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Theodore Felix View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Kosovo
    Posted: 11-Jun-2008 at 03:43

The Czech Republic gives up on recognition of Kosovo independence.


Apparently the idea was picked up again as the Czech Republic recognized Kosova some time back.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30-May-2008 at 15:01
Originally posted by Theodore Felix

And they all eat burek, drink rakija,


Well, I as well eat burek and drink rakija.

Even if there will be a union of Greater Albania, I do not think it will last long. The same happened with other unions and ended catastrophically.


For too long I've been parched of thirst and unable to quench it.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30-May-2008 at 08:05
BBC interview with Vuk Jeremic:

Part 1: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=WiA0pKaTHgM
Part 2: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=YbtnxZQoD-Q
Part 3: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=OIu5LdGPGYg
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09-Apr-2008 at 04:45
A very interesting blog from a western observer:

Some thoughts on Greater Albania, Part 1
by Douglas Muir

Okay, first thought: there is not going to be a Greater Albania in the political sense.

The Albanians of Albania, Kosovo, and Macedonia are evolving away from political union, not towards it. Kosovos new Constitution has no union with any other state as Article One, and thats not just wallpaper for the internationals; the Kosovar Albanians, having finally gained their independence, have no interest in being ruled from distant Tirana. Meanwhile the Albanians of Albania are discovering the Kosovars are well poor. Theyre happy to greet them as cousins, but arent interested in adding a large, poor, backwards and densely populated northern province. Macedonia is the only place you can still find enthusiasm for Greater Albania , and even there its increasingly marginal the two large Albanian parties both are seeking their advantage within Macedonia, not outside it.

So why the post? Well, because even though there wont be a Greater Albania, the Balkans are seeing a completely new phenomenon: the emergence of Albanians as an important political force.

Twenty years ago, Albania was a Communist hermit kingdom. The large Albanian minority in Yugoslavia was part of Yugoslav politics dominant in Kosovo, negligible elsewhere. Albanians were not a significant political, social or economic force anywhere outside of Kosovo and Albania itself.

Today, Albanians have two countries of their own and a big chunk of a third. Theyre a key minority in Montenegro. And in Greece, theyre set to be a huge minority in a country that doesnt deal well with minorities. So the 21st century history of the Balkans is going to be, to a great extent, the history of the Albanian Question.

I think this will be a two-post series. In the second post, Ill look at individual countries. In this one, I want to look at just one question: why do the Albanians suddenly matter?
There are two answers to this.

1) The fall of Communism. Its a gross oversimplification to say that Communism froze history. But theres a grain of truth to it. And in the case of Albanians, its particularly relevant. The Albanian Question first emerged in the wake of the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, when Europe suddenly realized that the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in Europe had left behind a large, distinct ethnic group without a country of its own. Albania was cobbled together quickly (in large part to deny Serbia access to the sea,), but its boundaries bore little relation to where Albanians actually lived.

In the interwar period, the Albanian kingdom fell more and more under the dominance of Mussolinis Italy, until the Duce outright colonized it on the eve of WWII. Greece and Yugoslavia, meanwhile, solved the problem of their Albanian minorities by a combination of treating them badly and ignoring them. Unsurprisingly, in WWII these minorities tended to favor the Axis; and unsurprisingly, at the end of WWII they suffered accordingly, especially in Greece, where the Greeks seized the opportunity to ethnically cleanse their Cham Albanian minority out of existence.

Still a broad belt of Albanian settlement remained, stretching across the penninsula through Kosovo to Macedonia. Most of it was now in Communist Yugoslavia, which solved the ethnic problem about as well as Communist Yugoslavia solved any of its other ethnic problems. So when Communism collapsed and Yugoslavia disintegrated, there the Albanians still were.

Thats half the answer. The other half is,

2) Albanians have kids.

Lots of them.

Oh, theyre slowing down. A generation back, the typical Albanian family had six or eight kids. Today theyre down to two or three, and falling. Basically theyre following the same track as their Balkan neighbors, just a generation or two behind.

But that generation makes a huge difference. Heres a list of TFRs (Total Fertility Rate, expected number of children per woman) for the Albanians and their neighbors:

Albania 2.37
Montenegro 1.83
Serbia 1.75
Macedonia 1.56
Greece 1.56
Bulgaria 1.39

The difference is actually bigger than these numbers suggest, because of the phenomenon of demographic inertia: Albanian communities have younger populations, with more young women in their peak child-bearing years.

So, while all of Albanias neighbors have aging and declining populations, the number of Albanians continues to grow. The growth is slowing, and will probably flatten out to zero in another fifteen or twenty years. But in the meantime, the relative number of Albanians will continue to grow.

