The Economist reports on continuing ethnic tensions in the southern Balkans - specifically in Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania. The issue is ethnic Albanians - who are a left-behind Muslim remnant of Ottoman Turk occupation of the entire region until a century ago.
Albanians have spread across the southern Balkans where The Economist's map shows them also dominating Kosovo and parts of Macedonia. Higher birth rates among the region's Muslim population may be a key factor in this spread, whereas birth rates among the non-Muslim residents are dropping as is typical among Europeans generally. Of course the Muslim Albanians don't get along with their Christian neighbors.
Don't expect an outbreak of peace in this feisty region anytime soon. The Balkans are a Europe/Asia frontier area, where two incompatible civilizations rub against each other.
