much more justified than the support given by the United States and some European countries. Without a doubt, Russia has taken the moral high ground.

Real intentions

In fact, the three parties all have different agendas regarding the Kosovo issue. The United States launched the Kosovo War in 1999 ostensibly to prevent a "humanitarian crisis" in Kosovo. But its real purpose was to overthrow the regime of Slobodan Milosevic, which it labeled as "the last Communist stronghold in Europe." Although Serbia has fulfilled its democratic transition fueled by the United States and Europe, Washington still clings to the outdated policy of "weakening Serbia." Former U.S. Special Envoy to Kosovo Richard Holbrooke had to admit that the United States was somewhat logically confused in this regard.

The United States is home to a large number of immigrants with Albanian origins. They have formed lobby groups to exert influence on the U.S. Congress over the Kosovo issue. They have persuaded some U.S. politicians that Kosovo's ethnic Albanians are suffering from the oppression of Serbia and that their demands should be met.

After the Kosovo War, the United States began to shift its strategic focus to Asia. It launched military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. With Kosovo's independence, the United States will be able to extricate itself from the Balkan region and concentrate on Middle Eastern affairs.

Because the Kosovo issue is, after all, a European issue, EU members believe that the EU should play a major role. Although some of them are concerned about the consequences of Kosovo's independence, most countries, including Britain, France, Germany and Italy, have chosen to follow the footsteps of the United States partly under U.S. pressure. It is also their hope that instabilities in Kosovo will eventually be eradicated as ethnic Albanians commit themselves to building a normal country, achieving national reconciliation and addressing organized crime.

Russia has hardly been regarded as an equal partner of the West. The United States' deployment of anti-missile systems in the Czech Republic and Poland has further provoked the country. With its national strength swelling and big-power mentality being restored, it tends to stand against everything that the West is in favor of to assert its international influence.

The Kosovo issue has provided a stage for the wrangling between Russia and the United States or the West. Russia's relations with the West soured before Kosovo's declaration of independence. Washington's plans to set up anti-missile systems in the Czech Republic and Poland touched upon Russia's most sensitive nerve. Russia's disputes with Western countries over the Kosovo issue also exemplified their deteriorating relations.

Some scholars believe Russia was against Kosovo's independence because of the issue of Chechnya, where separatists have long sought independence from the Russian Federation. It should be noted that Russia opposed NATO's intervention in Kosovo by citing this concern in 1999 but compromised in the end. A basic fact is that Serbia is a small country whereas Russia is a major power. The Western countries will by no means interfere in the Chechen issue the way they have done with the Kosovo issue.

During the negotiations on Kosovo's future status, many scholars and officials in Western countries pointed out that Russia would eventually compromise with the West because Russia had almost no interest in the Balkan region. But things have recently changed. In January, Russia signed two agreements with Serbia on energy cooperation. According to the agreements, Serbia will take part in the proposed South Stream gas pipeline project in south Russia. Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom will route a northern branch of the South Stream through south Serbia to supply gas to Europe.

After the signing ceremony, Putin said the pipeline network would be "long-lasting, reliable and highly efficient." The agreements signed would make Serbia a key oil and gas hub in the Balkan region, he said. The project will help boost energy supplies not only in Serbia but also on the entire European continent, and is poised to raise Serbia's geopolitical status.

Also, Gazprom will acquire a 51-percent stake in NIS, the Serbian state-owned oil company, for about $586 million. Because the price offered by Gazprom was far lower than the market price and because the Serbian Government refused bids from EU countries, Western commentators pointed out that Serbia wanted to use this deal to win Russia's support for its stance on the Kosovo issue. Russia also pledged to invest some $730 million in NIS to help it modernize its technology by 2012. It also will build a 300 million-cubic-meter underground gas storage facility and an oil refinery in northern Serbia.

Now that Russia has real interest in the Balkan region and is economically involved in Serbia, it is predictable that contention between Russia and the United States over issues such as energy, Kosovo, anti-missile systems and the eastward expansion of NATO, will persist well into the future.