Nationhood: Ties that Bind, or Free?

The article discusses Kosovo and questions it raises about the concept of national sovereignty. Topics discussed include Jozep Broz Tito's rule in Yugoslavia, the subsequent rule of Slobodan Milosevic and its malign impact on Kosovo, the redrawing of national boundaries and transfers of populations following World War II, and the experience of certain Soviet republics following the demise of the Soviet Union. The author concludes that in the twenty-first century, the concept of a nation state seldom matches it reality.