(Let me pre-empt a stupid comment here. No, its not because the Albanians are The Muslim Menace, determined to overwhelm decadent Europe with their savage fertility. About a quarter of Albanians are Christians, and the three-quarters that are nominally Muslim are notoriously irreligious. Their fertility rates are high because theyre poor and socially conservative. Note that they were even higher back in the days when Albania was the worlds only official atheist state, with religious practice strictly forbidden.)

The impact of Albanian growth was most obvious in Kosovo, where Albanians went from about 68% to 82% in two generations partly because of differential emigration, but mostly because of all those children. Its also a factor in Macedonia, where the Albanian minority has grown from just under a quarter of the population back at the time of independence to more like 30% today. But 20 years from now, its going to be a particular concern in a country thats currently not much worried about it: Greece.

But thats a story for another post. Meanwhile, key point: while the Albanian communities of the Balkans are not interested in political union, they are intensely interested in each other. Greater Albania, as Ive said, is a silly idea; these days its mostly a scare image, a bogeyman for Serbian and Greek nationalists. But there is what we might call an Albanosphere.

Albanians travel freely across the various borders; they listen to the same music, read the same articles republished in various newspapers and magazines, and are quick to each others defense. Albanians in Albania follow Macedonian politics with interest, arguing over which party better represents ethnic Albanian interests there, while Albanians in Montenegro can speak for hours on the difference between (current Albanian PM) Sali Berisha and (former Albanian PM) Fatos Nano. Albanians in Kosovo I can say from firsthand experience have an intimate knowledge of slurs and bad treatment directed at Albanians in Greece. Albanians everywhere vote for the Albanian Eurovision entry, cheer the Albanian football team, and stayed out all night celebrating the independence of Kosovo. And they all eat burek, drink rakija, and can bore you senseless with stories about Skanderbeg.

The Albanosphere: its here, and the rest of us will have to get used to it. Because its going to shape Balkan politics and society for a long, long time to come.

http://fistfulofeuros.net/afoe/minorities-and-integration/some-thoughts-on-greater-albania-part-1

Edited by Theodore Felix - 09-Apr-2008 at 04:46
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26-Mar-2008 at 17:15
The Czech Republic gives up on recognition of Kosovo independence. 
"I know not with what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones."
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24-Mar-2008 at 22:21
Albanians return to Macedonian government. Compromise reached, they gave up on the request for the (Former Yugoslav) Republic of Macedonia to recognize independence of Kosovo; all the others will be fulfilled. 
"I know not with what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones."
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22-Mar-2008 at 14:11
I am not sure this is the reason, but I suppose Bulgarian reasoning was something from the sort of not to wake the sleaping tiger -- just few months ago Bulgaria made several important agreements with Russia against EU position, so now it was turn to support EU in less principal for Bulgaria question. I am not sure if this is true though.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22-Mar-2008 at 13:42
Originally posted by Anton

That is sad indeed.

nothing came from Bulgaria at all
BTW many Bulgarian intellectuals were shaprly against this recognition. The wrote very strong letter to the authorities.  


Well yeah, polling says the vast majority of Bulgarians oppose independence of Kosovo - but that still doesn't change the politicians. For instance, in a poll conducted by the Slovenian government, over 70% of Slovenes oppose independence of Kosovo. Does/did that affect the government's policy as the most fearsome endorser of Kosovo independence amongst the Slavic nations? No. The Poles also have a tight majority against recognition of Kosovo, making Croatia the sole Slavic nation in which majority is in favor of recognition of independence.


Edited by Yugoslav - 22-Mar-2008 at 13:44
"I know not with what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones."
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22-Mar-2008 at 11:44

That is sad indeed.

nothing came from Bulgaria at all
BTW many Bulgarian intellectuals were shaprly against this recognition. The wrote very strong letter to the authorities.  
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21-Mar-2008 at 21:53
Originally posted by xristar

Bulgaria recognized KossovoDisapprove


Bulgaria really has no interest in Serbia. It originally (long time ago) opposed it for Slavic solidarity, but in generally it doesn't care, and independence of Kosovo is in its interests for exporting energy.

For instance, the Hungarian and Croatian Foreign Ministers came to Belgrade and apologized in the name of their country, expressed that the decision was not really easy and that they personally oppose it. Despite a "common action", nothing came from Bulgaria at all.
"I know not with what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones."
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21-Mar-2008 at 11:13
Bulgaria recognized KossovoDisapprove

Defeat allows no explanation
Victory needs none.
It insults the dead when you treat life carelessly.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20-Mar-2008 at 10:36
"despite strong opposition from Serbia and Russia."
Didn't Russian troops leave Kosovo few years ago? Can someone explain me how is it connected to present day opposition? Wasn't it obvious that soon or later declaration of independence will happen?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20-Mar-2008 at 00:48
Bush OKs supplying arms to Kosovo

1 hour ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) President George W. Bush authorized Wednesday supplying Kosovo with weapons, signaling the establishment of government-to-government relations after recognizing its independence, the White House said.

