A dangerous game in the Balkans.(Inside Track)

By recognizing an independent Kosovo, the United States is playing a dangerous game in the Balkans, one that has led to war in the past and could lead to war in the near future. The way World War I began demonstrates the tinderbox the Balkans can be.

That war started when Serbian nationalist hostility led to the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. That falling domino brought about a harsh Austrian response that further provoked the situation, eventually causing Austria to declare war. The rush toward hostilities caused similar declarations, on opposite sides, from Germany and Russia and then from France and England and eventually the United States.

By recognizing Kosovo, are we starting down that path again? Consider: the Russians, longtime allies of the Serbs, have signaled their displeasure with the present turn of events. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, reportedly said the Kosovo declaration of independence is illegal and immoral. "A country's territorial integrity is based on the founding principles of international law," Putin argued, saying that Europe practices a double standard on ...