BOOK REVIEWS 201 than in any other East European state. Nevertheless, the large anti-government demonstrations in late February 1991 that toppled the statues ofHoxha may that indicate that the fall of communism is near. As internal pressures between reformists and conservatives grow within Albania, so do external issues, such as the treatment of over two million Albanians in Yugoslavia and border incidents with Greece resulting from the thousands of Albanians fleeing across the border. Albania has recognized its citizens' desire to form a republic in the Kosovo region neighboring Yugoslavia, an act that has strained already tense relations with Belgrade. Greek military forces massed near the Albanian border in 1990 protesting Albanian treatment of "Greek" minorities; this served as a powerful reminder that Greece ended a state of war with Albania only in 1987. Biberaj uses his last chapter to discuss the treatment of Albanians in Yugoslavia, although he neglects to mention the treatment of minorities in Albania that has caused the diplomatic tensions with Greece. The Albanian situation will surely change in the near future as communist control is increasingly challenged, as the Greeks become more demanding, and as Yugoslavia explodes. Biberaj's book clearly details the roots of today's economic, political, and social crisis in Albania. The book paints a clear picture ofAlbania as Europe's teetering last domino. Albania: A Socialist Maverick is an excellent, albeit outdated, background source for understanding one piece of the Balkan puzzle, which has once again become the "powder keg of Europe." United States Overseas Basing: An Anatomy ofa Dilemma. By James R. Blaker. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1990. 197 pp. $39.95/Hardcover. Reviewed by Jonathan T. Dworken, M.A. Candidate, SAIS. The study of military basing usually poses a problem: inquiry tends to focus on bases in one country or region, thus, basing problems are viewed in the framework of a regional strategy or U.S. relations with a particular country. Furthermore, most studies evaluate the efficacy of bases in the context of a specific strategy, such as containment. Once the strategy is no longer valid, however, the studies become dated and obsolete. United States Overseas Basing: An Anatomy of a Dilemma, then, is especially welcome. It is a valuable and highly analytical book that examines the U.S. world-wide basing system using a methodology that is not dependent on a specific strategy. Rather, the methodology used examines how U.S. bases are linked to each other in order to facilitate the movement ofU.S. forces throughout the world. This approach is called "network analysis." By appraising bases in this manner, the author challenges conventional thinking on how basing issues should be analyzed. The book starts with a survey of the U.S. basing structure that developed before and during World War II. Decisions made during these formative years explain the current basing structure and the main U.S. assumptions regarding bases: they are an inherent part of superpower status, they can be built from 202 SAISREVIEW scratch, and their location is determined by aircraft range. The decline in the number ofU.S. bases since World War II is attributed to changes in strategy (e.g. from fighting the Axis powers to containment) and changes in technology (e.g., longer aircraft ranges and ICBMs obviated the need for close bases for bomber strikes). The concept of network analysis is then introduced in detail. According to this methodology, the worth of a base is determined by its ability to facilitate the movement of forces throughout the world. Valuable bases interact with many other bases, perform several different functions, and are "productive," meaning that they can move and store a great volume of materiel. For example, bases in both the Philippines and Spain are important for U.S. movement into the Persian Gulf, not just for the movement of forces to Asia and Europe. Blaker describes the present basing system with regard to four different networks: airlift, naval operations, tactical air and ground forces. Next, the costs and value of the bases are examined in order to gauge their worth. Fixed costs—money in the defense budget for building and maintaining the sites—have remained at approximately $5 billion...