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Kosovo's bid for independence is based upon the fact that all but a small minority of its citizens are Albanian, with that minority being Serbian. Thus in essence it is resting its case on ethnic grounds. However, one has to question whether such a stance can be justified in a globalised world where diversity of population is becoming the norm rather than the exception as a result of migration.

According to Sergei Lavrov, who was speaking on Russia FM radio in January 2008, granting Kosovo independence from Serbia would have serious implications for a number of states world-wide that are seeking self-rule, which he numbered at around 200 including some within the former communist and Balkan states. Protesting that this bid for independence breaches existing international laws on territory, Lavrov claims that it opens the door to a situation where the UN will be forced to "give (almost) anything to anyone or state."

US diplomats, whose country supports Kosovo's bid for independence, deny this as scare mongering, claiming that their decision to support independence in this one instance is simply that, a one off concession, and that the US would not take the same step with any future move of a similar nature. Yet in reality the US position is unsustainable for two main reasons.

Firstly, as many expert observers have pointed out, one of the fundamental elements of international law is the force of precedent and, by granting the wishes of the Kosovo people for independence, this will form a founding precedent for those provinces in other areas of the world seeking self-rule now or in the future. Secondly, international law has evolved on the basic principle of fairness. Justice in this respect is in the hands of the scales of balance. What is fair for one has to be fair for all for the judicial system to work. Therefore no individual country, including the US, can unilaterally make the statement that these diplomats have and expect their view to take precedence over the rule of law.

For these reasons the impact of granting Kosovo independence does provide a spur for pro-self-rule provinces to follow their lead. This action could result in similar demands being made by other areas of the world where conflict related to selfrule is taking place. These include other Balkan provinces as well as many in the Middle East, which includes such countries as Iraq, and the far eastern regions of Taiwan and Tibet.

Furthermore, the pro-self-rule provinces are not confined sole to

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