US-Russia Round Three: Macedonia
http://orientalreview.org/2015/05/15/us-russia-round-three-macedonia/
"The latest flare-up between the two Great Powers is now gearing up to be for Macedonia, with the US following the template it's learned in the previous two cases to throw the country into chaos during the forthcoming 17 May Color Revolution offensive.
With all eyes on Macedonia to see what will happen this Sunday, it's worth recalling the previous two rounds of their confrontation in better understanding how Round Three repeats the seamless continuation of their New Cold War rivalry.
The underlying theme connecting Syria, Ukraine and now Macedonia is that they're proxy wars between the US and Russia, with Washington playing the destructive offensive role while Russia holds the stabilizing defense.
To explain, the US strives to force regime change on those targeted states, while Russia actively wants to reinforce their governments in resisting the attacks..."
Macedonians Rally for Government Resignation Amid Surging Political Unrest (and vid)
http://rt.com/news/257661-macedonia-conflict-political-unrest/
"Anti-government protesters have gathered near the parliament building in Macedonia's capital demanding the government's resignation after a wiretapping scandal. The protests come as 30 people were charged with terrorism after 22 were killed this weekend.
The latest armed attacks in Macedonia have 'confirmed that the EU and NATO still have much unfinished business in the Western Balkans,' said senior associate at Carnegie Europe and editor in chief of Strategic Europe, Judy Dempsey on Monday.
Foreign affairs analyst Srdja Trifkovic told RT that the rise in ethnic tensions in Albania could have been orchestrated with foreign help. Critics suggest that the unrest in Macedonia comes at an inconvenient time with reference to the construction of the Turkish Stream project, which would deliver Russian gas to Europe via Greece and potentially via Macedonia.
'If the Russia-Turkish pipeline goes through then US plans to send gas into Europe via Qatar will be sacrificed,' Marko Gasic said..."