US, NATO unable to afford another war of attrition

Source
China Military Online
Editor
Lin Congyi
Time
2023-01-03 17:03:50

By Wang Aoduo

File photo: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (Source: thepaper.cn)
 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ordered combat readiness for the armed forces and security services at the highest level, on the evening of December 26, 2022, local time. According to reports, there is a intense confrontation between Serbia and the Kosovo authorities.

Recently, tensions between Serbia and the Kosovo authorities have continued to escalate. Teng Jianqun, a military observer, analyzed that some European countries are dissatisfied with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's administration at present. The main reasons for the escalation of the situation are the intervention by external forces and the Kosovo authorities' desire to seek "independence" by taking the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a window of opportunity.

The Kosovo authorities hope to take advantage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict to go one step further in achieving "independence", solicit greater support from countries and organizations such as the US, the European Union, and NATO, and obtain more military aid.

NATO soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo on December 11, 2022, local time. (Source: CCTV)
 

Currently, NATO peacekeeping forces are stationed in Kosovo. After the conflict, Serbian President Vucic asked the NATO peacekeeping force to allow a deployment of about 1,000 Serbian troops and policemen in Kosovo but was refused. Vucic then ordered the expansion of the number of Serbian Special Forces from 1,500 to 5,000.

According to UN Security Council Resolution 1244, the Serbian government has the right to send peacekeeping troops to Kosovo. Teng believes that Serbia's request is reasonable and legal, while the rejection by the US and NATO is to "take sides", in order to protect or promote Kosovo's so-called "independence".

Serbia's moves to increase its combat readiness level and expand its special forces are no just demonstration of capability and determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also a preparation for dealing with unexpected events.

According to reports, the US is strengthening military cooperation with the Kosovo region to help the Kosovo authorities train troops. This has also triggered speculation that "the US intends to make Kosovo the 'second battlefield'" in Europe. In this regard, Teng believes that the US and NATO are unable to afford another war of attrition. It will deal a heavier blow to Europe once the situation in Kosovo deteriorates.

Overall, the situation in Kosovo may remain relatively intense for a certain period. The US, like European countries, does not want another large-scale conflict in this region as it will consume a lot of energy of the US. EU countries are also more willing to let Kosovo leave Serbia step by step, rather than stir up trouble in this region.

However, the Balkan Peninsula is known as the "powder keg". Once it is ignited, Europe will bear the double negative impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and a conflict in the Balkans, which will place Europe in a more difficult situation.

Editor's note: Originally published on military.cnr.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.

 

 

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