LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Albania: Ethnic Albanians
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Albania is a nation beset with a multitude of problems generated by centuries of isolation and control during the rule of the Ottoman sultans and the interventionism by Yugoslavia, Italy, and the Soviet Union in Albania's internal affairs. World War II and the ultimate victory of communist insurgents led to four decades of xenophobic control and the isolationism of Albania from the rest of Europe. The development of a democratic system has resurrected internal feuding among newly organized political parties that occasionally reflect Albanian clans likely to renew historic feuds. Ethnic Albanians living in the Serbian province of Kosovo and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia involve the Republic of Albania in the politics of its neighbors.
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Over 90% of Albania's people are ethnic Albanian, and Albanian is the official language. The religious make up of the country is 70% Muslim (Sunni and Bektashi), 20% Albanian Orthodox, and 10% Roman Catholic.
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Albanian refugees from Kosovo and Macedonia living in Albania claim that the Albanian government discriminates against them in providing access to education, public-sector jobs, and representation in the government. A poor nation, Albania is the route for drug trafficking from Southwest Asia in opiates, hashish, and cannabis and cocaine from South America. There is some opium and cannabis production in Albania. Whether Albania will be able to integrate successfully into a Europe of multiparty democracies depends on Albania's position about ethnic Albanians in war torn Kosovo (a part of Serbia) and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Albania has limited financial resources and needs foreign investment. Political stability and respect for human rights will directly affect foreign economic investment and Albania's future.
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"In the end, Albania, with its inability to resolve long-standing regional, ethnic, and personal feuds, now threatens the security of the force that was inserted to protect the interests of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. In short, the Albanians may accomplish what the Serbs could not-undermine NATO operations in the region" ("Albania/NATO," 2000 WNI).
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In spring 1999, Albania was heavily involved in the affairs of its fellow ethnic Albanians to the north, in Kosovo. Albania served as an outpost for NATO troops and took in approximately 440,000 Kosovar refugees, about half the total number of ethnic Albanians who were driven from their homes in Kosovo.
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Albania has consistently supported the international community's position on the Balkans, including in Kosovo. The Albanian government took a decisive stance in the 2001 crisis in Macedonia by strongly condemning the actions of ethnic Albanian rebels, whilst emphasising the need for all communities in Macedonia to enjoy equal rights.
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Ethnic Albanians