Albania

NATO’s recent land and sea exercises in eastern and southern Europe as well as the Black Sea frontiers of Eurasia are at face value, provocations designed to anger and intimidate Russia. Likewise, America’s presence in Iraq and Syria are at face value, provocations designed to angry and intimidate Iran. But they are also something else: they are provocations designed to anger and intimidate China.
The key element here lies in understanding the geography of China’s massive trade/commerce project, One Belt–One Road, also referred to as the New Silk Road.

While western mainstream media attempts to portray yesterday’s parliamentary elections in Albania as free and fair, the more apparent reality is being ignored.
The elections with monumentally low official turnout of 42%, said to be the lowest in the history of post-Communist Albania, have been marred by violence and controversy.

For centuries Ottoman Turkey ruled the Balkans and this colonial past has not been forgotten, particularly among Orthodox Christians in southern Europe.

The Serbian Royal Academy of Scientists and Artists has put together a legal team in order to sue NATO in an international court for crimes against humanity.
The lawsuit relates to NATO using depleted uranium during its illegal war on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Serbia being the largest part of the now destroyed state.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for today’s deadly terrorist attack in The Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran in turn has pointed a finger at Saudi Arabia which is well known as an agitator for aggression against Iran and also a major covert supporter of ISIS and al-Qaeda.
But it is another group that historically  has waged terrorist atrocities against Iran. This group is Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) also known as the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran.

The drink soaked expensive private members clubs of London are generally home of the UK Conservative party’s ageing but still prominent base. Here, people congregate and wax prosaically about their travels to countries lik East Germany and Ceaușescu’s Romania . They speak negatively about censorship, unnecessary bureaucracy, an intimidating Stasi and a total lack of political opposition.

The illegal 1999 NATO war on Yugoslavia caused two parallel crises and is the proximate cause of a third. Most tragically, it caused the displacement of thousands of Serbians from their native Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija to other parts of Serbia. Many still live without permanent homes.
At the same time, although the Serbia province of Kosovo and Metohija became fully occupied by ethnic Albanians with the help of NATO forces and EU political enforcers, many decided to take up permanent residency in neighbouring countries including in Macedonia.

Pepe Escobar
Sputnik
You are about to enter the ultimate minefield.
Let’s start with 28 EU leaders discussing the Western Balkans at a recent summit and blaming – what else – “Russian aggression” in the EU’s backyard.
Cue to a Montenegro prosecutor raging that “Russian state bodies” staged a coup attempt during the October 2016 elections to stop the country from joining NATO.

After refusing to do so for months, Macedonia’s President Gjorge Ivanov has capitulated to foreign demands and pressure from the Socialist Party and has given Socialist leader Zoran Zaev a mandate to form a coalition government.
Ivanov has made Zaev pledge not to undermine Macedonia’s Constitution nor sovereignty. It also contained a pledge to reject the infamous Tirana Platform. It is a face saving gesture that few believe will be adhered to by Zaev’s coalition.

Imperialism is generally associated with large nations that grow into great empires. However, in the age of modern warfare and mass propaganda, small, poor nations are now equally capable of such things.
The impoverished Republic of Albania is one such example of this. In spite of being among Europe’s poorest and most corrupt states, Albanian leaders who have long desired a distraction from the countries woeful internal problems, are turning increasingly towards something called Greater Albania.