Tag: Balkans

The Western Balkans

These days the Balkans are not in the news as they once were….for back in the days of Pres, Clinton there were several wars raging in the region and of course the US was ass deep in the action.

These wars came about after the fall of Yugoslavia and it breaks into separate nations……but why all the hostilities?

 

If you are a bit too young to remember those days…I have a short video that may help……

And because of these “hatreds” war broke out all among the nations that use to be known as Yugoslavia….

Now that I have refreshed everyone’s memory I will continue with why I bring all this up….

Why has America overlooked the geopolitical opportunities made possible by forging a stronger relationship with the Western Balkans?

In part, America’s renewed interest reflects a wish that Balkans wars remain a thing of the past. Equally important, the United States hopes the Balkans’ future will be as a net contributor to peace and prosperity in the transatlantic community.

Complaints that the United States is disengaging from Europe and indifferent to the fate of the region are just plain wrong headed. On the other hand, Washington could do much more than wishful thinking to transform the Western Balkans from backwater to a bedrock of progress.

The United States should be leading to redefine “balkanization.” Instead of representing fragmentation and division, the region ought to stand as example of integration and affluence.

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-build-better-balkans-27847

Our Dear Leader is the “Art of the Deal” president…..and because of his thrills of deals is harming the relations in the Balkans….

European officials are concerned the Trump administration’s hands-off approach to diplomacy could risk destabilizing a tinderbox region in Southeast Europe.

Europe’s major capitals — and until recently, Washington — have long opposed any proposal that toys with borders in the Western Balkans, fearing that such moves would disrupt the region’s delicate balance. But, under President Donald Trump, the US appears to have adopted a more ambivalent approach.

Europeans’ latest fears for the region center on Kosovo — which in 2008 unilaterally declared independence from Serbia — and the growing prospect of an agreement to redraw the border between the two countries.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/albertonardelli/serbia-kosovo-trump

I feel that all this “deal crap” shows the world that a business man may not be the best person to run a country….a company is not a country….maybe now the GOP will shut the Hell up about a successful businessman as a candidate.

Macedonia And Social Media

I have recently got some from Macedonia following IST (let me know who you are) it pleases me that I get people from all over to help me and my readers up to date on the events that I write about….after all I cannot be everywhere as much as I would like to……

I have been following the debate and the vote on the name thing that has been consuming the news from Macedonia…..https://lobotero.com/2018/06/13/macedonia-whats-in-a-name/

Now that I have the introduction and the lead in to this post….

It appears that American conservatives have been duped with fake news coming out of bots located in Macedonia…..

“This is the news of the millennium!” said the story on WorldPoliticus.com. Citing unnamed FBI sources, it claimed Hillary Clinton will be indicted in 2017 for crimes related to her email scandal.

“Your Prayers Have Been Answered,” declared the headline.

For Trump supporters, that certainly seemed to be the case. They helped the baseless story generate over 140,000 shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook.

Meanwhile, roughly 6,000 miles away in a small town in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, a young man watched as money began trickling into his Google AdSense account.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/how-macedonia-became-a-global-hub-for-pro-trump-misinfo

What is most humorous is that as that locate and identify these fake news bots…others pop up and the conservative base has a tendency to believe what they read or hear without checking the info out for accuracy.

Further Reading:

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/american-conservatives-fake-news-macedonia-paris-wade-libert

Montenegro–World War III?

How did I miss this international situation?

Most people know that I pride myself on my knowledge of countries and of the different foreign policies……and then we elected Our Dear Leader….and things went to Hell……

Montenegro is a small country that most people could not find on a $5 bet and yet in an interview on FOX with Carlson Our Dear Leader made Montenegro famous…..first what did he actually say?

President Trump suggested in a new interview that defending NATO ally Montenegro could end up causing World War III.

“I understand what you’re saying, I’ve asked the same question,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson that aired Tuesday night, after being asked why the U.S. should send troops to defend a small country. “Montenegro is a tiny country with very strong people. They’re very strong people. They are very aggressive people, they may get aggressive, and congratulations, you’re in World War III. But that’s the way it was set up.”

