David Brown

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Before the Rain Continued A Further Study of
Macedonia and the Albanian Minority

• David Brown

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Before the Rain

• Fictional account of events that could lead to a
  war between Macedonians and the Albanian minority

• Considered by many in the mid-90s to be the next
  big ethnic conflict.

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Macedonia

• Former Republic of Yugoslavia
• By census, Ethnic Albanians 22.9 of the
  population of the Republic of Macedonia
• Largely Ethnically Segregated
• Primary Education in Minority Languages
• Poor Albanian Representation in Government
• Macedonian Government Claim minority cultural
  protection is more than sufficient

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Macedonia cont.

• Albanians demand greater cultural and educational
  rights
• Albanian official language
• State support for University
• Kosovo conflict put additional strains on
  relationship
• Albanian Refugees from Kosovo
• KLA presence in Macedonia during Kosovo conflict

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Tensions/Conflict

• Dec. 1994 Macedonian government denied request to
  open Albanian language university
• Macedonian Police opened fire on crowd Feb. 17,
  1995 in Tetovo. 1 killed, 20 injured.
• Macedonian Protests against university, and
  arrests of professors and organizers
• UN envoy agreed incident represented a threat to
  the political stability of the state

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Albanian Terrorist Groups

• National Liberation army claimed responsibility
  for 2001 attacks on police
• Macedonian government claimed group made up of
  Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) members whod
  infiltrated the country

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Conflict

• Rebels claim only want to improve Albanian rights
• Macedonian Military offenses against rebels
• Peace talks resulted in an end to fighting August
  2001

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Conclusions

• Strong cultural tension continues
• Albanian higher education is hot issue
• Representation in government also contentious
• Currently peaceful but potential for violence
  remains unresolved issues

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Sources

• Mandelbaum, M. (2000). The new European diasporas
  national minorities and conflict in Eastern
  Europe. New York, Council on Foreign Relations
  Press.
• Ortakovski, V.(2001). Interethnic Relations and
  minorities in the Republic of Macedonia. Southest
  European Politics. (2) 24-45.
• Kim, J. (2001) Macdedonia Country Background and
  Recent Conflict. CRS Report for Congress.
  Congressional Research Service, Library of
  Congress. RL30900
• Kim, J (1996) Macedonian-Albanian Ethnic
  Tensions Chronology of the Confrontation in
  Tetovo. Major Studies and Issue Briefs of the
  Congressional Research Service. Microfiche.
  Arlington, Va. University Publications of
  America, 1996. 1 microfiche negative. (Major
  studies and issue briefs of the Congressional
  Research Service. 1996 supplement 95-381 F
• Foreign Policy Association. Macedonia's
  Crisis.(2005) http//www.fpa.org/newsletter_info24
  32/newsletter_info_sub_list.htm?sectionMacedonia
• Human Rights Watch. Macedonia Crimes Against
  Civilians. (2001) http//www.hrw.org/reports/2001/
  macedonia/
• Wikipedia. Greater Albania. (2006)
  http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Albania
• BBC. Tension in Tetovo. (2001) http//news.bbc.co.
  uk/1/low/world/europe/1226259.stm