A Shift in Priorities

[Decrian]

Now that is what I call a dedicated assassination attempt.

[abc123]

Originally Posted by Monty Burns

That Ms. Fischer is influential in Germany is not good. Her ideas can easily spoil the good situation Germany is in ITTL.

On the other side, I sure hope that she's representative for British socialists. If they follow her line of thinking, socialism will soon fail (again, as previous to the civil war they didn't very well did they?). An early example of socialist failure i practice can only be beneficial for the world as a whole. England suffering from that experiment in turn should be beneficial in developping a European Union.

I agree.

[abc123]

Originally Posted by Decrian

Now that is what I call a dedicated assassination attempt.

Yes, but it can't beat this:

During reign of King Zog of Albania he is reputed to have survived over 55 assassination attempts. One of these occurred on 21 February 1931, whilst Zog was visiting the Vienna State Opera house for a performance of Pagliacci. The attackers struck whilst Zog was getting into his car, and he survived by firing back with a pistol that he always carried. This is the only occasion in modern history when a Head of State has personally exchanged fire with potential assassins.

[Kelenas]

The whole thing should drive home how important lines of communications are, though, so that instances such as this can be reported and countered fast.

- Kelenas

[wietze]

Am thinking that a certain Italian named Luigi Esposito is going to be in loads of trouble. Sounds like the explosives that were blackmailed out of him were used in this assassination attempt. His blackmailer most likely are going to rat him out to provide a scapegoat & distraction.

[Bmao]

Originally Posted by wietze

Am thinking that a certain Italian named Luigi Esposito is going to be in loads of trouble. Sounds like the explosives that were blackmailed out of him were used in this assassination attempt. His blackmailer most likely are going to rat him out to provide a scapegoat & distraction.

Indeed... Luigi's set up to be the fall man in this whole charade, and I don't think anyone is willing to protest on his behalf. They'd probably just want to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. After all, look what happened the last time there was a high profile assassination of a monarch in the Balkan region.

[Reichenfaust]

Nice escape though. Interesting that Kyril was not traveling with more security it is the Balkans after all.

[Monty Burns]

Originally Posted by Reichenfaust

Nice escape though. Interesting that Kyril was not traveling with more security it is the Balkans after all.

He had security with him, it was taken out by the landslide.

What I find rather disturbing is how long it took until somebody got up and looked after their king.

In any case, question is what effect this should have. Hungary and Bulgaria ITTL are probably good allies, united in their oppression of minorities (in particular the Serbs). Albania is a Bulgarian puppet/ally and enjoys a degree of ethnic union and probably also a degree of economic prosperity (that highway comes into mind) it didn't enjoy IOTL, right? The Italians won't be behind this either. So who is it?

I see two possibilities:

1. in case Muslims are oppressed in Albania, the Ottomans may have their hand in this. More likely though are
2. criminals/tribal structures. How's the drug trade in Europe? And who's involved in it?

[wietze]

weren't the chinese meddling in greek affairs a bit ago? and maybe this is part of their strategy in the balkans ?

[Kelenas]

Originally Posted by wietze

weren't the chinese meddling in greek affairs a bit ago? and maybe this is part of their strategy in the balkans ?

I doubt it. Their previous attempt was both very heavy-handed, and aimed almost solely against the Ottomans, by supplying a Greek dictator with war materials so he'd attack the Ottoman Empire.
Additionally, their current government seems very isolationist, and is probably too busy dealing with the aftermath of their civil war.

- Kelenas

[Monty Burns]

Originally Posted by Kelenas

I doubt it. Their previous attempt was both very heavy-handed, and aimed almost solely against the Ottomans, by supplying a Greek dictator with war materials so he'd attack the Ottoman Empire.
Additionally, their current government seems very isolationist, and is probably too busy dealing with the aftermath of their civil war.

- Kelenas

Not to mention that neither Albania, nor its direct neighbours are that interesting for a foreign power to meddle in. Germany and Italy ITTL will stomp over any such attempt I guess.

[wietze]

to me it just looks like someone is trying to stir trouble, something that would distract the main players.

[Jotun]

Or it's just the Albanians being Albanians.

[Monty Burns]

Originally Posted by Jotun

Or it's just the Albanians being Albanians.

I think this is the most likely. If you want to distract the big players, why going for the Albanian king?

[rast]

Anyone who tells a lie does not have a pure heart, and cannot make a good soup.
(Ludwig van Beethoven)

While the European media were busy bellowing out the news about the brutal assassination attempt in the North Albanian mountains – and the marvelous survival of King Kyril and his valiant spouse, the politicians everywhere were demanding information from their relevant intelligence services.

In Durazzo, Albanian Prime Minister Lef Nosi had asked Minister of Police Ali Këlcyra, the chief of foreign intelligence, Mit’hat Frashëri, and the director of the domestic secret service, Mustafa Merlika-Kruja, to meet him for some cups of tea and an exchange of ideas. He informed them that the Royal Couple would live, but that the Queen had lost her unborn baby and that the King might retain a paralysed right arm.