Just where is the country of aggressive people located?

How about a little info about the Balkan country….geography and a bit of history……

The use of the name Crna Gora or Black Mountain (Montenegro) began in the 13th century in reference to a highland region in the Serbian province of Zeta. The later medieval state of Zeta maintained its existence until 1496 when Montenegro finally fell under Ottoman rule. Over subsequent centuries, Montenegro managed to maintain a level of autonomy within the Ottoman Empire. From the 16th to 19th centuries, Montenegro was a theocracy ruled by a series of bishop princes; in 1852, it transformed into a secular principality. Montenegro was recognized as an independent sovereign principality at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. After World War I, during which Montenegro fought on the side of the Allies, Montenegro was absorbed by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. At the conclusion of World War II, it became a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. When the latter dissolved in 1992, Montenegro joined with Serbia, creating the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, shifting to a looser State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its right under the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro to hold a referendum on independence from the two-state union. The vote for severing ties with Serbia barely exceeded 55% – the threshold set by the EU – allowing Montenegro to formally restore its independence on 3 June 2006. In 2017, Montenegro joined NATO and is currently completing its EU accession process, having officially applied to join the EU in December 2008.

Now that we have our knowledge of Montenegro updated and we need to ask where did Our Dear Leader get his info on these aggressive people?

I think he got his information about having to fight these people from something Carlson read….something written a year before Trump was elected…..

Get used to the possibility that your son or daughter might end up dying for Montenegro because that country has just been invited to become the latest member of NATO, the Cold War organization that was brought into existence to defend Europe from America’s World War II partner and ally, the Soviet Union.

Just in case you’ve never heard of Montenegro or maybe don’t know where it is, here’s a link to Wikipedia’s page on the country: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montenegro. It seems to me that if your son or daughter might have to die in the defense of Montenegro, you might want to know a little about it or at least where it is located.

https://www.fff.org/2015/12/11/do-you-want-your-children-to-die-for-montenegro/

Now you know where Tucker Carlson got his question for Our Dear Leader.

Why would so many have a hard-on for Montenegro?  Good Question.

Then we had the plot to kill the PM and invite Russia to send in troops…..

Russian government was not involved into an alleged attempt to kill Montenegro’s Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, the Kremlin spokesman said

“We, obviously, categorically deny a possibility of official involvement into arranging any illegal actions,” Dmitry Peskov said in a response to a question on the investigation into a plot to kill Djukanovic.

A special prosecutor investigating an alleged plot to sway last month’s election in Montenegro said on Sunday a group of “Russian nationalists” had planned to assassinate the prime minister to get an opposition party into power

(reuters.com)

Macedonia-What’s In A Name?

Remember your history?  Macedonia the home of Alexander the Great, that sexual switch hitter, and then Macedonia was part of the old Communist country of Yugoslavia….then with the break up of Tito’s dream Macedonia started fighting for its independence….

Like most international situations I have written a bit on this one also…..

https://lobotero.com/2018/02/06/macedonia/

With all the problems in the world these days I find it fascinating that these two countries are in dispute over a name…..

That is right there has been a battle for the name, Macedonia…..and some 25 years or more they are still protesting and fighting over the name….

Macedonians are hoping that it is time for their country to make a step forward in the EU integration process this June. The past EU progress reports have pointed out some significant improvements in certain areas of the country, but there is more to be accomplished in the implementation of necessary reforms required by the European Union – the rule of law remains a must for Macedonian politics. Prime Minister Zaev is convinced that such reforms should be made not only for progress towards EU integration, but also for the country and the Macedonian people themselves.

