This is one of the more unusual subjects I have covered. It really is a fascinating story. It also raises some very serious questions about the nature of cyber conflicts and how the international community should respond to cyber attack. For example, do you think Albania should have called for a NATO response? And did Albanian bring this on itself by hosting an organisation waging a cyber insurgency on Iran? As always, I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments below.
As an Albanian I don’t think we brought it upon ourselves or at least deserve it, given that countries like mine don’t have much of a say when it comes to the hegemon that the US is. MEK was hosted at the request of the US, and most Albanians would prefer not to host muhajedeens.
@@govegan6682 Agreed. Besides the almost meaningless message towards MEK ,all the harm was done to the Albanian government. The message conveyed as much new information as the monthly death wishes towards israel. What did Iran event want to gain with this , i wonder? All those leaders, that aren't checked by other humans, be doing the most stupid shiet on the global stage...
@@kw2142 It's like the "discount bootleg VHS or DVD designed to trick gullible parents to part with their money" version of that spat in terms of how left field it is. I fully expect some future pop history UA-camr many decades from now to make a cutesy video about this that gets popular because of how dumb, random and insane it sounds to the average person.
Its due to the asylum of Iranian opposition given by Albania which made Iranian regime hate Albania for in one speech after Solemaini-death the supreme leader of Iran - Ali Khamenei mentioned Albania without saying the name of the country: ""There is a small but evil European country in which Americans and traitors against Iran got together to conspire against the Islamic Republic."
Wow! Absolutely amazing coverage of a "largely unnoticed incident". You do the world a great service with your sober, informed, articulate and focused reports. Go raibh maith agat a chara.
This video is amazing. Nobody could possibly even come close to guessing why this attack happened without knowing all the background history between these two countries and MEK. Never knew any of tuis before this video, and serves as a great reminder that geopolitics are often far more complicated than the mere "I attack you because me superior to you" that most people seem to adhere to in their understanding of world events. Great work professor.
At first it was weird for us why a country like iran would attack us for no reason. But after I learned about mojahedins now I know why. For some days my parents can’t access on E-Albania(a Albanian internet application that most of Albanians use it) because of hackers. Plus many people in the border had to stay for many hours because of problems in Adams system. I hope you understand my English a bit :) and thank you for your information.
As a Persian, I hope you realise most Iranians do not approve of the attacks against your country. (MEK are dangerous though. Watch them closely if you have to host them). Wish you the best.
@@PersianGato they have been here for a long while and not a single incident has occurred from MEK. They mind their own business and no one has ever had a problem from them. The only incidents that have happened is from Iran's regime trying to infiltrate the camp and from Iran's embassy in Albania trying to conduct surveillance on the camp and injecting their operatives in Albanian society through different religious organisations. I have passed in front of the area of the camp countless times going to work, their presence is not noticed at all. Matter of fact you wouldn't even know if it wasn't for the armed guards at the entrance. Albanians as much as the rest of the world had a very reserved opinion at first because of the term Jihadists and what that term is associated with but these people have proven to be very nice and grateful people. I'm a Christian and Albania is a very secular country, we have intermarriage between all religions or people that are not religious and i can honestly say that we are not worried one bit about the MEK camp in our country. These people are not religious extremists. I really don't know your passed experiences with this organisation but here in Albania they have conducted themselves to the highest degree of respect and behaviour.
Thank you so much. I suspect that many people did the same. It just sounded so random and odd. People may have seen the headline and just moved on, without realising what a strange story it was, and how significant it is in broader terms.
This is genuinely all so new for me and I can’t thank you enough for making this video given how underreported this case is. I think we have reached a point where cybersecurity and the idea of a cyberwar have reached a stage where it is an actual existential threat given how propaganda to smear and subvert can be spread quick as seen from the Iranian government trespassing Albanian cyberspace to denounce Tirani and MEK. I’m fortunate enough to know about the soured relations between MEK and the Islamic Republic after the Revolution but the various relationships between MEK and other actors such as the US was full of plot-twists. Amazing stuff as always! Hope you’ll also make a coverage on the Iran protests if you have the time.
Definitely wouldn't have heard about this if it wasn't for your video. Excellent analysis as ever James. Very interesting to hear the background around MEK too!
Thanks a lot. It really didn't get much coverage. And I think that most people who saw the headline probably skipped over it. It seemed so obscure. Iran and Albania having an argument. It's only when you dig into the full story that it becomes utterly fascinating in so many ways.
Subscriber rate going up at crazy rate as it should do. Thanks Prof for the work you put into this exercise. There are so many of us who appreciate it! 👍🏻👍🏻
I wonder how an article 5 would look like in this weird situation. What do you do in a case like this? Sanctions? A counter cyber attack? You definitely can’t justify an armed conflict so what do you do?
Really great question! Exactly. It's so hard to say. There seems to be a clear line drawn between cyber and conventional attacks, even though cyber attacks can do just as much, if not more, damage than conventional weapons. It will be interesting to see if this remains the case.
I have to start the sentence with "As an Albanian", well Albania is one of the weakest countries military and facing Iran stands no chance, PM maybe was scared :D so trying to talk about Article 5 just was a message to Iran if they were to escalate things.
@@ArlindBraka as an albanian article 5 doesn’t care for your own country’s strength since its a combined effort of all participants. My best bet is Rama didn’t want to escalate things further due to already high world tension with ukraine taiwan etc. Calling nato for Iran might open a possible „third front“ which would be devastating for Nato/US
@@ABC-ABC1234 what about kosovo? NATO was near to getting in war with Russia at that time, After NATO, led by the United States, did not want to give Russia its own sector in Kosovo as part of the planned KFOR peacekeeping force, because it was feared that the result would be a split in Kosovo, Russian SFOR paratroopers coming from Bosnia on the night of June 12, 1999 unexpectedly occupied the airport of Pristina. I dont got the time to writte more about it but you can read it by if you want so. So would the US Start WW3 for littel albania? Yes if its suits their interess!
If Albania hosts groups conducting cyberwarfare against Iran, surely Iran is justified in retaliating? Article 5 isn't supposed to apply to acts of aggression.
Thank you for the update. I wasn't entirely sure on the nuances of this conflict. I do not like religious interpretations when talking about Albanians. If anything, we are a highly irreligious people who have never identified with religions which have never been part of our identity, culture or behaviour. Religious statistics of our people are heritage remnants of past empires . Today, the statistics serve only outsiders who are somewhat obsessed with religious profiling when defining a people, and I could understand that since many country's cultures are defined by it.
They say that Albanians and Bosniaks made up for the highest number of isis fighters from europe the Albanian one kinda surprised me since I never met any Albanians that were highly religious.
