Synopses & Reviews
WITH A NEW POSTSCRIPT
Situated between Greece on the south, the former Yugoslavia on the north and east, and the Adriatic Sea on the west, Albania is the country the world forgot.
Throughout this century, Albania has been perceived as primitive and isolationist by its neighbors to the west. When the country ended fifty years of communist rule in 1992, few outsiders took interest. Deemed unworthy of membership in the European Union and overlooked by multinational corporations, Albania stands today as one of the poorest and most ignored countries in Europe.
Miranda Vickers and James Pettifer take us behind the veil of former President Enver Hoxha's isolationist policies to examine the historic events leading up to Albania's transition to a parliamentary government. Beginning with Hoxha's death in 1985, Albania traces the last decade of Albania's shaky existence, from the anarchy and chaos of the early nineties to the victory of the Democratic Alliance in 1992 and the programs of the current government. The authors provide us with an analysis of how the moral, religious, economic, political and cultural identity of the Albanian people is being redefined, and leave no question that the future of Albania is inextricably linked to the future of the Balkans as a whole. In short, they tell us why Albania matters.
Review
"Excellent." -Tim Judah,The Economist
Review
"An authoritative account of Albania's turbulent history since the death in 1985 of Enver Hoxha." -Nigel Clive,The Spectator
Review
"Excellent."
"An authoritative account of Albania's turbulent history since the death in 1985 of Enver Hoxha."
"[The authors] are to be congratulated on the objective way in which they have presented the Albanian history of the last ten years."
Review
"[The authors] are to be congratulated on the objective way in which they have presented the Albanian history of the last ten years." -Tom Winnifrith ,Times Literary Supplement
Review
“No book could be more timely than Opening the Floodgates. . . . [Johnson] makes a convincing argument for the policy of open borders, if not with the world, then within North America. . . . This book encourages a broader discussion that is currently circulating in American politics, one that looks to the foundations of immigration policy and imagines a major overhaul.”
-Law and Politics Book Review,
Review
“A highly readable argument for more permeable borders. . . Johnson offers a comprehensive case for more open borders, responds to a few important criticisms effectively, and presents some thoughtful arguments along the way.”
-Choice,
Review
“Finally, an unflinching response to immigration alarmists! This brilliant, challenging book outlines an immigration proposal based on the reality that migration flows are not regulated by border enforcement but by social, economic, and political pressures.”
-Mary Romero,author of Maid in the USA
Synopsis
Seeking to re-imagine the meaning and significance of the international border,
Opening the Floodgates makes a case for eliminating the border as a legal construct that impedes the movement of people into this country.
Open migration policies deserve fuller analysis, as evidenced by President Barack Obamas pledge to make immigration reform a priority. Kevin R. Johnson offers an alternative vision of how U.S. borders might be reconfigured, grounded in moral, economic, and policy arguments for open borders. Importantly, liberalizing migration through an open borders policy would recognize that the enforcement of closed borders cannot stifle the strong, perhaps irresistible, economic, social, and political pressures that fuel international migration.
Controversially, Johnson suggests that open borders are entirely consistent with efforts to prevent terrorism that have dominated immigration enforcement since the events of September 11, 2001. More liberal migration, he suggests, would allow for full attention to be paid to the true dangers to public safety and national security.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 307-309) and index.
About the Author
Author of
The Albanians: A Modern History,
MIRANDA VICKERS is an historian of the Balkans and a regular contributor to newspapers and periodicals on Albanian affairs.
JAMES PETTIFER is Visiting Professor at the Institute of Balkan Studies at the University of Thessaloniki, and author of The Greeks: Land and People since the War and other books.