5 ms·

To give some more context: Albania is hosting about 2-3k Iranian political refugees that are opposed to the current regime. They are actually mostly elderly pe

To give some more context: Albania is hosting about 2-3k Iranian political refugees that are opposed to the current regime. They are actually mostly elderly people at this point. This was done with the US request a decade ago. That's why Iran is trying to blackmail/hack the government services. This is not the first time it has removed embassy officials (a couple of Iranian officials were caught spying). Any response the country does, it usually coordinates with the US, for obvious sensitivity issues. Albania is in Nato, so nothing will escalate further than this.

propagandist 4y ago
Wikipedia page for the org: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Mojahedin_Organization_of_Iran https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Mojahedin_Organiz... Agreed nothing more will come out of this.
paganel 4y ago
Interesting to see that Albania had enough courage (for all the wrong reasons, but courage nonetheless) to leave the Warsaw Pact in the ‘60s and to end its alliance with the Soviets next door, while right now it plays as baby-sitter at the request of a democratic hegemonic power from a half a world away, no questions asked.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- xdennis 4y ago
  Why does every post with Russian-apologia have you in it and why do you always pretend to be Romanian?
  - paganel 4y ago
    Because I’m interested in the subject as I live right next door to it all in, well, Romania. Because, yes, I am Romanian (just happened to purchase a book on Jukov from an antiques bookstore, about 2 euros in our money). More generally speaking, I had expected better from HN-ers than personal attacks and stalking, in my 15+ years on this forum yours is only the second comment that touches on that (the first one was also coming in connection to the current war), but I also realize that this whole circumstance is different: the whole NAFO thing, all the 3-letter agencies controlling FB, Reddit and the like, people do actually believe that the war can be won or lost from behind a keyboard. So I give you the benefit of the doubt. Nevertheless, I hope I won’t have to justify myself about anything on this website going forward.
- inawarminister 4y ago
  Well that former times had USA and NATO beyond the Adriatic Sea, this time the Adriatic Sea is an American hegemonic lake (not eastern Mediterranean though) You also see similar things happening now, ... In Asia and Africa. Smaller countries do try to leave their Hegemon and realign themselves to the challenger.
  - paganel 4y ago
    > this time the Adriatic Sea is an American hegemonic lake Yeah, good point, even though I hadn't realised it. And to share some more about my recent new knowledge on Russia and on the Soviet system, and also related to Albania, I was a little surprised to learn that one of the reasons used to de-throne Khrushchev in the autumn of 1964 was the Albanian–Soviet split [1] that he, supposedly, had helped create. I say I was surprised because I didn't think the highest echelons of power in Moscow cared that much about a country from their hegemonic "periphery", so to speak, one that wasn't directly geographically confronting the West, like Czechoslovakia or the GDR. To be honest I don't see almost anyone attacking the US President for "losing" a current peripheral ally that is part of their hegemonic area. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian%E2%80%93Soviet_split https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian%E2%80%93Soviet_split
mongol 4y ago
What made Albania the country they ended up in? It is quite interesting, in Sweden, a well known but controversial politician, (Hanif Bali), grew up in a camp in Iraq to parents from this group, and while he was sent to Sweden as a child, his parents eventually ended up in Albania. When I heard that story, I did not pay particular interest to "why Albania", but now I start to wonder why.
- drorco 4y ago
  Could be that Albania has a unique Muslim majority in Europe so it would be more sympathetic to other Muslims, in this case refugees from Iran?
  - sbaiddn 4y ago
    Bosnia is also majority muslim. Also, consider that a quarter (half?) of Albanians and Kosovaars have left for Germany and other places in non-muslim Europe and are fairly well integrated. How is it that the MEK prefers Albania when Albanians themselves prefer to leave? What's unique about Albania is not that they are muslim, but the stratospheric corruption of the country. Its makes the country a very useful dumping ground for certain problems NATO encounters (chemical weapons, laundering, terrorists)
- sbaiddn 4y ago
  Albania is very subservient to the US. Pro- US sentiment stretches back to the early 20th century when the Albanian diaspora in the US helped Albania establish her national identity.
- azernik 4y ago
  They're powerless, but quite unsavory - no one really wants to have an authoritarian cult on their territory, even if they can't stomach letting Iran execute them as seems likely. Hence giving them asylum is considered a relatively cheap way for a NATO member state like Albania with limited military and economic resources to pull its weight.
sbaiddn 4y ago
Those "refugees", the MEK, are some of the most loathsome terrorists alive today. They belong in front of a firing squad, not a guarded complex in Tirana. Even their supposed ally, the US, considered them terrorists until the neocons in DC decided they were more useful than dangerous as anti-Tehran forces. Except, of course, the US wont touch them; Albania is the only country subservient enough to give them refugee status. Subservient just like when Albania accepted Syria's chemical weapons.
LtWorf 4y ago
"refugees"

propagandist 4y ago

Wikipedia page for the org: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Mojahedin_Organization_of_Iran https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Mojahedin_Organiz... Agreed nothing more will come out of this.