@@bilic8094 When there have been such people coming from “Albania” (I am not sure if Albanians are the most common nationality, but nevertheless), they are usually Kosovar Albanians. Kosovars were not subject to the same state atheism that was implemented Albania. Furthermore, due to religious (and ethnic) dissonance between Kosovar Albanians and Kosovar Serbians/Serbians. These religious and ethnic differences are heightened when you define yourself in contrast to an “out-group”, especially when there’s a lot of violent conflict. So yes, Kosovar Albanians are more religious than those in Albania. That said, this shouldn’t be seen as the only reason for these fighters joining IS - Kosovo has the worst poverty in all of Europe. This poverty ought to be viewed (in this case) as more important in the creation of terrorists than religion. Just my 2 cents!
@@marioandwes Who’s talking about Kosovo Albs here? Kosovo Albs are the same and one with all Albanians. Its not only communism that repressed religion but all previous governments of Albania including the renaissance movements played a role to discourage people on taking religious identities. Albanian culture in its essence does not revolve around religion but a set of customary laws, traditions and behaviour which go back millennials.
@@marioandwes Let's just stop with the kosovar nonsense it's Serbs and Albanians and yes they did say more Albanians from kosovo and n macedonia were heavily in isis alot more than Albania itself I understand in Albania religion is less prevalent .
I am Albanian and I’ve heard about this it’s a very strange conflict. I don’t think this has anything to do with Albania but more so US vs Iran with Albania being a US proxy. Iran and Albania almost have no relations at all and both places aren’t close geographically. The US forced an Iranian anti-government group called MEK in our country, our government had little to no say in the matter and Iran is taking it out on us because they think we are conspiring against their government which is not true only America is doing that, we are pawns in a big geopolitical game we don’t want to be a part of.
That’s true. Albania shouldn’t be surprised that this happened and I hope we learned something here. Acting on behalf of the US, puts you in great danger. Albania is now in war with Iran because of this
I had not heard of this one. Thanks for the very informing report on this type of conflict. If I recall, back in 1979, the Iranian Government gave an ultimatum to return the shah to Iran which the U.S. refused and that is what caused the attack on the U.S. Embassy there. I wonder if Iran gave an ultimatum to Albania before it initiated its cyber attack.
Hello Professor Lindsay, my question is since your area of focus seems to be within eastern Europe I would like to know your opinions of Turkeys apparent distance from the Kremlin in recent weeks. What is Erdogans objective
They want to become a great power and they're trying to play both sides. They never really liked the Russians or Putin, but it was advantageous at the time to see what they could get out of them, it is not anymore.
I'm just hearing of this. I'm shocked it got so little coverage given how the world much time the world spent mourning some queen. I always imagined cyberwarfare taking place in some distant sci-fi future, that this actually sent chills down my spine.
Im a member of the embassy of Albania, and yes. It was a huge attack on our systems that causes severe damages on the database. It was about time we cancelled our diplomatic ties. Great cover of the story Professor! My congrats.
This is one reason I love your channel, Professor. I had no idea this even happenned. Thank you for this analysis. One question I would like to throw out there is, "do cyber-attacks kill people, and what does that mean ethically, and regarding a potential response?" Whatever follows could be a Doctoral thesis. Very interesting conflict.
Thanks you so much Hugo. Always appreciated. So far, most cyber attacks have been non-lethal, although extremely costly and destructive in economic terms. But one can see how attacks on critical infrastructure, such as power plants and emergency service centres, could potentially lead to deaths indirectly. It is a fascinating field, and one that is likely to affect our lives so much more in future.
Thanks Dan. Yes, it went largely unnoticed. There was some coverage, but I think most people just ignored a headline about Iran and Albania having a diplomatic dispute. But, of course, it is far more significant than that.
@@JamesKerLindsay suddenly Iran is front and centre so I do think this will receive much more attention.....Iran is getting strongly involved in another world hot spot....at least you are a pioneer but not for long ;)
Cyberwarfare and cybersecurity as a whole is already scarily heated. I can't imagine how it will develop once (currently) lower income countries gain the infrastructure to engage with it.
Very interesting topic! Cyberspace is certainly a game changer in IR and this reaction seems to be the first of its kind and thus a precedent setter. Interesting to see what will come of this in the future.
Thanks Brian. I think this is more significant than many people realise. Of course, there have been quite a lot of attacks, but they are often related to offline issues and are a hybrid of online and offline. This really does seem to be wholly online. In this sense, I think it is a real first. I can't think of another comparable case.
It’s difficult to set a precedent and open a „new front“ while europe is in such a state of tension with the ukraine crisis. Ramas decision to not call for article 5 is remarkable enduring an attack and not calling for full force revenge which could have brought more parts of the world in disarray
Thank you for covering this topic, I had no idea that this conflict was happening. I think this also shows that even in international relations base human perception plays a huge role. If Iran placed a bomb that destroyed an unmanned electrical substation causing millions of dollars in damage and leaving hundreds of thousands without power, the reaction would be intense and potentially lead to war. Even if no one died. But, if Iran carried out a cyber attack that caused millions of dollars in damage and left hundreds of thousands without power the reaction would likely be less intense. I would wager that even if people died as a result of the cyber attack the reaction would be less aggressive than a bomb that killed no one.
Great content as always! I am Albanian and I can assure you people in Albania don't know the background of the story in detail as you explained. The reason behind it is that certainly there was never a public debate on the issue before hosting MEK members in Albania. We're defenitley proud of our alliance with the west, and couldn't be any other way, but do you think Albania have bitten more than it can chew hosting MEK? I am sure you are aware of plans in the past led by US to destroy chemical weapons of Syria in Albania. It seems to me, and I assure you many other Albanians feel the same, that our relationship with the US is more like being in a friends with benefits situation than a true partnership. US ambassador is daily on national TV doing our domestic politics in the name of the great relationship they have with us. Your laser sharp analysis on this would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the excellent work you do with this channel.
Thank you so much Hysen. I really appreciate it! And thanks so much for the really helpful comment. That’s so interesting to hear. But I’m not surprised that many people in Albania don’t know the background to the case. It is likely that the government just took them because it was asked to and the press press and opposition probably didn’t question it. In general, the relationship with the United States has served Albania well. But there is no doubt that it is one of unequals. However, that’s more often the case than not. It applies to all countries, including the U.K. (And I say this as someone who is not naturally anti-American. Far from it.) The key difference is that Albania is more unquestioning than most countries. But it would be interesting to know if there has been any internal debate in Albania about all this since it happened? I can see both arguments, for keeping MEK in place, especially now given everything taking place in Iran. But there dues need to be greater public discussion about the consequences.
@@JamesKerLindsay There is also the issue with how the MEK functionns internally, its basically a cult centered around his founder Massoud Rajavi as a saint and a martyr while the autocratic leadership is held by his wife Maryam, a bit like the familial soufi sects of old (the Safawiyya being the most famous).
It's interesting considering the Iranian-Balkan distance. If possible could you do a video on Iran's ties with other Russian allies such as Belarus, Serbia. I know Albania isn't a Russian ally but it has issues with Serbia. Considering the usage of Iranian drones in the Ukraine war by the Russians, it would interesting to consider what stakes Iran has in other Russian allies.
