Evening star., 1949-09-07
AIboniu's Shoky Position

Albonio's Shoky Position
In the tangled Balkan situation, rem
dered increasingly tense by the quarrel be-
tween Marshal Titos Yugoslavia and the
Observation-Disclosures Cominform, Albania
emerges as factor of prime significance.
AT first sight 1t may seem strange that
a country so small and poor could play
an important role in the Balkan drama.
Albania is mere strip of territory along
the Adriatic Sea, only $50 miles long and
averaging barely so miles wide. This mar
row strip is tumble of rugged mountains,
almost roadless and inhabited by about
100000 backward people living under
primitive conditions, protesting three diff
ferent religions, and divided into clans
notorious for their rivalries and blood
feuds. Off-hand, such country would
appear to pack more trouble for itself than
for it's neighbors.
What makes Albania focal point OF
international tension is its relation to the
Tito-Soviet crisis. At the close OF the late
war, a local partisan chieftain named
Enver Hoxha made himself master OF the
chaos into which Albania had fallen with
the collapse of italian occupation. Hoxha
did this largely through the help of Mar
shall Tito, who had just done the same
thing in neighboring Yugoslavia. So
Hoxha, like Tito, set up Communist re-
gime. Ideologically, communism could
have no real meaning for half-savage
mountaineers who live without native in
dustry and under conditions OF rugged
individualism" Furthermore, the Al
banians instinctively oppose any effort to
impose a centralized control over their
wild clan freedom. So it is logical to as
sumo that Hoxha perpetuates his power
by mixture of force and bribery of fac
tional leaders, supplemented by help from
outside.
At first, that help came from Tito. But
when Tito broke with the Cominform,
Hoxha sided with the latter. This meant
that Albania was isolated by land from
Russia's Balkan satellites, since its from
tiers march only with Yugoslavia and
Greece Hoxha could thenceforth get aid
only by sea from Soviet Russia. And that
aid he has received to a moderate extent,
chiefly in the form of arms and agents.
But Russia has been unable to supply Al
bania with the goods needed by even its
primitive economy. So the country seems
to be on the verge of economic breakdown
which accentuates political discomfort
Also there Is scant doubt that Tito Is
fomenting unrest in various ways short
of open intervention.
In consequence of all this, the weight
of evidence tends to show that Hoxha's
hold is getting shaky, especially in the
north, where the Mirdite clans, strongly
Roman Catholic, are particularly opposed
to communism on religious grounds and
are reported to be In state of virtual
revolt. It is likewise interesting to note
that the numerous exiles for varied rea-
sons have just combined on an anti-Hoxha
platform and have set up Free Albania"
Committee in Paris which will soon trans
fer its headquarters to New York, the
United States having a relatively numer-
Gus and fairly prosperous Albanian tmmi-
grant element which is Overwhelmingly
anti Communist in general and anti
Hoxha in particular. ..
1t is therefore at least arguable that
Hoxha may be in danger OF overthrow
from within, even without direct Yugoslav
Intervention. But such an eventuality
would be another body-blow to Russian
interests, damaging its prestige and en-
hancing the infection of "Titoism" among
its Balkan satellites. To avert this, Rus
sia might attempt open and large-scale
Intervention by sea. It is questionable
whether Tito would or could tolerate the
transformation of Albania from a minor
nuisance into a major danger on one of
his flanks, the others being already ex-
posed to Cominform pressure backed by
Russia. So any move by Russia notably
to strengthen Albania might we'll be an
ticipated by Yugoslav preventive interven-
ton which would involve an open clash
with Russian forces already in Albania.
And out of such clash almost anything
might come