DW: "Greater Albania" - bogeyman or a pipe dream?

The idea of Greater Albania - uniting all Albanians in one state - is once again a hot topic in the Balkans, DW reports. While leaders in Pristina and Tirana deny pan-Albanian ambitions, their recent statements have caused alarm.

Nationalists from many Balkan nations have long accused Albanian leaders of a malicious ploy to create a "Greater Albania" by annexing territories from their neighbors. In turn, mainstream Albanian politicians have consistently rejected the idea as fear mongering.

However, with the EU's influence waning in the Balkans and old conflicts once again bubbling to the surface, leaders across the region turn to nationalist myths to harness votes. In a Politico interview less than two weeks ago, the moderate Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said that he could not rule out a "little union" between Albania and Albanian-dominated Kosovo if the EU decided...