denny Ethnic & National book

Balkan Wars Policies of the Great Powers Throughout the 19th Century, the Great Powers had different aims over the "Eastern Question", the integrity of the Ottoman Empire. Russia wished for access to the "warm waters" of the Mediterranean and followed a pan-Slavic foreign policy, supporting Bulgaria and Serbia. Britain wished to deny Russia access to the "warm waters" and supported the integrity of the Ottoman Empire, although it also supported a limited expansion of Greece as a backup plan in case integrity of the empire was no longer possible. France wished to strengthen its position in the region, especially in the Levant (today's Lebanon, Syria, and Israel). The Hapsburg-ruled Austria-Hungary wished for a continuation of the existence of the Ottoman Empire, since both were multinational entities ruled by a small elite and thus the collapse of the one might weaken the other. The Habsburgs also saw a strong Ottoman presence in area as a counterweight to the Serbian nationalistic call to their own Serbs subjects in Bosnia. While it has been argued that Italy from that time already wished to recreate the Roman empire, its main aim at the time seems to have been primarily the denial of access to the Adriatic Sea of another major sea power. Germany in turn, under the "Drang nach Osten" policy, aspired to turn the Ottoman Empire into its own de-facto colony, and thus supported its integrity. Bulgaria and Greece sent armed bands inside the Empire (in Macedonia and Thrace) in ...

UrbanTV Cyprus Presents - Part of National Geographic's series on "Islands - Cyprus" Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com Info - The Cyprus dispute is the result of the ongoing conflict between the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey, over the Turkish occupied northern part of Cyprus.[1] Initially, with the annexation of the island by the British Empire, the "Cyprus dispute" was identified as the conflict between the people of Cyprus and the British Crown regarding the Cypriots' demand for self determination. The dispute however was finally shifted from a colonial dispute to an ethnic dispute between the Turkish and the Greek islanders.[2] The international complications of the dispute stretch far beyond the boundaries of the island of Cyprus itself and involve the guarantor powers (Turkey, Greece, and the United Kingdom alike), along with the United States, the United Nations and the European Union. With Turkey's military action of 1974 (disapproved by UN Security Council Resolution 1974/360),[4] Turkey occupied the northern part of the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus, and later upon those territories the Turkish Cypriot community unilaterally declared independence forming the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a sovereign entity that lacks international recognition-with the exception of Turkey with which TRNC enjoys full diplomatic relations. After the two communities and the guarantor countries have committed themselves in finding a peaceful solution ...

Stratfor explains how Syria's modern borders overlap regional and ethnic fault lines, leading to disunity among the country's people. For more, please visit www.Stratfor.com

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a tiny landlocked country in the Himalayas of less than 800000 people that is bordered by India and China. The Kingdom wants to preserve its identity by promoting its vision of anti-consumerist happiness to the world - and as a member of the United Nations Security Council. This is Bhutan's Prime Minister Jigme Thinley addressing the United Nations on September 23, 2011. Bhutan is the only country to measure "Gross National Happiness" or GNH. GNH is the expression of a system of values that the Kingdom says it has defined over centuries. The four pillars of GNH are the promotion of sustainable development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the natural environment and establishment of good governance. For all of this happy-talk, it appears that Bhutan's National Happiness has been tinged by Grossness... === Human Rights Watch "Bhutan's Ethnic Cleansing" Bill Frelick February 1, 2008 Bhutan's image as an otherworldly and harmonious kingdom was rocked on 20 January by coordinated bomb blasts in the capital, Thimpu, and three other locations. The bombs caused minimal damage but generated political shockwaves at a time when the Himalayan state is struggling to transform itself from an autocratic monarchy into a democracy. The second-round of Bhutan's first-ever elections, scheduled for 24 March, will test whether its embrace of democracy will include its entire people. The answer may determine whether change ultimately will ...

Stratfor analyst Eugene Chausovsky traces the origins of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan's current tensions to Stalin's division of the Fergana Valley. For more, visit: www.stratfor.com