Photo of the Week
June 24, 2007
The island across. Parga, Greece
Exclusive: How the US Ordered Increased Activity against Macedonia’s Islamists after the Fort Dix Arrests
June 22, 2007
The May 7 arrests of six Islamic radicals, four of them ethnic Albanians originally from Macedonia and Kosovo, led American intelligence officials to issue a direct order to their Macedonian colleagues, urging them to redouble efforts against known and unknown Islamic radical elements in the country, Balkanalysis.com can now report. The alleged aspiring terrorists have [...]
Albanians in Tetovo Stunned by OSCE Official’s Call for Minority Language Obligations, but Government Fails to Capitalize
June 14, 2007
It was completely ignored in the local and international press. But the visit and speech of a top-ranking OSCE official to Macedonia on May 10 might just herald a turning point in the “international community’s” stance on minority rights and responsibilities in this small Balkan country, one necessitated by a realization that European Union countries [...]
Turkey’s Parliamentary Elections and the Long-Debated Cross Border Operation into Iraq
June 9, 2007
By Mehmet Kalyoncu The timing of the Turkish army’s dramatic, though long expected, military move against the PKK across the Iraqi border has some suspecting that there is more than exigency behind the bold offensive. Considering that the pivotal Turkish parliamentary elections are due next month, is not the northern Iraq offensive really all about [...]
Serbia’s New Government Faces Old Challenges
June 6, 2007
By Jan Buruma* Just before the constitutional deadline and with early elections looming, Serbia’s pro-Western parties managed to form a government. The returning prime minister, Vojislav Kostunica has a lot of work to do, amongst others about the future status of Kosovo and cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. At the same time, in an unusal [...]
Western Intelligence Services Focus on Albania’s Islamist Groups ahead of US Presidential Visit
June 2, 2007
By Christopher Deliso With additional reporting from Albania by Stavros Markos Tirana is swarming with American and British intelligence officers and Secret Service personnel ahead of American President George W. Bush’s June 10 visit to Albania. While such attention is standard procedure before any such trip anywhere in the world, specific local conditions are being [...]