With all fairness it's not uncommon for states to work together on one front and fight eachother on other Just think Turkey or the" great powers"during WWI and WWII
@@Pavlos_Charalambous Middle eastern geo politics is not that simple turkey and Azerbaijan do not like Iran while on the other hand Armenians has waived the Armenian flag with the Iranian one. We can see the same occur in Azerbaijan were they have waived the Israel flag in opposition. This sort of confusion dates back to the reaction of the Arab spring uprising and how Turkey is a part of NATO.
The thing that Iran, servia, and russia have in common is they are strongly opposed to the west and have authoritarian and religious zealous Government or Cultures.
Good evening James, Happy to be back to watching your videos on a Friday evening. THis is a very interesting update and you are right about the very little update it has received, I for one had no idea about it and the more I read about it, the more complicated it gets, with MEK, US, NATO, etc. It brought to my mind two questions - one on the interpretation of Article 5 of NATO considering it was written before cyber warfare - so does it cover only conventional warfare or should there be specific articles to deal with it ? The other is the effectiveness of MEK's troll farms against the regime for them to orchestrate these attacks by planning a year in advance (and I guess the troll farms have very little to do with the protest organisation at the moment? ) Have a great weekend!
It was covered, but not very widely or well. Most people may have just spotted a headline about Iran and Albania and just skipped it. Very easy to do. :-)
That was such a “low blow” even for Iran. Never have we disrespected them, many Iranians come to Tirana and its surroundings to get cosmetic surgeries. They’re treated like kings and queens and then they attack a small vulnerable country. Unfortunately for us we don’t have competent politicians so our NATO “allies” won’t even consider helping us. The only solution is to teach the Albanian youth cybersecurity and everything in between. #kosovoisalbania ❤🇦🇱🖤
it seems like you're in denial dude. You're harboring the most hated terrorist organization that is constantly causing trouble for Iranians anywhere, and then you wonder why they attacked you? Imagine IRan hosting a group that would carry out terrorist attacks in Albaia while advocating for a new Hoxha regime in Albania, how much would you love Iran then? PS: I don't know what you know about cosmetic surgery but Iran is a world capital of it, I don;t see why would Iranians come to albania for that, probably they are the MEK members that do lol.
The cyber attack on Albania was devastating, it did an enormous damage more than anyone can imagine. To combat high corruption and make public services more efficent Albania created an online portal (e-albania) in which every citizen of the country can apply and get all government services online. (I was impressed that they build such a remarkable system all interlinked that even the most high tech countries don't have) Every citizen have their own account based on their ID number and this account is linked with everything that that citizen has like properties, businesses, licenses, education degrees, taxes, healthcare etc... every government service possible. As an Albanian when this portal was attacked and shoot down I felt so anxious and worried on a personal level about all the sensitive information that they could have gotten hold off, probably even mine or my relatives.
First thing that came to mind when I started watching was "what about Article V?" I hadn't heard of this and wondered if NATO had escewed the activation. Perhaps it would have been more "newsworthy" had Albania asked and been rejected. That said, I suspect NATO kindly asked Albania not to ask. That line may be crossed one day though.
Wow... Its such a comicated world out there! And yet ordinary everyday people. All just want to live lives that meet human rights and shared values and mutual benefit. All these people out there attacking others in cyber war or traditional war long held animosity. Undeserved acts against innocent people's not involved..... Other countries interfering when maybe they shouldn't... Its like Wow. and Professor you are able to understand it and explain it well. Thank you
Thank you so much! It is indeed a complicated and worrying world out there. But I also like to think that things will come through OK in the end. But we could be in for a very difficult time first.
Wtf?! These are nations are two of my heritage where I have been and proud to represent. It’s such a shame that these nations have tension with one another and less than favorable reputations around the world. I hope this all gets fixed asap.
Thanks. :-) Although anyone who would like to contribute can do so here. All assistance towards running the channel (rather more expensive than it may seem: equipment, software, subscriptions, etc.) are incredibly gratefully received: www.UA-cam.com/c/JamesKerLindsay/join
Amazing story. My first reaction was: "how much damage could they realistically done?". When I visited Albania in 2015 on business trip, I think they were the only country in Europe that still didn't have digitalized VAT forms, they were using old-fashioned paper forms. But I guess that till now even Albania is digitalized to some extent. Iran could consider hosting some hardline Albanian Communists in Iran, who would train to overthrow current Albanian government and restore Hoxha style communism in Albania :-)
As of today, Albania is the most digitalized country in the Balkans, in particularly for eGovernment services. And be careful when saying things like "the only country..." when you have no idea what you're talking about.
Thanks for explaining this situation, I’ve been wondering why there were tensions between the two countries for a while. Personally, I agree with the assessment that cyber attacks are completely different from physical attacks, because generally cyber attacks don’t cause any human deaths.
They don't cause human deaths but like trolling they undermine the authority of the state and viewed in this way Iran's attack was an escalation, like you may want to believe that you support the good guys but the good guys are someone's bad guys it's obvious that countries need a trolling convention and a test as well.
Well its only a matter of time when a cyber attack leads to actual casualties. Imagine a fallout of traffic lights, border checkpoints, police or hospitals networks or any form of communication. These would cause great suffering in the civilian population.
@@soul8938 The only smart comment i have seen so far.Hacking can caise casualtirs from the traffic lights you mentioned to hacking airplane systems as terrorists..
Albania is the last country I would expect to be a belligerent in the 'first true cyber conflict', but then again, even the smallest of countries aren't insignificant.
Wait the USA and EU are angry over the 2016 Russian troll farms but are shocked when Iran has a similar reaction? Like who would have guessed that no one likes trolling?; Maybe there should be some kind of anti trolling conventions.
I think international rules and regulations would mean more if the countries that write the rules and insist on them would actually follow the rules themselves. And not allow state actors like Israel to go rampant. Am looking at you USA.
Thanks, for the video. I don't recall hearing about any of this as it happened. I think a tit-for-tat response is justifiable via either kinetic or cyber means. I am curious as to the reasoning for not escalating this matter with NATO. It wouldn't surprise me if consultation was done in secret and any retaliation would be done in secret, especially if it will involve actions in cyberspace.
I would still say that based on the examples we know, cyber attacks still do less damage than conventional armed attacks. However, they are much less constrained by geography.
How do Albanians feel about MEK training in their country ? I can't imagine them being happy with the government spending tons of money on a relatively distant geopolitic matter.
very thorough, I just like to add , Over a million and half of Iranians are Christian, nearly ten thousand of Iranians are Jew and about half million of Iranians are Zoroastrian (second largest Zoroastrian population in the world after India). The Muslim majority never use Shi'a or sunni in iran . And they all have seats in Iranian parliament.
One thing to add is that MEK is not there to be supported in their struggles, their status in Albania is simply to be sheltered on humanitarian basis. They are an aggressive bunch and from time to time they are causing headaches to their hosts and this is the worst, so far.
