The Albanian Question Reshaping the Balkans

by Pettifer, James; Vickers, Miranda

• ISBN13: 9781848850958
• ISBN10: 1848850956
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-10-15
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris

Summary

Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008 -- and the overt manipulation of this precedent by Russia in its war with Georgia and South Ossetia shortly afterwards -- has focused the world's attention once again on the Balkans. But Albania's role within the region remains little known and less understood. In this revised edition of a major work of contemporary history, two well-known and internationally-respected authorities elucidate Albania's place in the Balkans, from the explosion of violence in the 1990s, which brought the country to the brink of civil war, to the present day.Since 1997, the Albanian region has been forced simultaneously to come to terms with the realities of a post-Communist world and the threat of Slobodan Milosevic's 'Greater Serbia' project. Its people, the authors argue, are involved in the process of national self-emancipation: the re-establishment of free markets and ending of Communist border controls have renewed long dormant cultural and economic links between the Albanian people and the wider region.The future of the Albanians in the Balkans is the most pressing issue in the region today, a fact which the West must pay close heed to if this long neglected nation is to become a European partner. Indeed, the authors argue, in this rapidly evolving political climate, failure to come to terms with the importance of the Albanian question could return the region as a whole to armed conflict.

Author Biography

James Pettifer is author of The Blue Guide to Albania and Kosovo and, also with Miranda Vickers,  Albania: From Anarchy to a Balkan Identity. Miranda Vickers is the author of Between Serb and Albanian - a History of Kosovo and The Albanians - a Modern History.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations and Maps	p. viii
List of Abbreviations	p. ix
Chronology of Events	p. xi
Language and Terminology	p. xiii
Map of Albania, Kosova and Region	p. xiv
Introduction to the Paperback Edition	p. xvi
Preface	p. xix
1997 - The Crisis of Post-Communist Albania	p. 1
The Pyramid Banking Crisis and the Democratic Party Government	p. 3
The March Uprising	p. 19
Political Crisis and Government Transition	p. 36
The Struggle for Power	p. 51
The Crisis in Northern Albania	p. 53
Operation Alba	p. 65
The Revival of Socialist Power and the Royalist Challenge	p. 79
The Kosova Dimension of the National Question	p. 93
Tirana, the Crisis in Kosova and the Origins of the KLA	p. 95
The Kosova War: The First Offensive	p. 111
Tirana and the Growing International Crisis	p. 127
The Political Crisis in Albania	p. 141
Northern Developments - Preparing for a Coup dÆÉtat	p. 143
The Assassination of Azem Hajdari and the Attempted Coup	p. 158
Albania and the Deepening Kosova Conflict	p. 171
The Spread of War	p. 173
Tirana and the January Political Crisis	p. 188
Rambouillet and NATO Commitment	p. 201
The Kosova Refugee Crisis in the Region	p. 214
The New Albanian Space and the Future	p. 227
Tirana and the New Kosova	p. 229
Preshevo, Macedonia and the National Question	p. 242
Pan-Albanianism: Tirana and the Wider Albanian World	p. 257
Appendix	p. 267
Notes	p. 269
Bibliography	p. 293
Index	p. 299
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Rewards Program

Currently unavailable