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Balkans Unrest (Year 2000). Balkans Unrest. There is a small but but increasingly-violent insurrection in Macedonia The insurrection is centered in the minority Albanian population 37% of the population is ethnic Albanian. Balkans Unrest — cont’d. There are two underground movements:
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Balkans Unrest • There is a small but but increasingly-violent insurrection in Macedonia • The insurrection is centered in the minority Albanian population • 37% of the population is ethnic Albanian
Balkans Unrest — cont’d • There are two underground movements: • The Greater Albania Rights Movement (GARM) • Has at least moral support from Albania, Bosnia and Turkey • GARM wants a greater role for the Albanian minority • A small group within GARM preaches creation of Greater Albania including parts of Macedonia and Kosovo • Macedonia Unity (MU) is much smaller and has more limited aims • They espouse a “small” Macedonia co-operating with its neighbors • Most of MU’s leadership are not ethnically Albanian, and the group is more anti-government than ethnically nationalist • MU appears to have some support in Greece
Balkans Unrest — cont’d • Government crackdowns on these movements have been only moderately successful • International concern is growing • Yugoslavia, Albania, Turkey and Greece have variously expressed support for the government or one or the other underground faction • NATO the OSCE, the EU, the US, Germany, UK and France have attempted to play differing moderating roles
Balkans Unrest — cont’d • Last week, the GARM attacked several government posts near the Serb border • The Serb government also accused the GARM of supplying arms to Albanians in Kosovo • The Serbs threatened military action in Macedonia to suppress the GARM • Turkish officials then implied that they would “respond” to a Serb “invasion” of Macedonia • In turn, the Greeks asserted that they “would not stand idly by” should Turkey intervene
Balkans Unrest — cont’d • The US has become alarmed and has encouraged calm • The Americans are also concerned at the looming split within NATO • They have approached the Hungarian government about preparing bases in Hungary for possible use by NATO or an ad hoc multilateral peacekeeping force • The Prime Minister asks: • How should we reply to the Americans? • What else can we do about the situation in general?