They started making troll farms online on albanian soil, albanians should not have allowed a propaganda machine that spews propaganda at other countries inside its broders.
What's weird is the US still to this day considers ALL of Albania to be classified as a warzone since March 24, 1999 So I wonder if that has any standing in this issue between Albania and Iran
I would add another topic in Albania- Iran relations. During Kosovo war Iran engaged with Albanian guerrila of KLA, but as the precedent of Bosnia showed that Iran help came with costs and KLA didn't want to cause concerns to USA and Western allies, they diplomatically refused the help with mujahedeens and weapons, instead they answered if you want to help we accept only cash. After that refusal Iran changed their position and become an ally of Serbia.
First of all, the reason Albania is a Muslim majority country is because we didn’t have an independent church but instead we were either Catholics and therefore part of the universal Catholic Church or part of the Byzantine church which was predominantly Greek, so when the Turks came we Albanians were among the ones to fight off the Turks the hardest and we payed a heavy price for it as Turks wouldn’t grant us any rights unless we converted to Islam whereas Serbs and Greeks and so on all had their independent churches to whom the Ottomans gave certain autonomy. And after 500 years of ottoman rule we’ve picked up a lot of Islamic culture. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the identity and soul of Albania is deeply rooted in Christianity. We had Popes, Roman Emperors, we still have the Albanian Byzantine Catholic Church in Italy. Albania was originally founded as a crusader state by the first king of Albania who was French, Charles of Anjou. Many people don’t know this. All our literature and culture is influenced by Catholic priests. But we also have a thousand years of Byzantine heritage. We were caught up in the middle of the great schism and later fell to the Ottomans. That’s why there’s this religious tolerance and diversity in Albania which is beautiful because we’ve been part of it all and suffered under all. What is funny also is that it is widely understood and accepted that Albanians are the direct descendants of the Illyrians. And remember, Alexander the Greats own mother was from Epirus (modern Albania), and Alexander had many Illyrian troops with him and praised them in his campaigns across the known world. So we played a high role in crushing the Persians not only in antiquity but throughout the Middle Ages as we Byzantines always beat the Persians and the Sassanids. And today as a NATO member state and loyal westerners, I wouldn’t mess with Albanians if I was Persia. With all that said and wars and conflicts aside, I do respect Iranians and their civilization and contributions to human history. And I know a majority of them are against their lunatic government anyway so no need for hate. Just don’t mess with the west or the Albanians 🇦🇱
Thank you professor. Don’t you think Albania’s hosting of the dissident Mojahedin group was asking for trouble? I wonder why they did such a dangerous thing in face of a country which is the greatest supporter of terrorism in the world.
Thanks. Great question. As you saw, this is exactly an issue I raised. Countries will need to think more about this. In the past, they could host organisation that made sone noise, but did very little real harm. Now they can actually do a lot of damage. This means that the threat of retaliation is obviously there, as this whole incident shows. Then again, many would argue that there is a responsibility to help people that are persecuted by their own countries. MEK enjoys a lot of high level support in a number of countries. Senior Western politicians have spoken at their events. It would be interesting to know what debates have been taking place in Albania as a result of these attacks.
@@JamesKerLindsay You are right professor. Internet has made possible things which were not even imagined before, one example cyber attacks. Thank you for the video. 🙏🏻
@@JamesKerLindsay Proffesor, this move is purely US backed. They used Albania's situation with Iran to increase sanctions to Iran. Albania was used as puppet by USA.
This is one of the more unusual subjects I have covered. It really is a fascinating story. It also raises some very serious questions about the nature of cyber conflicts and how the international community should respond to cyber attack. For example, do you think Albania should have called for a NATO response? And did Albanian bring this on itself by hosting an organisation waging a cyber insurgency on Iran? As always, I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments below.
The American government is a sponsor of terrorism.
As an Albanian I don’t think we brought it upon ourselves or at least deserve it, given that countries like mine don’t have much of a say when it comes to the hegemon that the US is. MEK was hosted at the request of the US, and most Albanians would prefer not to host muhajedeens.
@@govegan6682 American government has been a sponsor of terrorism for decades.
@@govegan6682 Agreed. Besides the almost meaningless message towards MEK ,all the harm was done to the Albanian government. The message conveyed as much new information as the monthly death wishes towards israel. What did Iran event want to gain with this , i wonder? All those leaders, that aren't checked by other humans, be doing the most stupid shiet on the global stage...
Albania didn't deserve that cyber attack, but I don't know if they should have called for a NATO response.
Iran-Albania “cyber conflict” is probably one of the most strangest things that I’ve heard in geopolitics.
Indeed, I have to say it is rather up there amongst the more unusual stories in international relations. Strange times.
It's up there with Lithuania takes on China
It's Iran-USA cyberconflict. Check about the USA controlled cyber-center just outside Tirana
@@kw2142 It's like the "discount bootleg VHS or DVD designed to trick gullible parents to part with their money" version of that spat in terms of how left field it is. I fully expect some future pop history UA-camr many decades from now to make a cutesy video about this that gets popular because of how dumb, random and insane it sounds to the average person.
Its due to the asylum of Iranian opposition given by Albania which made Iranian regime hate Albania for in one speech after Solemaini-death the supreme leader of Iran - Ali Khamenei mentioned Albania without saying the name of the country: ""There is a small but evil European country in which Americans and traitors against Iran got together to conspire against the Islamic Republic."
Wow! Absolutely amazing coverage of a "largely unnoticed incident". You do the world a great service with your sober, informed, articulate and focused reports. Go raibh maith agat a chara.
And thank you very much too! :-)
@@JamesKerLindsay Well done Professor, you understand Irish too!!!
This video is amazing. Nobody could possibly even come close to guessing why this attack happened without knowing all the background history between these two countries and MEK. Never knew any of tuis before this video, and serves as a great reminder that geopolitics are often far more complicated than the mere "I attack you because me superior to you" that most people seem to adhere to in their understanding of world events.
Great work professor.
As an Albanian I can confirm this is true and accurate.
Thanks. What has been the general reaction over there?
At first it was weird for us why a country like iran would attack us for no reason. But after I learned about mojahedins now I know why. For some days my parents can’t access on E-Albania(a Albanian internet application that most of Albanians use it) because of hackers. Plus many people in the border had to stay for many hours because of problems in Adams system. I hope you understand my English a bit :) and thank you for your information.
As a Persian, I hope you realise most Iranians do not approve of the attacks against your country. (MEK are dangerous though. Watch them closely if you have to host them). Wish you the best.