In a memo to the State Department made public by the White House, Bush said: "I hereby find that the furnishing of defense articles and defense services to Kosovo will strengthen the security of the United States and promote world peace."

A senior official said the authorization followed US recognition of Kosovo's independence and was part of the normal process of establishing relations with a new government.

In a comment apparently meant to allay concerns from Serbia and its ally Russia, the official stressed the military restrictions imposed on Kosovo under a plan by former UN special envoy for Kosovo Martti Ahtisaari.

Under the Ahtisaari plan, which is the basis for Kosovo's supervised independence, Kosovo is allowed a lightly armed 2,500-person security force under NATO oversight and training.

Kosovo, an Albanian-dominated Serbian province under UN administration since 1999, unilaterally declared its independence on February 17. The United States recognized it on March 18, despite strong opposition from Serbia and Russia.

The US official, who asked not to be identified, said the US weapons deliveries were preparing the ground for the future, adding that the United States had struck similar relations with other countries in the region.

Furthermore, the official said, provisions of defense equipment and services would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The official said that providing military equipment to Kosovo would improve security relations and engagement with Kosovo, promote security and stability throughout the Balkans, improve Kosovo's capacity to take part in peacekeeping activities, to detect, deter and defeat terrorists, and to deal with humanitarian emergencies.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jTYBWxbnwoby8z38DtzDO_W31Bww
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-Mar-2008 at 12:49
The DS & G17+ pro-Western liberal-social-democratic parties have majority in the government, and they now use it to outnumber the Prime Minister's minority.

On Thursday the parliament shall declare about the SRS' resolution on the EU (integration into the EU must be stopped the moment it pre-requisites recognition of Kosovo for admission and relations strained if UNSCR 1244 and Kosovo don't continue to be referred to in treaties with the European Union).
"I know not with what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones."
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06-Mar-2008 at 22:12
Serbian government crises deepens as Kostunica takes another blow.

Belgrade - The Serbian government coalition plunged deeper into a paralyzing crisis Thursday, with angry exchanges between partners unable to agree on whether the European perspective or Kosovo came first.

'There is no common government policy on the key issue for the country's future any more,' Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia said after the premier received a second blow by his allies in as many days.

Just before, ministers from President Boris Tadic's Democratic Party and the reformist G17 shot down a Kosovo resolution which Kostunica and DSS wanted voted on in the parliament.

In the assembly on Wednesday, the same two parties blocked the resolution, which they said was anti-European. DSS stopped short of directly siding with the opposition to force a new government coalition.

The resolution drafted by the ultra-nationalist opposition and approved by DSS would have effectively cemented Serbia's turn away from EU by demanding that Brussels renounce the independence of Kosovo.

The demand was impossible, as leading Western countries already recognized Kosovo and EU has sent a law-enforcing mission to the breakaway province to help along its first sovereign months.

The DSS, which holds disproportionately large authority in the government owing to its position between the blocs of pro-European and hard-line, pro-Russian nationalists, said it would decide early next week which step to take.

Kostunica has been accusing the West of dismembering Serbia by supporting the secession of the Albanian-dominated Kosovo in violation of international law. He already froze Serbia's EU membership talks in protest.

Tadic and his bloc also insist on Serbian sovereignty over Kosovo, but also say that the country must progress toward EU membership or face isolation and decline.

The strife over Kosovo and its path to the EU, because Tadic's bloc has paralyzed Serbia because Tadic controls the majority in Kostunica's cabinet, but is a minority in parliament since DSS moved very close to the nationalists.

Analysts and most politicians not involved in the ruling coalition see early elections as the only way out of the deadlock, though DSS could also pact with the nationalist Serbian Radical Party and Slobodan Milosevic's socialists for a new cabinet.

Popularity surveys however indicated that though on a back foot, Kostunica would after elections held now still hold the keys of balance between the surging nationalists and the also strengthened pro-Europeans.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05-Mar-2008 at 13:53
Quit triping the wires guys, I can't hear what people say.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-Mar-2008 at 22:35
Originally posted by Temujin


take it granted...
it's your right.
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-Mar-2008 at 18:59
Originally posted by Anton

 
after your crappy participation in this topic I can only recomend you to learn yourself. Any knowledge, my friend, needs to be deserved Star


since you fail to teach me anything about genetics i take it granted you have absolutely no idea about genetics at all unless you proove the opposite Star
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-Mar-2008 at 10:25
Originally posted by Yugoslav

Why don't we open a separate subject on Catholicism in Bulgaria & Serbia (Medieval era)? 
Go on! I'll dig some information.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-Mar-2008 at 02:46
plaese open another topic both for our interest and this threadSmile
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