Think of a place where the past still lives in symbols, memories and old battlefields. Where military defeat has become enshrined in the national conscience as a glorious last stand. Where ethnicity periodically has been stoked to fan the flames of racial conflict. Sound like the deep South?

It also could describe Serbia and its relationship with Kosovo.

In Brett Janich’s Thursday column arguing against recognizing Kosovo, Janich bought into centuries-old Serbian nationalist myths and ignored the historical context surrounding Kosovo’s declaration of independence.

By examining the history of Serbia’s actions in Kosovo and considering Kosovo’s unique qualities, the case for independence readily becomes apparent.

Janich stated, “It would be a mistake to underestimate the importance of Kosovo to the Serbian people,” but never said why, possibly because the reason is so ludicrous. More than 600 years ago, in 1389, a force of Serbians and Hungarians was annihilated by the advancing armies of the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Kosovo. This decisive defeat opened the route into Europe for the Turks – who did not depart the area until late in the 19th century, leaving behind groups of ethnically distinct Muslims, including the Bosnians and Albanians, making up majorities in Bosnia and Kosovo today.

At the end of the Cold War, the geographically and ethnically distinct minorities of what was then known as Yugoslavia rebelled against years of Serbian oppression, setting off bloody civil wars.

Unlike the American South, however, Serbia never reconciled with its past and sought revenge on its former provinces by ethnically cleansing non-Serbians from the area. They did so by massacring thousands of Croats and Bosnians.

After Croatia and Bosnia wrested their independence, the Serbs began persecuting the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Only through NATO intervention forces in 1999 was this action stopped.

Thus, Kosovo’s desire for independence from a state that attempted to destroy its entire population less than a decade ago is understandable.

Janich’s main argument against recognizing Kosovo’s independence is that recognizing it will promote rebellion by other minorities.

Kosovo, however, is a geographically distinct region containing an ethnic group that has been the target of sustained, government-sanctioned attacks. Around the world, there are many minority groups seeking independence, but few have recent history of extreme oppression and the concentration of its people that Kosovo does.

Now that Kosovo has put the final nail in the blood-stained coffin of Serbia’s imperialistic dreams, is Serbia ready to accept the end? Judging by recent firebombing of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade and the lack of reaction by Serbian officials, the answer appears to be “not yet.”

Leaving behind the myths of 14th century glory, Serbia should follow the example of the American South in casting aside its own lost cause and joining the modern world.

- Chris Cheigo is a junior from Memphis, Tenn. majoring in history in international affairs.