@@PersianGato they have been here for a long while and not a single incident has occurred from MEK. They mind their own business and no one has ever had a problem from them. The only incidents that have happened is from Iran's regime trying to infiltrate the camp and from Iran's embassy in Albania trying to conduct surveillance on the camp and injecting their operatives in Albanian society through different religious organisations. I have passed in front of the area of the camp countless times going to work, their presence is not noticed at all. Matter of fact you wouldn't even know if it wasn't for the armed guards at the entrance. Albanians as much as the rest of the world had a very reserved opinion at first because of the term Jihadists and what that term is associated with but these people have proven to be very nice and grateful people. I'm a Christian and Albania is a very secular country, we have intermarriage between all religions or people that are not religious and i can honestly say that we are not worried one bit about the MEK camp in our country. These people are not religious extremists. I really don't know your passed experiences with this organisation but here in Albania they have conducted themselves to the highest degree of respect and behaviour.
What is going on? This is like a parallel universe reality
This is such an amazing video. I remember reading the headline, doing a double take, but finding very little details on what happened
Thank you so much. I suspect that many people did the same. It just sounded so random and odd. People may have seen the headline and just moved on, without realising what a strange story it was, and how significant it is in broader terms.
It depends, in this case the prime minister has stated that he does not want to include the other NATO nations in this issue.
Love the Explanation. Hello from Albania 🇦🇱
Thank you so much Denis. I hope all is well over there. Regards from London. :-)
This is genuinely all so new for me and I can’t thank you enough for making this video given how underreported this case is.
I think we have reached a point where cybersecurity and the idea of a cyberwar have reached a stage where it is an actual existential threat given how propaganda to smear and subvert can be spread quick as seen from the Iranian government trespassing Albanian cyberspace to denounce Tirani and MEK.
I’m fortunate enough to know about the soured relations between MEK and the Islamic Republic after the Revolution but the various relationships between MEK and other actors such as the US was full of plot-twists.
Amazing stuff as always! Hope you’ll also make a coverage on the Iran protests if you have the time.
Definitely wouldn't have heard about this if it wasn't for your video. Excellent analysis as ever James. Very interesting to hear the background around MEK too!
Thanks so much! It was such an interesting story, with so many strands crossing other issues. I really had to cover it.
Amazing. I keep up with the news, & did not hear any of this. Thank you for keeping us informed.
Thanks a lot. It really didn't get much coverage. And I think that most people who saw the headline probably skipped over it. It seemed so obscure. Iran and Albania having an argument. It's only when you dig into the full story that it becomes utterly fascinating in so many ways.
Subscriber rate going up at crazy rate as it should do. Thanks Prof for the work you put into this exercise. There are so many of us who appreciate it! 👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you so much Peter! That’s really great to hear. Comments like this make it all worth it. :-) I really appreciate it.
Reality truly is more strange than fiction.
hello from Albania 🇦🇱🇦🇱👋🏻👋🏻
Hello. :-)
Amazing coverage, as always!
Very interesting. Thanks for the well packaged video.
Thanks so much.
This channel is so diverse in its range of IR content it’s amazing it hadn’t hit a million subs already. Proper good stuff Professor James 👍
Thank you so much. That’s incredibly kind and really appreciated! :-)
This channel is so invaluable. Great analysis!
Thanks for this video! I had no idea about the attack or the motives.
Thanks. I think most people missed it. But what an interesting story, isn't it!?
@@JamesKerLindsay Absolutely!! 👍
@JamesKerLindsay Iran is russian allie so why surprised
This is nothing new
Thank you Prof. Key-Lindsay, great information and analysis, as always.
Thank you very much.
really interesting. haven't heard this anywhere else. thank you for reporting it
Cannot believe this has not been in the news-amazing report
Thanks a lot. Yes, it's really interesting that that this didn't get more attention.
Respect Iran from Serbia
Serbs and Turks are brothers
in this situation enemy of our enemy IS NOT our friend.
What a odd set of plot twists🗿 love how you explained this systematically
I wonder how an article 5 would look like in this weird situation. What do you do in a case like this? Sanctions? A counter cyber attack? You definitely can’t justify an armed conflict so what do you do?
Really great question! Exactly. It's so hard to say. There seems to be a clear line drawn between cyber and conventional attacks, even though cyber attacks can do just as much, if not more, damage than conventional weapons. It will be interesting to see if this remains the case.
I have to start the sentence with "As an Albanian", well Albania is one of the weakest countries military and facing Iran stands no chance, PM maybe was scared :D so trying to talk about Article 5 just was a message to Iran if they were to escalate things.
@@ArlindBraka as an albanian article 5 doesn’t care for your own country’s strength since its a combined effort of all participants.
My best bet is Rama didn’t want to escalate things further due to already high world tension with ukraine taiwan etc.
Calling nato for Iran might open a possible „third front“ which would be devastating for Nato/US
@@ArlindBraka DO you actually believe US would start WW3 for little Albania?
@@ABC-ABC1234 what about kosovo? NATO was near to getting in war with Russia at that time, After NATO, led by the United States, did not want to give Russia its own sector in Kosovo as part of the planned KFOR peacekeeping force, because it was feared that the result would be a split in Kosovo, Russian SFOR paratroopers coming from Bosnia on the night of June 12, 1999 unexpectedly occupied the airport of Pristina. I dont got the time to writte more about it but you can read it by if you want so.
So would the US Start WW3 for littel albania? Yes if its suits their interess!
If Albania hosts groups conducting cyberwarfare against Iran, surely Iran is justified in retaliating? Article 5 isn't supposed to apply to acts of aggression.
Thank you for the update. I wasn't entirely sure on the nuances of this conflict.
I do not like religious interpretations when talking about Albanians. If anything, we are a highly irreligious people who have never identified with religions which have never been part of our identity, culture or behaviour. Religious statistics of our people are heritage remnants of past empires . Today, the statistics serve only outsiders who are somewhat obsessed with religious profiling when defining a people, and I could understand that since many country's cultures are defined by it.
Albanians are so based
They say that Albanians and Bosniaks made up for the highest number of isis fighters from europe the Albanian one kinda surprised me since I never met any Albanians that were highly religious.
@@bilic8094 When there have been such people coming from “Albania” (I am not sure if Albanians are the most common nationality, but nevertheless), they are usually Kosovar Albanians. Kosovars were not subject to the same state atheism that was implemented Albania. Furthermore, due to religious (and ethnic) dissonance between Kosovar Albanians and Kosovar Serbians/Serbians. These religious and ethnic differences are heightened when you define yourself in contrast to an “out-group”, especially when there’s a lot of violent conflict. So yes, Kosovar Albanians are more religious than those in Albania.
That said, this shouldn’t be seen as the only reason for these fighters joining IS - Kosovo has the worst poverty in all of Europe. This poverty ought to be viewed (in this case) as more important in the creation of terrorists than religion. Just my 2 cents!
@@marioandwes Who’s talking about Kosovo Albs here? Kosovo Albs are the same and one with all Albanians. Its not only communism that repressed religion but all previous governments of Albania including the renaissance movements played a role to discourage people on taking religious identities. Albanian culture in its essence does not revolve around religion but a set of customary laws, traditions and behaviour which go back millennials.
@@marioandwes Let's just stop with the kosovar nonsense it's Serbs and Albanians and yes they did say more Albanians from kosovo and n macedonia were heavily in isis alot more than Albania itself I understand in Albania religion is less prevalent .
