One of the most remarkable world news last weekend was the strange and indirect negotiations that took place between the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia at the White House in the United States. They were strange in form, because the heads of delegations and states sat in front of US President Donald Trump, who received them as if he were a strict school principal disciplining a disobedient student, and then made them sign a memorandum, the content of which, judging by their reaction, they didn’t even know.
In this context, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova decided to show her intelligence once again by mocking Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with a vulgar joke. This clearly demonstrated to the Serbs, who were offended by Washington’s arrogant approach, that Moscow is no different in its outright rudeness.
The content of the negotiations was no less strange. The main idea was clear — to contribute to the solution of the long-standing Serbian-Kosovar crisis through mutual recognition of the parties and the beginning of cooperation between them. If this happened with Washington’s support, it would convincingly demonstrate that strategic decisions regarding the Balkans are made there, and not in Beijing, Moscow, or even Brussels.
However, it is equally clear that the Serbian authorities, despite their wishes, cannot unconditionally recognize Kosovo’s independence without at least some of their demands being met, such as addressing the problems of the Serbian population in their northern regions. Therefore, instead of a final settlement of this issue, an agreement was reached on the start of cooperation between Serbia and the still unrecognized Kosovo in various practical areas, such as free movement of their citizens, mutual recognition of diplomas, elimination of customs duties, etc.
But what was strange about the content of these negotiations was not that. It was the inclusion of two additional points in this list by the White House. First, that Kosovo and Serbia agree to join the group of countries (currently 69) seeking the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality. Second, that Serbia would move its representation in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and that Kosovo would establish diplomatic relations with Israel, for which Donald Trump forced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to recognize this state.
None of these issues imposed on Kosovo and Serbia have anything to do with the problems in their relations. So why did they have to be forced to accept them? This is a very interesting question, the answer to which allows us to understand the nature of American foreign policy.
Donald Trump has publicly declared that he is an American nationalist. And it is known that nationalists fight not only for the interests of their own country, but also for the interests of their compatriots living abroad. That is why Poland now issues «Polish cards» to citizens of foreign states who have Polish roots and identity; Turkey monitors the situation of Crimean Tatars and repatriates Ahiska Turks. And finally, the classic example is Israel itself, which proclaims itself as a state that protects and offers refuge to Jews worldwide.
So what is American nationalism according to Trump? Unlike Poland’s concern for Poles, Turkey’s concern for Turks, or Israel’s concern for Jews worldwide, American nationalism according to Trump apparently consists of caring for the interests of homosexuals worldwide, as well as ultra-Zionist circles pursuing a policy of maintaining the occupation and further annexation of Palestine.
So if Polish nationalism looks Polish, Turkish nationalism looks Turkish, and Israeli nationalism looks Jewish, then Trump’s nationalism in these situations looks less American and more homo-Zionist. And this makes relations with him very problematic for nation-states like Kosovo, a Muslim-majority country, or Serbia, a Christian-majority country, whose peoples are subjected to decisions imposed by this «American nationalism» that have nothing to do with their values, their problems, or, truth be told, with the interests of the American nation itself.