paganel 4y ago

Interesting to see that Albania had enough courage (for all the wrong reasons, but courage nonetheless) to leave the Warsaw Pact in the ‘60s and to end its alliance with the Soviets next door, while right now it plays as baby-sitter at the request of a democratic hegemonic power from a half a world away, no questions asked.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
xdennis 4y ago
Why does every post with Russian-apologia have you in it and why do you always pretend to be Romanian?
- paganel 4y ago
  Because I’m interested in the subject as I live right next door to it all in, well, Romania. Because, yes, I am Romanian (just happened to purchase a book on Jukov from an antiques bookstore, about 2 euros in our money). More generally speaking, I had expected better from HN-ers than personal attacks and stalking, in my 15+ years on this forum yours is only the second comment that touches on that (the first one was also coming in connection to the current war), but I also realize that this whole circumstance is different: the whole NAFO thing, all the 3-letter agencies controlling FB, Reddit and the like, people do actually believe that the war can be won or lost from behind a keyboard. So I give you the benefit of the doubt. Nevertheless, I hope I won’t have to justify myself about anything on this website going forward.
inawarminister 4y ago
Well that former times had USA and NATO beyond the Adriatic Sea, this time the Adriatic Sea is an American hegemonic lake (not eastern Mediterranean though) You also see similar things happening now, ... In Asia and Africa. Smaller countries do try to leave their Hegemon and realign themselves to the challenger.
- paganel 4y ago
  > this time the Adriatic Sea is an American hegemonic lake Yeah, good point, even though I hadn't realised it. And to share some more about my recent new knowledge on Russia and on the Soviet system, and also related to Albania, I was a little surprised to learn that one of the reasons used to de-throne Khrushchev in the autumn of 1964 was the Albanian–Soviet split [1] that he, supposedly, had helped create. I say I was surprised because I didn't think the highest echelons of power in Moscow cared that much about a country from their hegemonic "periphery", so to speak, one that wasn't directly geographically confronting the West, like Czechoslovakia or the GDR. To be honest I don't see almost anyone attacking the US President for "losing" a current peripheral ally that is part of their hegemonic area. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian%E2%80%93Soviet_split https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian%E2%80%93Soviet_split

mongol 4y ago

What made Albania the country they ended up in? It is quite interesting, in Sweden, a well known but controversial politician, (Hanif Bali), grew up in a camp in Iraq to parents from this group, and while he was sent to Sweden as a child, his parents eventually ended up in Albania. When I heard that story, I did not pay particular interest to "why Albania", but now I start to wonder why.

drorco 4y ago
Could be that Albania has a unique Muslim majority in Europe so it would be more sympathetic to other Muslims, in this case refugees from Iran?
- sbaiddn 4y ago
  Bosnia is also majority muslim. Also, consider that a quarter (half?) of Albanians and Kosovaars have left for Germany and other places in non-muslim Europe and are fairly well integrated. How is it that the MEK prefers Albania when Albanians themselves prefer to leave? What's unique about Albania is not that they are muslim, but the stratospheric corruption of the country. Its makes the country a very useful dumping ground for certain problems NATO encounters (chemical weapons, laundering, terrorists)
sbaiddn 4y ago
Albania is very subservient to the US. Pro- US sentiment stretches back to the early 20th century when the Albanian diaspora in the US helped Albania establish her national identity.
azernik 4y ago
They're powerless, but quite unsavory - no one really wants to have an authoritarian cult on their territory, even if they can't stomach letting Iran execute them as seems likely. Hence giving them asylum is considered a relatively cheap way for a NATO member state like Albania with limited military and economic resources to pull its weight.

sbaiddn 4y ago

Those "refugees", the MEK, are some of the most loathsome terrorists alive today. They belong in front of a firing squad, not a guarded complex in Tirana. Even their supposed ally, the US, considered them terrorists until the neocons in DC decided they were more useful than dangerous as anti-Tehran forces. Except, of course, the US wont touch them; Albania is the only country subservient enough to give them refugee status. Subservient just like when Albania accepted Syria's chemical weapons.

LtWorf 4y ago

"refugees"