Këlcyra explained that the site of the ambush was still being investigated. It was rather inaccessible and rugged, but nevertheless one had found a lot of traces. The source of the blasting agent had already been identified, and an Italian engineer had been arrested, who, however, had not turned out to be of much help yet. The attackers had used Steyr-Mannlicher M1895 rifles, which were in use by the armed forces of Hungary, Bulgaria and Albania; therefore this fact wasn’t helpful either.

Frashëri elaborated that there was no indication of foreign involvement; well, at least no official involvement. However, there seemed to exist clandestine connections between Albanian clans in Northern Albania, the Kosovo and the Sancak of Novi Pazar; connections which were involved in illegal activities – in close contact with Serbian criminal circles. The Germans were calling this ‘The Balkan Route’ and claiming it was responsible for smuggling women, arms and drugs into Central, Northern and Western Europe.

Merlika-Kruja ascertained that his service was investigating in exactly this direction. This was extremely difficult, because the clans were closed family affairs – and foreigners were not welcome, not at all welcome. He thought that the criminal activities only served for raising funds. The real aim might be an independent Albania, if not an Greater Albania. How the Serbs fitted into this picture, he didn’t know.

“You know, the King is the symbol of Bulgarian domination for these people. They fail to realise that either Bulgaria, Hungary or Italy will dominate our small country – and that Bulgaria, so far, has been a mild and generous hegemon. – Damn, we couldn’t fair better. They let us take care of our own affairs, don’t they?”
“Well, Mustafa, look around. – None of us here originates from the North or from Kosovo; for them it may look like Southern domination sponsored by Bulgarian hegemony. – How many Ghegs are working in the ministries in Durazzo? How many Ghegs are officials in your services? – I think, we’ve got a Gheg movement here, aiming at taking over rule from us Tosks...”

“Our problem will be that we can’t gain access to the Gheg clans. Our agents will quickly be identified and killed. Those people are not friendly to spies...”
“So, what shall we do?”
“I don’t know, Lef, I really don’t know...”
“Can we identify leaders?”
“There are, of course, the clan elders. But they generally are no operative. Some younger family members do the business. The elders only endorse their activities. – But arrest or kill one elder – and you’ll have an armed rebellion. – Arrest a son or grandson, and he’ll be replaced by another son or grandson. And the one you have arrested will not – under no circumstances – provide any information to you...”

“They also practise blood vengeance; one clan man killed in a fire fight means one policeman dead next month...”
“Should we ask the Bulgarians for help?”
“Rather not. – They are foreigners... – I think we should try to use the Serbs involved to get more information. They may be more open – or possibly corruptible...”
“Well, let’s hope so. - I’d like to solve this without major bloodshed...”

[Jotun]

As I said The Albanians are just being Albanians. Thrice-damned Kanun influencing life out in the sticks. Not much different from OTL's situation even in after 1998...

[Monty Burns]

Hm, I thought that Albania ITTL encompasses Kosovo, Albanian-populated parts of OTL Macedonia and maybe more - thus effectively a Greater Albania. If it is a Bulgarian puppet anyway, that shouldn't be of concern, right?

Anyway, it will be interesting to see how they face that problem ITTL. Economic progress is probably the best they could do, and improving the infrastructure to open the land may help in more than one purpose. But do they have the money? And will the xenophob clans welcome such investment?

[nerdknight01]

¡ Hi ! ¡EPIC !.

Yep, sometimes we forgot that karma, luck, destiny, heaven´s will or wherever, changes totally the destiny of human´s plans and proyects, in anyway, as for myself i can´t see who´s is guilty for this attack, maybe the independentists, the serbs, the otomans, the mob, ¡ heck ! in this timeline the conspiracy´s people will it be investigating this affair for decades.

The poor Luigi is one sad, unlucky character, he was totally inocent, he was used by higher powers and finnally maybe he becoming a victim and one scapegoat, poor bastard.

And for last, why i be having the freacking scary feeling that in this magnificent timeline the " Afgainstan " (damm chaotic and bloody land , no ofense please) maybe will it be becoming Albania, will see..

Good luck.

[Peabody-Martini]

There is more going on here than initially appears. No criminal organization, no matter how integrated within society, would risk bringing the wrath of the State down upon themselves. This is how things like federal task forces come about. Even if the kingpins can avoid capture or death they don't get a moment of peace.

That is unless there is another state player in the mix. As I said more than initially appears.

[Monty Burns]

Originally Posted by Peabody-Martini

There is more going on here than initially appears. No criminal organization, no matter how integrated within society, would risk bringing the wrath of the State down upon themselves. This is how things like federal task forces come about. Even if the kingpins can avoid capture or death they don't get a moment of peace.

That is unless there is another state player in the mix. As I said more than initially appears.

In principle, you're right.

In some regions of the Earth, though, I think you're not. I'd count Afghanistan, the Tuareg regions, the tribal regions of Pakistan, the Caucasus to those. And Northern Albania...

On the other side, rast does not post things that do not promote the TL. If it's not a bigger political thing, it has to be about a criminal network in Europe. We learned much about organized crime in the US, maybe this is the entry into the European crime scene?