Just like Dimitrij Rupel, the Slovene foreign minister, I would be happier if the Kosovo crisis were not on his country’s watch in the European Union (“A Balkan Fable,” December 8, 2007). As luck would have it, the rotating presidency fell to Slovenia right between two European giants, Germany and France, at this crucial juncture. Fortunately, things are not as bad as they look at first sight. In addition to all the pluses and minuses of Slovenia’s presidency, which you dutifully take into account, I would add one huge plus in its favor: whatever happens in Kosovo, the Union will rightly be seen far and wide as a geopolitical irrelevance. Or slightly better, to err on the side of mindless optimism. Only imagine Kosovo’s future without America’s muscular support! If the Kosovo crisis were on either Germany’s or France’s watch, everything could easily get so much more confusing to no effect whatsoever. Hail Slovenia, after all!