Lost Moral Authority

After the U.S. Embassy was sacked in Kosovo, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. complained, "I'm outraged by the mob attack against the U.S. embassy in Belgrade. The embassy is sovereign US territory. The government of Serbia has a responsibility under international law to protect diplomatic facilities, particularly embassies." Jamie Rubin, Madeleine Albright's deputy, said, "It is sovereign territory of the United States under international law. For Serbia to allow these protesters to break windows, break into the American Embassy, is a pretty dramatic sign."

These complaints are particularly rich, when the United States breached international law by helping draft Kosovo's declaration, then accepting its independence, all the while showing no respect for Serbia's sovereignty. Although Serbian citizens acted wrongly in destroying American property, the United States government has little moral authority to complain of a violation of international law and a failiure to respect its sovereignty.