Albanian nationalism a bulwark against Erdogan's Balkan ambitions

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has opened several military fronts in the Middle East and, at the same time, is blurting threats here and there about the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean. This does not mean that the Balkans have dropped from his radar.

Erdogan's plan is to root out any affiliates of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen in the region, mainly found in private schools and other institutions linked to the movement. Until recently, he would pressure governments into shutting down the schools and surrendering the alleged "terrorists." Just last month, six Turkish nationals were abducted by agents of Ankara's intelligence service operating in Kosovo. Meanwhile, Erdogan has launched a propaganda campaign designed to intimidate ordinary Albanians alleging that Gulenists are ostensibly orchestrating a series of coups.

The Turkish president's efforts to...