An analysis of the Albanian economy in the past, current, and future demonstrates how an economic structure fluctuates with the type of government present at the time. Albania, a newly found member of the European Union, is a midst its battle to stabilize its vigorous economy that has had trouble since before the 1940’s. An explanation of this instability can be found looking through Albania’s history, government structure, currency and exchange rates, imports and exports including natural wealth, national education, unemployment rates, and the country’s overall integration on a global scale. The fall of communism in Albania began in 1985 when Dictator Enver Hoxha died. Before his death, he ruled Albania with communist and socialistic policies which led to a steadily decreasing economy. After Hoxha’s death, Ramiz Alia succeeded the dictatorship and continued with the same policies, but began to lighten the stronghold with allowances on the economy to let it begin to self-sustain (Eastern Europe 15). With the communist government letting go of some of its grip, the society of Albania began to rebel against the government, demanding more democratic policies and less communism. In 1991, communist rule fell and new policies began to be created focusing more on democratic ideals with a socialistic influence. Alia became the president during this time but was voted out of office in 1992 (Fund 1). Since then, Albania’s economy has varied extremely but is slowly improving. To comprehend the variations in the more recent economy fluctuation, reviewing currency alterations and balancing of foreign and domestic currencies can provide understanding. Since the establishment of the democratic government, the country began borrowing from other countries to allow for reform. Albania’s currency, the Lek, was in discussion of being formally changed to the euro. Much of Albania’s
(9) Research of authoritarianism in Yugoslavia carried out in the nineties shows a very high degree of authoritarianism of examines (2/3 of examines show it toward leaders), Z. Golubovi}, B. Kuzmanovi}, M. Vasovi}, Dru{tveni karakter i dru{tvene promene u svetlu nacionalnih sukoba, Institut za filozofiju i dru{tvenu teoriju "Filip Vi{nji}", Belgrade, 1995, p. 338. The research in 1996 show a decline of authoritarianism toward leaders among 55% of examines, Legitimnost politi~kog sistema i vrednosni profil gra|ana Jugoslavije, p. 9
In the fall of 1989, people all around the world were watching unbelievable scenes on their televisions. Thousands of people in eastern Europe were meeting in the streets and squares and demanding the end of the communist rule. For the first time in history, opposition to communism was publicly voiced. Barbed wire border fences in Hungary are being torn down. East Germans fleeing to the West.
Communism was a strong standing form of government in Bosnia, lasting for almost 50 years. However, the fall of communism was shorter, spanning 3 years, from1989 to 1992. The fall began with the end of the long lasting Cold War, along with the deconstruction of the physical barrier that was a sign of separation - the Berlin Wall. Tearing down the walls of communism in countries around them led to the break up and the collapse of Y...
In the 1970’s Iran, under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was a very centralized military state that maintained a close relationship with the USA. The Shah was notoriously out of touch with working class Iranians as he implemented many controversial economic policies against small business owners that he suspected involved profiteering. Also unrestricted economic expansions in Iran lead to huge government expenditure that became a serious problem when oil prices dropped in the mid 1970’s. This caused many huge government construction projects to halt and the economy to stall after many years of massive profit. Following this was high rates of inflation that affected Iranians buying power and living standards. (Afary, 2012) Under the Shah, political participation was not widely available for all Iranians and it was common for political opposition to be met with harassment, illegal detention, and even torture. These measures were implemented by the Iranian secret police knows as ‘SAVAK’. This totalitarian regime combined with the increasing modernisation of the country paved the way for revolution.
Hungary experienced not only Soviet occupation, but also political oppression and economic decline. Many were critical of Hungary’s problems due to Soviet control, especially political oppression. Hungary developed into a communist state under the severe, dictatorial rule of Mátyás Rákosi. During Rákosi’s control, the Security Police began a series of eliminations, starting with...
The net values of Belarus imported goods and services from other countries exceeded its export of goods and service to other countries creating a large Current Account Deficit. The reason Belarus a former Soviet republic scraped the currency trading restriction is due to the fact its political leadership allowed the Belarus national currency ruble to depreciate as part of a strategy to reduce the current account deficit. The unification of the exchange rates will allow the currency market ability to function as before. The overheated economy under a loose monetary policy created this crisis and the difficulties will be overcome by abolishing the restriction on currency trading. The political promise of 50% increase in wages to the government workers have impacted with no real values other than buying foreign currency and goods. According to Arkhipov and Abelsky (2011), abolishing the currency trading restriction is necessary given the current practice of doin...
The last two decades of the twentieth century gave rise to turbulent times for constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, eventually leading them to split apart. There were a number of damaging aspects of past history and of the political and economic circumstances that contributed to the breakup and eventually caused the situation to snowball into a deadly series of inter-ethnic conflicts. Yugoslavia was reunified at the end of the war when the communist forces of Josip Broz Tito liberated the country. Under Tito, Yugoslavia adopted a relatively liberal form of government in comparison to other East European communist states at the time and experienced a period of relative economic and political stability until Tito’s death in 1980. In addition to internal power struggles following the loss of their longtime leader, Yugoslavia faced an unprecedented economic crisis in the 1980’s. As other communist states began to fall in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, some former Communist leaders abandoned communism and founded or supported ethno-national parties, blaming the economic suffering on the flaws of communism and other ethnic groups. The ethnic violence that followed would not have been possible without the willingness of politicians from every side to promote ethno-nationalist symbols and myths through media blitzes, which were especially effective due to low levels of education in the former Yugoslavia. Shadows of the events of World War II gave these politicians, especially the Serbs, an opportunity to encourage the discussion and exaggeration of past atrocities later in the century. The ethnic violence in the former Yugoslavia can be traced back to a series of linked damaging factors such as the de...