I am Albanian and I’ve heard about this it’s a very strange conflict. I don’t think this has anything to do with Albania but more so US vs Iran with Albania being a US proxy. Iran and Albania almost have no relations at all and both places aren’t close geographically. The US forced an Iranian anti-government group called MEK in our country, our government had little to no say in the matter and Iran is taking it out on us because they think we are conspiring against their government which is not true only America is doing that, we are pawns in a big geopolitical game we don’t want to be a part of.
Oh wow, that's fascinating.
No, they dont
Well, Albania is enabling the US, for what its worth
That’s true. Albania shouldn’t be surprised that this happened and I hope we learned something here. Acting on behalf of the US, puts you in great danger. Albania is now in war with Iran because of this
It's not too late to remedy this. You can always kick out the US-sponsored terrorists :-)
Brilliant analysis, thank you
Thanks is much. It is such an interesting, and rather bizarre, story.
greatly appreciate this. Went completely under my radar
It is October, not April. Who could possibly have imagined these events a decade ago? Fantastic coverage.
Thanks. It’s really quite incredible, isn’t it!? You really couldn’t make this up!
Great Post. Thanks
Thank a lot Mick.
Amazing stuff, I didn't expect to see something like this.
really like how you improved your map game 😊 thanks for your videos!
Thanks for noticing that. I was rather pleased with it! 😀
Very interesting video I never would of guessed that Albania and Iran had ties that could lead to any sort of conflict this being cyber.
Excellent and unbiased video. Thank you! Subscribed
I had not heard of this one. Thanks for the very informing report on this type of conflict. If I recall, back in 1979, the Iranian Government gave an ultimatum to return the shah to Iran which the U.S. refused and that is what caused the attack on the U.S. Embassy there. I wonder if Iran gave an ultimatum to Albania before it initiated its cyber attack.
Totally didn't know about this. Great video as usual, Professor.
Thanks so much Daniel. It really is an incredible story.
Hello Professor Lindsay, my question is since your area of focus seems to be within eastern Europe I would like to know your opinions of Turkeys apparent distance from the Kremlin in recent weeks. What is Erdogans objective
They want to become a great power and they're trying to play both sides.
They never really liked the Russians or Putin, but it was advantageous at the time to see what they could get out of them, it is not anymore.
I'm just hearing of this. I'm shocked it got so little coverage given how the world much time the world spent mourning some queen. I always imagined cyberwarfare taking place in some distant sci-fi future, that this actually sent chills down my spine.
Fascinating. It wasn't even mentioned at all in the news in Russia. Keep up the good work James!
Im a member of the embassy of Albania, and yes. It was a huge attack on our systems that causes severe damages on the database. It was about time we cancelled our diplomatic ties.
Great cover of the story Professor! My congrats.
Thank you. It was a remarkable and destructive attack that received surprisingly little international attention.
What a strange interesting story! Never heard about this. good video.
Thanks so much. It was so interesting piecing together all the parts.
Amazing, never could have guessed. Thank you again for the valuable information Professor!
Great information, thanks much for the intel
Holy f***ing s**t this was an amazing analysis so rich and so unbiased brovo sir you are a true professional
Thank you! :-)
This is one reason I love your channel, Professor. I had no idea this even happenned. Thank you for this analysis.
One question I would like to throw out there is, "do cyber-attacks kill people, and what does that mean ethically, and regarding a potential response?" Whatever follows could be a Doctoral thesis. Very interesting conflict.
Thanks you so much Hugo. Always appreciated. So far, most cyber attacks have been non-lethal, although extremely costly and destructive in economic terms. But one can see how attacks on critical infrastructure, such as power plants and emergency service centres, could potentially lead to deaths indirectly. It is a fascinating field, and one that is likely to affect our lives so much more in future.
Great video, Professor! As always
Again an excellent video. Well explained and very relevant. This channel deserves a lot more subscribers.
Thanks. I learn a lot from this channel.
Very interesting. I never would have thought of such a possibility. Certainly isn't covered prominently in the media.
Thanks Dan. Yes, it went largely unnoticed. There was some coverage, but I think most people just ignored a headline about Iran and Albania having a diplomatic dispute. But, of course, it is far more significant than that.
@@JamesKerLindsay suddenly Iran is front and centre so I do think this will receive much more attention.....Iran is getting strongly involved in another world hot spot....at least you are a pioneer but not for long ;)
Cyberwarfare and cybersecurity as a whole is already scarily heated. I can't imagine how it will develop once (currently) lower income countries gain the infrastructure to engage with it.
Enjoyed much
Thanks. It really is an amazing story, isn’t it!? Worthy of a political thriller.
@@JamesKerLindsay sure is on both counts.
If Albania harbors and protects mortal enemies of the Islamic Republic then be prepared for consequences.
Very interesting topic! Cyberspace is certainly a game changer in IR and this reaction seems to be the first of its kind and thus a precedent setter. Interesting to see what will come of this in the future.
Thanks Brian. I think this is more significant than many people realise. Of course, there have been quite a lot of attacks, but they are often related to offline issues and are a hybrid of online and offline. This really does seem to be wholly online. In this sense, I think it is a real first. I can't think of another comparable case.
It’s difficult to set a precedent and open a „new front“ while europe is in such a state of tension with the ukraine crisis.
Ramas decision to not call for article 5 is remarkable enduring an attack and not calling for full force revenge which could have brought more parts of the world in disarray
A very unusual topic. I always like your analysis
Thank you so much!
Thank you for covering this topic, I had no idea that this conflict was happening. I think this also shows that even in international relations base human perception plays a huge role.
If Iran placed a bomb that destroyed an unmanned electrical substation causing millions of dollars in damage and leaving hundreds of thousands without power, the reaction would be intense and potentially lead to war. Even if no one died.
But, if Iran carried out a cyber attack that caused millions of dollars in damage and left hundreds of thousands without power the reaction would likely be less intense. I would wager that even if people died as a result of the cyber attack the reaction would be less aggressive than a bomb that killed no one.
Great content as always! I am Albanian and I can assure you people in Albania don't know the background of the story in detail as you explained. The reason behind it is that certainly there was never a public debate on the issue before hosting MEK members in Albania. We're defenitley proud of our alliance with the west, and couldn't be any other way, but do you think Albania have bitten more than it can chew hosting MEK? I am sure you are aware of plans in the past led by US to destroy chemical weapons of Syria in Albania. It seems to me, and I assure you many other Albanians feel the same, that our relationship with the US is more like being in a friends with benefits situation than a true partnership. US ambassador is daily on national TV doing our domestic politics in the name of the great relationship they have with us. Your laser sharp analysis on this would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the excellent work you do with this channel.
