The Balkans - a hub of worldwide terrorist network

it prepares to take over from the United Nations in Kosovo, the European Union’s EULEX mission should strive to learn from and improve upon the failures of the UN mission there over the past eight years. This corrective action would involve analyzing both the structural and personnel shortcomings that have resulted in a chronic lack of accountability and incompetence- defining characteristics of the international mission in Kosovo which, among other things, have created a lawless zone of operations for organized crime and terrorist-linked individuals. The UN’s neglect of certain rural areas in Kosovo has created enhanced conditions for fundamentalist Islam to take root- a preventable disease that the EU can seek to cure through increased attention and funding.

Western governments should implement long-term intelligence gathering operations not reliant, as has been the case up to now, on the cooperation of dubious, criminally or politically-motivated local partners. An emphasis should also be placed on quality human intelligence, rather than on technology alone

Decision-makers should also recognize and acknowledge the fact that pan-Islamist movements everywhere operate on a much different timeframe than do elected democratic governments; while the latter organize themselves around four-year terms and constant elections, the former are accustomed to patiently and quietly increase their strength until they can act.

Allied agencies should also seek to streamline bureaucratically hampered operations and improve intelligence-sharing, while increasing cooperation with nations that have a demonstrated commitment to and expertise in fighting terror, especially Israel.

Finally, the media should reappraise the issue of Islamic extremism in the Balkans, taking a more objective view and questioning old precedents which may no longer apply to a fluid and increasingly complex situation on the ground.



Christopher Deliso

Editor South Balkans

World Security Network Foundation

Director Balkanalysis.com










Add your 10 best friends here to receive the WSN Newsletter!

Join the World Security Network now!





If you do not wish to receive future WSN newsletters, please click here .

You can also write to postmaster@worldsecuritynetwork.com






© 2007 World Security Network | info@worldsecuritynetwork.com



...