But there is another key issue that Macedonia should solve before moving forward – its name issue with Greece. The 9th of June is the deadline for a final response. The disputes continue, as both countries are facing strong opposition of their own. None of the versions presented – Northern Macedonia, Upper Macedonia or New Macedonia – seems to have worked until now. President Ivanov has not accepted a solution that can be universally used. He is calling on Prime Minister Zaev to try to reach a national consensus in overcoming the name dispute and find a solution that will not violate Macedonian dignity

https://tsarizm.com/analysis/2018/06/07/macedonias-name-is-still-an-open-question-orban-supports-opposition-to-agreement/

That is right my friends the protests are over the name….not some domestic policy that has gone horribly wrong….but rather the name Macedonia….

Tens of thousands rallied in northern Greece on Wednesday to protest against a possible compromise solution to a long-running row between Athens and Skopje over the ex-Yugoslav republic’s name.

Protesters staged separate rallies in about 23 northern Greek cities. They held banners reading “Macedonia is Greek”, “Respect our history” and waved Greek flags.

“Macedonia is our soul! There is only one Macedonia and it is in Greece, where King Phillip and Alexander the Great were born,” said one of the rally speakers in Pella city, adding Greeks would never accept another country was called Macedonia.

(reuters.com)

Across the border Macedonians held another opinion of the name….

As Macedonia and Greece approach the final stages of talks over Macedonia’s name change, thousands have taken to the streets. Name tensions have stymied Macedonia’s efforts to join the EU, with Greece holding veto power.

Thousands of right-wing opposition supporters in Macedonia protested against plans to change the country’s name in the capital, Skopje, on Saturday.

Protesters waving Macedonian and party flags gathered in front of the main government building, with some holding banners reading “Macedonia will win.”

http://www.dw.com/en/macedonia-thousands-protest-countrys-name-change/a-44057516

While I was researching this situation there came word that there was the possibility of a solution to this name quandary…..

Greece and Macedonia are very close to a deal to resolve a decades-old dispute over the ex-Yugoslav republic’s name, government officials in Athens told Reuters.

The row has blocked the tiny Balkan state’s efforts to join the European Union and the NATO military alliance, of which Greece is a member.

Athens and Skopje are aiming to agree the broad outline of a settlement before an EU summit in late June, though any deal would need to clear a referendum in Macedonia and win approval from lawmakers in both countries.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev are expected to discuss the issue over the phone on Tuesday.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-macedonia-dispute/greece-macedonia-close-to-deal-on-name-dispute-greek-government-sources-idUSKBN1J80M5

Could this decades long dispute be close to a solution?

I will watch and write….as I always do…..

The Balkans, Smolder Again

Ever since the 1990’s I have watched the Balkans, since the split of the former Yugoslavia, because of the conflicts that fired up over the different independence movements in the region.

The Balkans have never been as calm as they wanted to be….it has been volatile and remains volatile….. I written about this region on several occasions….

https://lobotero.com/2017/05/01/the-balkans-smoldering-ashes-of-conflict/

https://lobotero.com/2018/04/10/what-of-the-balkans/

As you see the Balkans remain a source for conflict that never seems to go away……..read about the history of the Balkan Wars…..

The changes made in the map of Europe by the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 were not merely the occasion but a cause and probably the most potent, and certainly the most urgent, of all the causes that led to the World War which has been raging with such titanic fury since the summer of 1914.

Had the Balkan Allies after their triumph over Turkey not fallen out amongst themselves, had there been no second Balkan War in 1913, had the Turkish provinces wrested from the Porte by the united arms of Bulgaria, Greece, Servia, and Montenegro been divided amongst the victors either by diplomacy or arbitration substantial justice would have been done to all, none of them would have been humiliated, and their moderation and concord would have commended their achievement to the Great Powers who might perhaps have secured the acquiescence of Austria-Hungary in the necessary enlargement of Servia and the expansion of Greece to Saloniki and beyond.

http://historion.net/balkan-wars-1912-1913/introduction

The region is a source of wonder for me, at least….so many different ethnic groups in one small area has got to be a powder keg.

What Of The Balkans?

I spend a lot of time doing research on international situations……I usually concentrate my time on the affairs in the Middle East but from time to time I see a problem in the world that needs attention…..and this time it is the Balkans.

