome the elevation of German Cardinal
Walter Kasper,
an
advocate
for religious tolerance and pluralism, or the moderate Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re,
a frequent
stand-in
during the Holy Week ceremonies. Conservatives favor Columbian Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos. Hoyos shares the Pope's
traditionalist vision
of a
church
at odds with modernity.
But the smart
money,
is on
Dionigi Tettamanzi.
posted by felix betachat
on Apr 1, 2005 -
228 comments
