THE BALKANS: Gangsters and Albanian Nationalism

strategypage.com ^ | August 17, 2003 | Q & D Headlines

[wonders]

Good post as usual, Wraith. You've distilled your experience and observations down to its/their basic meaning and made the significance comprehensible to even the most hard-headed among us.

And speaking of the "Red Room" I wonder if our friend Fusion is familiar with a certain bar in Phnom Penh known as "Heart of Darkness"? If so, he can tell us about the ashtrays there. (Actually, the bathroom is even more interesting, but I digress.) Or Mr. D should certainly be able to. Heck, Fusion should be able to guess the answer without even having to consult Mr. D., don't you think?

To the rest of you: Hey it is old home week! Good to "see" you all here!

[getoffmylawn]

Wraith and wonders are non-Serbs with extensive experience in the field. Their objectivity is something for which you should strive.

Rise to the argument.

Stop lowering yourself to the Serbs' weakest point of view or forever be labeled a joke.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

When FR Serbocrazies call me a "joke" it means I speak the truth. And they know it.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

The difference between a honkey klansman racist from the Old South and a Serbocrazy on FR is that the former know that if they use the kind of language to describe blacks that the latter use to describe Albanians, they'll be banned.

[Kenny Bunk]

Ronly Bonly, The Balkans are no bowl of cherries. The Serbs,(especially) the Croats, and the Montenegrins are certainly no angels. However, I believe the Albanians, particularly in their Muslim form are the devils, at this time, in this witch's brew. For us to take their side as allies in this internecine struggle was ludicrous. What about Jihad and Albanians are you missing?

Racially, Albanians are no different than any other European. The only way one might tell them apart from anyone else, is if they are taking your car on a stormy night in Dusseldorf, or Oslo, or any other European city.

Surely, even a non-bigot such as yourself finds it at least a bit odd that an entire nation's largest (and by a huge percentage) foreign currency earner is stolen cars, parts, and heroin. Even Colombia exports oil and coffee to balance out the cocaine trade. No such luck from Albania. Why their energy is directed outwards, and not toward developing Albania, which has vast economic potential, is just a cosmic mystery. I believe in international understanding. But with the Albanians, someone is going to have to first get their attention, with the international equivalent of a very hard slap up the side of the head. That is going to happen. It's not going to be pretty, and it may involve the US, NATO, and Russia getting into a very bad mess. But nonetheless, it will happen.

Speaking of racism, you ought to read up on Albanian treatment of the Gypsies (excuse me, The ROM people). You are of course, entitled to join in the Albanian megalomaniacal jihad for the "Greater Albania." Their leaders realize that if this strange and feral people were to be restricted to their true homeland, they would only continue to kill each other in the senseless round of blood feuds, the dismal record of which is their tragic history.

[Wraith]

Well said Mr. Kenny Bunk. You hit it right on the head with the heroin connection. Kosovo, the white line of the Balkan Road. A sensitive area on relations with the KLA terrorists and one particular NATO partner, I suspect...... What the bone man should acknowledge are the Albanians that have been outright executed by the KLA as suspected traitors(which is why Latif Gashi was arrested by NATO) which still goes. Yes not only do they kill Serbian kids swimming in rivers they also kill their own and with little evidence, but then again things are a lot more cut and dry in the Balkans. The poor KLA are in fact masters at manipulation and perception. Seen it at Recak. Their own people, imagine that.