Thank you so much Hysen. I really appreciate it! And thanks so much for the really helpful comment. That’s so interesting to hear. But I’m not surprised that many people in Albania don’t know the background to the case. It is likely that the government just took them because it was asked to and the press press and opposition probably didn’t question it. In general, the relationship with the United States has served Albania well. But there is no doubt that it is one of unequals. However, that’s more often the case than not. It applies to all countries, including the U.K. (And I say this as someone who is not naturally anti-American. Far from it.) The key difference is that Albania is more unquestioning than most countries. But it would be interesting to know if there has been any internal debate in Albania about all this since it happened? I can see both arguments, for keeping MEK in place, especially now given everything taking place in Iran. But there dues need to be greater public discussion about the consequences.
@@JamesKerLindsay There is also the issue with how the MEK functionns internally, its basically a cult centered around his founder Massoud Rajavi as a saint and a martyr while the autocratic leadership is held by his wife Maryam, a bit like the familial soufi sects of old (the Safawiyya being the most famous).
Amazing! Never heard of this before.
I had no idea about this. Super interesting
It's interesting considering the Iranian-Balkan distance. If possible could you do a video on Iran's ties with other Russian allies such as Belarus, Serbia. I know Albania isn't a Russian ally but it has issues with Serbia. Considering the usage of Iranian drones in the Ukraine war by the Russians, it would interesting to consider what stakes Iran has in other Russian allies.
With all fairness it's not uncommon for states to work together on one front and fight eachother on other
Just think Turkey or the" great powers"during WWI and WWII
@@Pavlos_Charalambous Middle eastern geo politics is not that simple turkey and Azerbaijan do not like Iran while on the other hand Armenians has waived the Armenian flag with the Iranian one. We can see the same occur in Azerbaijan were they have waived the Israel flag in opposition. This sort of confusion dates back to the reaction of the Arab spring uprising and how Turkey is a part of NATO.
The thing that Iran, servia, and russia have in common is they are strongly opposed to the west and have authoritarian and religious zealous Government or Cultures.
Good evening James,
Happy to be back to watching your videos on a Friday evening. THis is a very interesting update and you are right about the very little update it has received, I for one had no idea about it and the more I read about it, the more complicated it gets, with MEK, US, NATO, etc. It brought to my mind two questions - one on the interpretation of Article 5 of NATO considering it was written before cyber warfare - so does it cover only conventional warfare or should there be specific articles to deal with it ?
The other is the effectiveness of MEK's troll farms against the regime for them to orchestrate these attacks by planning a year in advance (and I guess the troll farms have very little to do with the protest organisation at the moment? )
Have a great weekend!
I never saw a single media report on this.
It was covered, but not very widely or well. Most people may have just spotted a headline about Iran and Albania and just skipped it. Very easy to do. :-)
That was such a “low blow” even for Iran. Never have we disrespected them, many Iranians come to Tirana and its surroundings to get cosmetic surgeries. They’re treated like kings and queens and then they attack a small vulnerable country. Unfortunately for us we don’t have competent politicians so our NATO “allies” won’t even consider helping us. The only solution is to teach the Albanian youth cybersecurity and everything in between. #kosovoisalbania ❤🇦🇱🖤
it seems like you're in denial dude.
You're harboring the most hated terrorist organization that is constantly causing trouble for Iranians anywhere, and then you wonder why they attacked you?
Imagine IRan hosting a group that would carry out terrorist attacks in Albaia while advocating for a new Hoxha regime in Albania, how much would you love Iran then?
PS: I don't know what you know about cosmetic surgery but Iran is a world capital of it, I don;t see why would Iranians come to albania for that, probably they are the MEK members that do lol.
You can't compere relationship between countries and people, countries work only based on interest
The cyber attack on Albania was devastating, it did an enormous damage more than anyone can imagine. To combat high corruption and make public services more efficent Albania created an online portal (e-albania) in which every citizen of the country can apply and get all government services online. (I was impressed that they build such a remarkable system all interlinked that even the most high tech countries don't have) Every citizen have their own account based on their ID number and this account is linked with everything that that citizen has like properties, businesses, licenses, education degrees, taxes, healthcare etc... every government service possible. As an Albanian when this portal was attacked and shoot down I felt so anxious and worried on a personal level about all the sensitive information that they could have gotten hold off, probably even mine or my relatives.
Thanks. That really helps to put things in greater context. I appreciate it.
First thing that came to mind when I started watching was "what about Article V?" I hadn't heard of this and wondered if NATO had escewed the activation. Perhaps it would have been more "newsworthy" had Albania asked and been rejected. That said, I suspect NATO kindly asked Albania not to ask.
That line may be crossed one day though.
Wow... Its such a comicated world out there! And yet ordinary everyday people. All just want to live lives that meet human rights and shared values and mutual benefit. All these people out there attacking others in cyber war or traditional war long held animosity. Undeserved acts against innocent people's not involved..... Other countries interfering when maybe they shouldn't... Its like Wow. and Professor you are able to understand it and explain it well. Thank you
Thank you so much! It is indeed a complicated and worrying world out there. But I also like to think that things will come through OK in the end. But we could be in for a very difficult time first.
Great video. Not trying to take sides or manipulate me by appealing to my emotions, but simply describing the incident and its root causes.
Thanks. It is a really odd situation. I think I'm more astounded by this whole story than anything. It's like some sort of political thriller.
Wtf?! These are nations are two of my heritage where I have been and proud to represent. It’s such a shame that these nations have tension with one another and less than favorable reputations around the world. I hope this all gets fixed asap.
If Albania kick the MEK marxist sect out of their country its a good beginning.
My first reaction was, "Huh?"
Indeed! :-) Really, it's a fascinating story isn't it!?
@@JamesKerLindsay I first I read it as Armenia. Then two minutes in, "wait, no."
On line mini university lectures. How cool is that? And free to boot!!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks. :-)
Although anyone who would like to contribute can do so here. All assistance towards running the channel (rather more expensive than it may seem: equipment, software, subscriptions, etc.) are incredibly gratefully received:
www.UA-cam.com/c/JamesKerLindsay/join
This is very True what it Hapened to Albania.
Amazing story. My first reaction was: "how much damage could they realistically done?". When I visited Albania in 2015 on business trip, I think they were the only country in Europe that still didn't have digitalized VAT forms, they were using old-fashioned paper forms. But I guess that till now even Albania is digitalized to some extent.
Iran could consider hosting some hardline Albanian Communists in Iran, who would train to overthrow current Albanian government and restore Hoxha style communism in Albania :-)
As of today, Albania is the most digitalized country in the Balkans, in particularly for eGovernment services. And be careful when saying things like "the only country..." when you have no idea what you're talking about.
Lol, the whole BaIkan is like that.
@@arrore I will say Romania is the most digitalized in the Balkan as the cam industry is booming there.
@@supermavro6072 Not interested in cam industry but I know that Romania is a lot behind in digitalization.
@@supermavro6072Cam industry. Bruh.
To be honest you can start watching at 5:57 and you will have the whole context.
