The Albanians, though they rather opposed than assisted the Allies
in the war against Turkey, were set off as an independent nation by
the Great Powers at the instigation of Austria-Hungary with the
support of Italy. The determination of the boundaries of the new
state was the resultant of conflicting forces in operation in the
European concert. On the north while Scutari was retained for
Albania through the insistence of Austria-Hungary, Russian influence
was strong enough to secure the Albanian centres of Ipek and Djakova
and Prisrend, as well as Dibra on the east, for the allied Serb
states. This was a sort of compensation to Servia for her loss of an
Adriatic outlet at a time when the war between the Allies, which was
destined so greatly to extend her territories, was not foreseen. But
while in this way Albanians were excluded from the new state on the
north and east, an incongruous compensation was afforded it on the
south by an unjustifiable extension into northern Epirus, whose
population is prevailingly Greek.
The location of the boundary between Albania and New Greece was
forced upon the Great Powers by the stand of Italy. During the first
war the Greeks had occupied Epirus or southern Albania as far north
as a line drawn from a point a little above Khimara on the coast due
east toward Lake Presba, so that the cities of Tepeleni and Koritza
were included in the Greek area. But Italy protested that the Greek
occupation of territory on both sides of the Straits of Corfu would
menace the control of the Adriatic and insisted that the boundary
between Albania and Greece should start from a point on the coast
opposite the southern part of the island of Corfu, Greece,
accordingly, was compelled to evacuate most of the territory she had
occupied above Janina. And Albania subsequently attempted to assert
her jurisdiction over it.
But the task of Albania is bound to be difficult. For though the
Great Powers have provided it with a ruler--the German Prince
William of Wied--there is no organized state. The Albanians are one
of the oldest races in Europe, if not the oldest. But they have
never created a state. And to-day they are hopelessly divided. It is
a land of universal opposition--north against south, tribe against
tribe, bey against bey. The majority of the population are
Mohammedan but there are many Roman Catholics in the north and in
the south the Greek Orthodox Church is predominant. The inhabitants
of the north, who are called Ghegs, are divided into numerous tribes
whose principal occupation is fighting with one another under a
system of perpetual blood-feuds and inextinguishable vendettas.
There are no tribes in the south, but the people, who are known as
Tosks, live under territorial magnates called beys, who are
practically the absolute rulers of their districts. The country as a
whole is a strange farrago of survivals of primitive conditions. And
it is not only without art and literature, but without manufactures
or trade or even agriculture. It is little wonder that the Greeks of
Epirus feel outraged by the destiny which the European Powers have
imposed upon them--to be torn from their own civilized and Christian
kindred and subjected to the sway of the barbarous Mohammedans who
occupy Albania. Nor is it surprising that since Hellenic armies have
evacuated northern Epirus in conformity with the decree of the Great
Powers, the inhabitants of the district, all the way from Santi
Quaranta to Koritza, are declaring their independence and fighting
the Albanians who attempt to bring them under the yoke.
The future of Albania is full of uncertainty. The State, however,
was not created for the Albanians, who for the rest, are not in a
condition to administer or maintain it. The state was established in
the interests of Austria-Hungary and Italy. And those powers are
likely to shape its future.