It is essential that self-determination should be a right for geographically economically coherent areas. It is reasonable that old boundaries keep their status as units for taking such democratic decisions and that there is not a fractal division into smaller and smaller units.
The Albanian attacks in Albanian areas in Southern Serbia are reactionary because they can at best only lead to a redefinition of the border, shaving parts of southern Serbia off to join an Albanian republic of Kosovo. The price is much worse division, let alone suffering, between the working people of the different communities.
Similarly in Mitrovica the attempt to eliminate minorities within subordinate areas can only imply at best the shaving off of a norther slice of Kosovo to Serbia. The people who may get terrified into losing their homes, are either the Serbian enclave in the northern part of Mitrovica or the Albanian rural enclave just to the north of them. So a 15 year old boy gets killed. etc etc.
Now the French Nato forces are between the two communities. This is the folly of not giving state power to the armed KLA, and placing on them the responsibility of keeping the peace in return for financial aid.
Turgid though Stalin's articulation of the right of nations to self determination is, it is largely correct. Where there is not a relatively large economic and political unit that can take a decision about secession, it is important to uphold the rights of minorities within that state structure.
Some of course will leave out of fear and discomfort, but there is no alternative to the state power being accountable for upholding the safety of Serbs in Mitrovica, and Albanians in Southern Serbia, so long as they accept the majority vote of their two provinces.
Anything else is a recipe for further damaging divisions between ordinary working people, and is reactionary.
Chris Burford
London