I have written a couple of post about the Balkans….listed below in case that wee missed….

https://lobotero.com/2017/03/03/balkans-a-return-to-yesteryear/

https://lobotero.com/2017/05/30/the-tinderbox-that-is-the-balkans/

This region is once again making the rounds in think tanks…..

  • The confluence of a rising series of pressures in the Balkans, as well as the attention of Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev – who has taken on the region as a special responsibility – suggests 2018 will see the launch of a renewed Russian campaign in the Balkans.
  • Russia looks to the Balkans as a battlefield in its “political war”, in part to compensate for its mixed success with “active measures” in Europe. Russia is seeking to create distractions and potentially bargaining chips with the EU, especially as this push coincides with the EU’s own renewed attention to the region.
  • The aim is not to assert authority over the region for its own sake so much as to harness and magnify existing tensions. In Russian eyes, the EU’s approach towards the Western Balkans is neither serious or systematic and so offers Moscow opportunities to create leverage.

http://www.ecfr.eu/publications/summary/do_the_western_balkans_face_a_coming_russian_storm

The Balkans are too confusing…..so many different countries with so many different agendas…..is there any way to make sense of the Balkans?

What might qualify in Germany or the United States as “political instability” would be seen as business as usual in the Balkans, where insecurity and political violence are all too common. Consider the following two examples. In Montenegro, NATO’s newest member, two car bombs exploded in the past seven days and a major protest against violence is being planned by a Western-funded nongovernmental organization for the weekend. In Kosovo, just days after Kosovar forces arrested and deported a Serbian government official, the prime minister fired his interior minister and his intelligence chief for deporting six Turks accused of being involved in the Gulenist movement, which Turkey blames for the 2016 attempted coup, without his approval. (The Kosovar president has refused to accept the dismissal of the intelligence chief, and he remains in his post.) In other parts of the world, events like these might attract attention. But in the Balkans, they barely raise eyebrows.

https://geopoliticalfutures.com/making-sense-balkans/

These are a few articles and/or white papers from a few think tanks….the US needs to worry for we have NO diplomatic corps to speak of and that does not bode well for a calming effect on the region.

Oh Albania!

Albania is one of those countries that people scratch their heads when it is talked about…..

Is the US really in bed with a terrorist organization?

I ask this because MEK is what is called a “terrorist” organization……

On March 22, 2018 the former Mayor of New York and adviser to President Trump, Rudy Giuliani was in Tirana. He was invited to Albania’s capital by Maryam Rajavi, the head of the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) organization, to celebrate the Iranian festival of Nowruz with the Iranian jihadist organization which Albania has hosted since 2013. In this meeting, which was secretly organized by the Mojahedin, Giuliani showed his support for some 3.000 Iranian radicals that Albania hosts. In his speech Giuliani encouraged the Mojahedin to continue their fight against the government of Iran and called for regime change in Tehran.

The gathering of the Mojahedin was also attended by three Albanian politicians. They were Pandeli Majko, Minister for the Diaspora in the present Albanian government. Majko served as Minister of the Interior during the era of secret CIA renditions in Eastern Europe when Albania was used by the CIA to rendition and torture people. Majko who has never denied his cooperation with the CIA or the existence of secret prisons in Albania, has defended the illegal renditions and torture and has criticized those who spoke against the torture chambers of the CIA.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/is-albania-a-partner-of-the-us-in-supporting-international-terrorism/5633671

Maybe there is something to the conspiracy theory that the US is in league with terrorists…….

Macedonia?

Macedonia is not necessarily Macedonia.

Ever heard of Philip of Macedonia?

Of course you have….he was the father of Alexander the Great……

No history lesson this time….however a geography lesson is called for…..

There is a debate and an argument going on these days in the region….there is a Macedonia that came into being after the collapse of Yugoslavia and a state within Greece that is called Macedonia…..the dispute is just who gets to claim the name of Macedonia…..

Greece and neighboring Macedonia have been at loggerheads for more than a quarter-century over an issue at the heart of the newer nation’s existence and identity: its name.