Europe will not run the 21st century because of a combination of economic, institutional, and cultural factors. However, for the purpose of this paper, I will focus on the economic aspects of European society that will impede EU ascendency. I do not believe that the EU will cease to exist in the coming century, but I do believe it will become obsolete because it will be unable to make the necessary changes to their demographic problems, defense policies, and economic culture in response to the increasing American ascendency. Europe has long been known as the continent home to the great powers of the world. From Caesar to Napoleon to the British Empire, the European empires have continuously been at the helm of the ship of progress. The wars of the 20th century however, left Europe in a wake of destruction and chaos period before. The continent was devastated and had little hope to recover. In this new era of European descent, the great American Era came into existence. The US, one of the remaining superpowers, became the helping hand that Europe needed. With the aid allocated by the Marshall Plan and the creation of programs and institutions, Europe had a future. The creation of the European Union (EU) united the European countries over the common goal of preventing war another war. The United States intended for these programs to be a stepping-stone to build the economic and institutional powers of Europe, because a stronger Europe was good for the US. However, instead of using these as a springboard to create self-reliant union, the EU remains reliant on US military and hard power to support them their social efforts.
Walker, Bruce. "Euro Likely to Keep Losing Value." The New American. The New American Magazine, 7 July 2010. Web. 23 May 2011. .
The United States and New Zealand established close ties in 1942, when the U.S. provided security for New Zealand during World War II, and have remained close ever since. However, in 1984, the Labour party came into power in New Zealand, with intentions to bar nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered warships from New Zealand ports. Implementation of this anti-nuclear policy was incompatible with U.S. policy and disrupted the alliance under the Australian, New Zealand, and United States (ANZUS) security treaty of 1951. After unsuccessful attempts to remedy the issue, the United States suspended its ANZUS security obligation to New Zealand in 1986.
What political factors contributed to the idea of Albanian nationalism after the breakup of Yugoslavia that contributed to the Kosovo Crisis of 1999. To determine the political factors that contributed to Albanian nationalism, this investigation will focus on the aftermath of the breakup of Yugoslavia, the social landscape of Kosovo after the breakup and the Kosovo Crisis of 1999. The views of the Albanians and Serbs will be examined to help develop a more contextual understanding of the rise of Albanian nationalism. Only the events that are relevant to the Kosovo War will be explored in this investigation.
The Slovak Republic, or Slovakia, is located in Eastern Europe with a population of 5.4 million people and borders the countries of Poland, Austria, the Ukraine, and the Czech Republic (The World Bank). As originally part of the former nation of Czechoslovakia, the Slovak Republic has only recently begun to write its own history (Abizadeh, p. 171).
Turkey’s economy has weathered some spectacular pratfalls in the past, with a major economic crisis in 2001 almost bringing the country to its knees. What’s different in 2004 from the previous "recoveries" is how committed Turkey is to establishing firm economic footing once and for all. The government is swallowing the International Monetary Fund’s painful economic medicine, making tough choices for fiscal discipline.
The enlargement of the European Union (EU) in 2004 and 2007 has been termed as the largest single expansion of the EU with a total of 12 new member states – bringing the number of members to 27 – and more than 77 million citizens joining the Commission (Murphy 2006, Neueder 2003, Ross 2011). A majority of the new member states in this enlargement are from the eastern part of the continent and were countries that had just emerged from communist economies (EC 2009, Ross 2011), although overall, the enlargement also saw new member states from very different economic, social and political compared to that of the old member states (EC 2009, Ross 2011). This enlargement was also a historical significance in European history, for it saw the reunification of Europe since the Cold War in a world of increasing globalization (EC 2009, Mulle et al. 2013, Ross 2011). For that, overall, this enlargement is considered by many to have been a great success for the EU and its citizens but it is not without its problems and challenges (EC 2009, Mulle et al. 2013, Ross 2011). This essay will thus examine the impact of the 2004/2007 enlargements from two perspectives: firstly, the impact of the enlargements on the EU as a whole, and thereafter, how the enlargements have affected the new member states that were acceded during the 2004/2007 periods. Included in the essay will be the extent of their integration into the EU and how being a part of the Commission has contributed to their development as nation states. Following that, this essay will then evaluate the overall success of the enlargement process and whether the EU or the new member states have both benefited from the accessions or whether the enlargement has only proven advantageous to one th...
The stability of currency values plays a significant role for economic and financial stability. It is not difficult to see the exchange rate fluctuations are widely regarded as damaging. As the movements of the exchange rate have significant and large effects on the trade balance, resource allocation, domestic prices, interest rate, national income and other key economic variables. Then can exchange rate movements be predicted by these fundamental economic variables?