The apparent ouster of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosovic is an important step in the right direction, but is not a simple cure for the region, says University of Oregon Balkans expert Ronald Wixman. "This is only in part a democratic revolution. These are same people who approved Milosovic’s ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Croatia for the last six years. They’re not angry that he committed these atrocities; they’re angry at the way he has mismanaged Serbia." Wixman, a professor of political geography, is a nationally recognized expert on the Balkans who has consulted with the U.S. State Department on policy in the region. Wixman is concerned that President-elect Vojislav Kostunica, who is a Serb-national himself, may not wish to accept the legitimate rights of more than 1.5 million ethnic Albanians. These people are the traditional inhabitants of Kosovo, which is the issue that brought United Nations peacekeepers to the region in the first place, he says. "We need a Serbian leader who goes back to providing equal rights to all citizens–including Kosovar Albanians." SOURCE: Ronald Wixman, UO professor of geography, (541) 346-4568 (office); (541) 686-2557 (home); e-mail rwixman@oregon.uoregon.edu.

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