Jacob Mikanowski: uncertainty

Transcript context

…Does Albania still have dreams of being something greater and larger? Because if you look at an ethnic map, it at least feels from the picture like maybe it could be. Well, there are a lot of Albanians outside of Albania, and it matters to them. I was in Montenegro and I was in the Albanian — there’s an Albanian part of Montenegro that people don’t know about, in Ulcinj. Used to be the great Venetian city there; is dominant Albanian. Macedonia — North Macedonia has an Albanian majority. The region is almost a quarter Albanian, just about a quarter. And then Kosovo is majority Albanian. I don’t know that Albania has expansionist ideas, but — to the extent that they have foreign policy aims — they do have to support their ethnic, their linguistic allies. There is a lot of intermovement. Kosovars go back and forth from Albania all the time. Albanians go to Kosovo. That’s an open border. That’s very easy to cross. Tons of people are constantly pouring across, and those relationships are very close. Does Albania have the power, have the ability to project a lot of power into its neighbors? Maybe — I’m not sure. but politically they do have to stand up for their co-ethnics. Is there some level of per capita income where you think this all more or less goes away? So you look at the two Irelands: you can’t say it’s settled. There’s no reunification, but it’s quite peaceful and we’re just not too worried about it, right? People are not religious. They’re fairly well off, whatever the problems may be. Is that the likely future for the Balkans? That they become like the Irelands and everything festers but it’s just all quite fine because wealth is up? Or do you think it’s something darker than that?…

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