The Foreign Service Journal, November 2007

12 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 7 Center for Scholars, “Kosovo in the Balance: A Trial for Diplomacy” ( www.wilsoncenter.org ), partici- pants discussed the challenge of reaching consensus on the E.U.’s Kosovo policy. In addition to the fact that the E.U. once again finds itself caught between Moscow and Wash- ington, several member nations have expressed their opposition to recog- nizing Kosovo’s independence. Yet resolution of its status is urgent. The prospect of still another conflict in the Balkans has stalled European inte- gration efforts. In a press release issued Sept. 20, the U.S. Helsinki Commission ( http:// www.csce.gov/ ) notes that although the final status of Kosovo is primarily a European problem, “The U.S. needs to be involved in the process to help bring about an expeditious, yet stable and just result.” Officially part of Serbia, the pro- vince has been administered by the U.N. Interim Administration Mission on Kosovo since the end of the NATO-led war in 1999. U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244 gave UNMIK a mandate to create substantial au- tonomy for Kosovo and eventually facilitate a political process to deter- mine its future. Under increasing pressure from within Kosovo for independence, UNMIK pursued a policy that re- quired local institutions to meet benchmarks of good governance and inter-ethnic accommodation. Mean- while, Serbia, supported by Russia, resisted any proposed compromise on its sovereignty. This standoff caused greater frustration, and in March 2004 tensions spilled onto the streets with anti-Serb and anti-U.N. rioting. In October 2005, U.N. Special Envoy Kai Eide concluded that nothing would be gained from postponing a decision over Kosovo’s status, and negotiations were finally initiated. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Martti Ahtisaari, former president of Finland, as special envoy for Kosovo to lead the settle- ment effort. Throughout 2006, the special envoy held more than 15 rounds of direct talks between Bel- grade and Pristina. On March 14, Ahtisaari presented a final, comprehensive proposal for a settlement ( www.unosek.org/unose k/en/statusproposal.html ). The plan calls for supervised independence for Kosovo and multiple safeguards to protect the rights of Serbian minor- ities. It includes the creation of ad- ditional and expanded Serb-major- ity municipalities, special protection and prerogatives for the Serbian Orthodox Church, and additional par- liamentary seats and double-majority rules to ensure that Serbs are not outvoted on questions of vital interest. Though the proposal was sup- ported by the secretary-general and the State Department, the Security Council was unable to reach a con- sensus once Moscow announced its intention to veto. With a settlement at the U.N. unlikely, the U.S. and other Western powers decided negotiations should be continued under the auspices of the informal Contact Group. For additional reports and back- ground, the International Crisis Group has a useful overview, “Koso- vo’s Final Status,” which includes policy recommendations. Monthly updates are also available on its CrisisWatch database ( www.crisis group.org/home/index.cfm ) . —Marc Nielsen, Editorial Intern C Y B E R N O T E S Site of the Month: www.librarything.com Part cataloging system and part online community, LibraryThing lets users catalogue and share their libraries and book lists. After starting an account (requiring only a user name and password), users can create lists and catalogues using a book’s ISBN number or words from the title or the author’s name. A free account allows you to catalog up to 200 books. A paid account allows you to catalog an unlimited number of books. Paid personal accounts cost $10 for a year or $25 for a lifetime. LibraryThing does not use any special software and draws information from the Library of Congress and Amazon.com databases, among others. Users can edit, sort, search and tag their titles to their liking. They can also view other members’ collections, reviews and recommendations, a feature that has led to the site being described as “Facebook for books.” In addition, LibraryThing has an active message board that includes a book swapping section. Some publishers, including RandomHouse, provide the site with advance copies of titles that members can request. LibraryThing was created by Tim Spalding in 2005 in Portland, Maine, as a pet project, to catalog his own library and for academic and bibliophile friends. Before that, Spalding was a graduate student in Greek and Latin at the University of Michigan, and worked for Houghton Mifflin in Boston and as a freelance Web developer and Web publisher. Spalding had no idea LibraryThing would explode as it did. Over 270,000 users have signed up, more than 18 million books have been cataloged, and users have applied over 23 million tags to their books. The site became a business in 2006. — Anna Wong Gleysteen, Editorial Intern