It is easy to mock. Kosovo’s search for a national anthem ended this week with the selection of an effort from local composer Mehdi Mendiqui. It is a 58-second tune with no words. Certainly, that is not a bold choice, but if you are a country founded recently, your history is all about fighting people and not everybody concedes that you should even exist, maybe humming is not the worst idea.

If truth be told, Kosovo’s difficulty in finding a truly stirring anthem says as much about the institution of the national anthem as it does about the situation of Kosovo. Traditional anthems glorify fallen heroes and celebrate the slaughter of dastardly foes. Such themes are tricky these days, and not just for Kosovo.