The term “Macedonia” is a source of such nationalist fervor on both sides that the dispute has left the Balkan country without a universally recognized name and unable to join international institutions such as NATO.

The country emerged from the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, and was recognized by the United Nations in 1993 under the provisional name Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. International institutions still use that officially, although more than 130 countries simply refer to Macedonia.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ap-explains-macedonia-greece-name-dispute-goes-back-171658609.html

This might seem like a minor dispute to most Americans but in reality it is a major source of contention in the Balkans….

More than 100,000 protesters from across Greece converged on Athens’ main square on Sunday to protest a potential Greek compromise in a dispute with neighbouring Macedonia over the former Yugoslav republic’s official name.

The dispute broke out after Macedonia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Greece argues use of the name implies territorial claims on its own province of Macedonia, once home of Alexander the Great.

Hundreds of buses brought protesters in from around the country, while more people arrived on ferries from the islands. Chanting “Hands off Macedonia!” and “Macedonia belongs to Greece!” the protesters converged on Syntagma Square, in front of the Greek parliament

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/04/hundreds-of-thousands-join-macedonia-name-protest-in-athens

What’s in a name?

https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/02/04/582506402/for-two-countries-the-dispute-over-macedonias-name-is-rooted-in-national-identit

ISIS Acquires A New Target

There is a lot of chest thumping at the diminished presence of ISIS in Iraq and Syria…..some, Trump included, are even going so far as to claim the ISIS is a dead organization.

I am not one of those people.

I have written numerous times that ISIS is diminished but not totally defeated….to me Southern Asia is looking like the next region that could suffer from the rise of ISIS….even Africa is part of the resurrection….and there is yet another area that could be in the ISIS game plan…..the Balkans.

So-called Islamic State has vowed to decapitate ‘infidels’ and kill Serbs, Croats and Muslim ‘traitors’ in the Balkans in a new threat to the region published in the Bosnian version of the jihadists’ magazine.

“No, we swear by Allah, we have not forgotten the Balkans,” the Bosnian version of ISIS’s magazine Rumiyah warned as the terror organisation issued a new threat to the region.

In an article entitled “The Balkans – Blood for Enemies, and Honey for Friends”, the terror group makes direct threats to Serbs and Croats over their roles in the Balkan wars, as well as to Muslim ‘traitors’ to the Islamic faith.

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/isis-wows-to-wreak-vengeance-on-balkans-in-new-threat-06-08-2017

Now the question is…… will the US return to the Balkans militarily?

The 1990’s gave us the Balkans Wars of Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia….the US and NATO fought several wars in the region….is the Trump admin willing to return to the Balkans…..

Making the world a safer place….one war at a time.

Must We Fight This Thing Again?

The US and its allies fought a war while Clinton was president…..that would be the 1990’s…..in the region called the Balkans.

I have been keeping my eyes on the region for some grievances were not addressed when the ceasefire went into effect…..

Source: The Tinderbox That Is The Balkans – In Saner Thought

Source: The Balkans: Smoldering Ashes Of Conflict – In Saner Thought

Few people are watching the crisis unfold….but many will weigh in when it comes to a full fledged shooting conflict….

On April 27, masked nationalists stormed the Macedonian parliament, injuring Social Democratic Party leader Zoran Zaev, among many others.

It wasn’t an isolated incident in the Western Balkans, a region that comprises Albania and the former Yugoslav countries of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Twenty-five years after the fall of communism, Western Balkan countries have become halfway democracies and the region struggles with ethnic, religious and nationalist tensions.

Here are three main issues that can explain the political crisis in these countries:

Source: Why are the Western Balkans in crisis? These are the three primary tensions. – The Washington Post

Not much has changed in 26 years…only all out war has not yet taken the place of debate……but as things escalate there is only a matter of time before the region returns to all out conflict….

It can be avoided but not by ignoring the problems….right now it looks like we are trying to ignore the gorilla in the room….this could be very disastrous to the region and to the US policies…..

Time for someone to take this bull by the horns….