A Mafia society based on capture of the state by criminal elements.

[Barnabas]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
I thought this was going to be about Sicily.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove


Are there any Serbs left in Kosovo?
When recommending partition of a region please take into account history: the continuing warfare in North Ireland and Israel/Palestine, the mass murders in India in the 1940s.

I know of a couple of people moving to Israel, I expect they will be safer there than in DC.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
It might be a , or a rogue state in the hands of Saudi-Arabia or Iran.

It is possible though that only when they have no-one else to blame will they sort their shít out.

Given the absence of Shiites, im not sure why it would end up in the hands of Iran (Hamas isnt Shiite, but thats a special case for a lot of reasons)

KSA is hardly in the business of sponsoring rogue states these days, and is especially unlikely to want to offend you euros, when it needs back up against Iran.

Possibly, in the absence of foreign troops, Kosovo will end up with one strong man ruling, which could lead to stability, but not democracy. Then, later, a people power revolution, to get into the EU.

[VetLegion]

Albanian mafias make short work of Italian mafia nowadays, from what I've heard. They have a bigger reservoir of poor young men, compared to Italians who are by now pretty rich.

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
it really is hard to see what else it will become after independence than either a heavily-subsidised basket case, or a rogue state in the hands of Saudi-Arabia or Iran.

Albania isn't exactly paradise, but it's neither of those things.

[Cort Haus]

Kosovo isn't Albania, even though there are aspirations to join it.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by VetLegion
Albanian mafias make short work of Italian mafia nowadays, from what I've heard. They have a bigger reservoir of poor young men, compared to Italians who are by now pretty rich.

Indeed. They are also inpenetrable, because of the language, making them impervious to law-enforcement agencies.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by lord of the mark

Given the absence of Shiites, im not sure why it would end up in the hands of Iran (Hamas isnt Shiite, but thats a special case for a lot of reasons)

KSA is hardly in the business of sponsoring rogue states these days, and is especially unlikely to want to offend you euros, when it needs back up against Iran.

Possibly, in the absence of foreign troops, Kosovo will end up with one strong man ruling, which could lead to stability, but not democracy. Then, later, a people power revolution, to get into the EU.

Fair comment perhaps about Iran not being an influence in Kosovo, but the Saudis have been trying to extend their influence through building mosques and installing preachers. The Shqiptars are secular, historically, but should the US no longer be considered an essential ally, alliegences could change.

I don't see 'people power' being a factor. Albanian society is clan-based, with clan leaders having to defer to the criminal gangs who are closely linked to the political leadership.

[Caligastia]

I got to know a Kosovo Albanian very well way back when, and his opinion was that this sort of thing is ingrained in the culture.

[Lancer]

It's the German's doorstep, their problem.