Thanks for explaining this situation, I’ve been wondering why there were tensions between the two countries for a while. Personally, I agree with the assessment that cyber attacks are completely different from physical attacks, because generally cyber attacks don’t cause any human deaths.
They don't cause human deaths but like trolling they undermine the authority of the state and viewed in this way Iran's attack was an escalation, like you may want to believe that you support the good guys but the good guys are someone's bad guys it's obvious that countries need a trolling convention and a test as well.
Well its only a matter of time when a cyber attack leads to actual casualties.
Imagine a fallout of traffic lights, border checkpoints, police or hospitals networks or any form of communication.
These would cause great suffering in the civilian population.
@@soul8938 The only smart comment i have seen so far.Hacking can caise casualtirs from the traffic lights you mentioned to hacking airplane systems as terrorists..
Don't cry, show us something 🇮🇷💪
@HeavyDSparks His name is not Max!!!
i love your videos
Thank you very much!
Albania is the last country I would expect to be a belligerent in the 'first true cyber conflict', but then again, even the smallest of countries aren't insignificant.
love how you didn't bring up operation Ajax while giving an iranian history lesson.
Wait the USA and EU are angry over the 2016 Russian troll farms but are shocked when Iran has a similar reaction? Like who would have guessed that no one likes trolling?;
Maybe there should be some kind of anti trolling conventions.
I think international rules and regulations would mean more if the countries that write the rules and insist on them would actually follow the rules themselves. And not allow state actors like Israel to go rampant. Am looking at you USA.
Thanks, for the video. I don't recall hearing about any of this as it happened. I think a tit-for-tat response is justifiable via either kinetic or cyber means. I am curious as to the reasoning for not escalating this matter with NATO. It wouldn't surprise me if consultation was done in secret and any retaliation would be done in secret, especially if it will involve actions in cyberspace.
Thanks
I would still say that based on the examples we know, cyber attacks still do less damage than conventional armed attacks. However, they are much less constrained by geography.
Giving you a like and comment because you ask for it, but more importantly because you deserve it.
Albania vs Serbia ❌❌❌
Albania vs Iran ✅✅✅
Had not been aware of this cyber attack or frictions between the two countries so an interesting watch
How do Albanians feel about MEK training in their country ?
I can't imagine them being happy with the government spending tons of money on a relatively distant geopolitic matter.
Hello. I very recently came across your channel, and I would like you to cover more international law-related topics.
very thorough, I just like to add , Over a million and half of Iranians are Christian, nearly ten thousand of Iranians are Jew and about half million of Iranians are Zoroastrian (second largest Zoroastrian population in the world after India).
The Muslim majority never use Shi'a or sunni in iran .
And they all have seats in Iranian parliament.
This is a great find James and a good analysis.
Thanks so much Jon.
As an Iranian I had no idea about this
Thanks. I think many people missed it. It is a fascinating story. Almost like something out of a political thriller. You couldn't make it up.
One thing to add is that MEK is not there to be supported in their struggles, their status in Albania is simply to be sheltered on humanitarian basis. They are an aggressive bunch and from time to time they are causing headaches to their hosts and this is the worst, so far.
They started making troll farms online on albanian soil, albanians should not have allowed a propaganda machine that spews propaganda at other countries inside its broders.
What's weird is the US still to this day considers ALL of Albania to be classified as a warzone since March 24, 1999
So I wonder if that has any standing in this issue between Albania and Iran
Albania should expel MEK, end USA imperialism. Support the protests in Iran!
I would add another topic in Albania- Iran relations. During Kosovo war Iran engaged with Albanian guerrila of KLA, but as the precedent of Bosnia showed that Iran help came with costs and KLA didn't want to cause concerns to USA and Western allies, they diplomatically refused the help with mujahedeens and weapons, instead they answered if you want to help we accept only cash. After that refusal Iran changed their position and become an ally of Serbia.
"Help came with costs"
Hence why the Americans foisted the MEK on you 🤡 You should have taken Iran's offer.
Professor Ker-lindsay killing it again with another great video!
First of all, the reason Albania is a Muslim majority country is because we didn’t have an independent church but instead we were either Catholics and therefore part of the universal Catholic Church or part of the Byzantine church which was predominantly Greek, so when the Turks came we Albanians were among the ones to fight off the Turks the hardest and we payed a heavy price for it as Turks wouldn’t grant us any rights unless we converted to Islam whereas Serbs and Greeks and so on all had their independent churches to whom the Ottomans gave certain autonomy. And after 500 years of ottoman rule we’ve picked up a lot of Islamic culture. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the identity and soul of Albania is deeply rooted in Christianity. We had Popes, Roman Emperors, we still have the Albanian Byzantine Catholic Church in Italy. Albania was originally founded as a crusader state by the first king of Albania who was French, Charles of Anjou. Many people don’t know this. All our literature and culture is influenced by Catholic priests. But we also have a thousand years of Byzantine heritage. We were caught up in the middle of the great schism and later fell to the Ottomans. That’s why there’s this religious tolerance and diversity in Albania which is beautiful because we’ve been part of it all and suffered under all. What is funny also is that it is widely understood and accepted that Albanians are the direct descendants of the Illyrians. And remember, Alexander the Greats own mother was from Epirus (modern Albania), and Alexander had many Illyrian troops with him and praised them in his campaigns across the known world. So we played a high role in crushing the Persians not only in antiquity but throughout the Middle Ages as we Byzantines always beat the Persians and the Sassanids. And today as a NATO member state and loyal westerners, I wouldn’t mess with Albanians if I was Persia. With all that said and wars and conflicts aside, I do respect Iranians and their civilization and contributions to human history. And I know a majority of them are against their lunatic government anyway so no need for hate. Just don’t mess with the west or the Albanians 🇦🇱
Talking about the Geopolitics of cyber conflict seems like a conflict in terms..
Thank you professor. Don’t you think Albania’s hosting of the dissident Mojahedin group was asking for trouble? I wonder why they did such a dangerous thing in face of a country which is the greatest supporter of terrorism in the world.
Thanks. Great question. As you saw, this is exactly an issue I raised. Countries will need to think more about this. In the past, they could host organisation that made sone noise, but did very little real harm. Now they can actually do a lot of damage. This means that the threat of retaliation is obviously there, as this whole incident shows. Then again, many would argue that there is a responsibility to help people that are persecuted by their own countries. MEK enjoys a lot of high level support in a number of countries. Senior Western politicians have spoken at their events. It would be interesting to know what debates have been taking place in Albania as a result of these attacks.
@@JamesKerLindsay You are right professor. Internet has made possible things which were not even imagined before, one example cyber attacks. Thank you for the video. 🙏🏻
@@JamesKerLindsay Proffesor, this move is purely US backed. They used Albania's situation with Iran to increase sanctions to Iran. Albania was used as puppet by USA.
@@ieltshossein ehat mujahedin group are you talking about? 99% of them dont even care for islam
turgay shut up
100000kill in Syria
I was going to say “Albania Article 5 moment” right before you mention they stop right before.