Identification - Part IV

In the last few months judges have narrowed the choice for the Kosovar flag and emblem down to three. Avoiding ethnic sensitivity is still one of the main criteria, but this week the head of the commission deciding on the symbols announced also that the flag should be simple enough for a six-year-old child to draw. I liked that remark.

The first picture above shows one of the three final designs. It shows the contours of Kosovo in white on a blue background, surrounded by five stars. The biggest star would represent Albanians, who account for 90 percent of Kosovo's 2 million people. The other stars show other communities (Serbs, Roma, Ashkaeli and Egyptians). The background refers to Kosovo's future direction: the European Union.

This is not surprising: the current flag of the recent Yugoslav breakaway state Bosnia shows similar characteristics. Nonetheless it is interesting to note that Kosovars tend to make such a pragmatic move. During the NATO bombings in the late nineties and the recent status negotiations, the USA have shown more determination in allowing Kosovo independence. The Europe Union followed hesitantly with some members still openly refusing to recognize Kosovo's independence. Consequently earlier versions of the flag looked more like the 51st state of the USA (see the second design from the USA Albanian lobbyist DioGuardi). With choosing for the blue flag Kosovo shows a lot of pragmatism and maturity.

The choice for the flag will only be made after the independence. That means that for the flag waving on Independence Day the Albanian flag will be used.