Macedonia's mainstream parties hoped for a quieter life by putting up junior candidates as successors to the country's overweening father figure, president Kiro Gligorov, but the contest only heralds deeper crises.
So how many people were killed in Kosovo? Opponents of the NATO bombing campaign claim estimates were wildly exaggerated through cynical propaganda. But the totals for confirmed dead are mounting.
Former rivals, Milosevic and dismissed Bosnian Serb leader Poplasen are forging a new alliance to try to refresh their standing among the Serbs.
The Belgrade regime continues its propaganda campaign, bringing home the same dangerous rhetoric it so recently used in Kosovo.
The systematic intimidation of Kosovo's Serbs brings shame on the province's Albanians and will have far-reaching and long-term consequences.
The UN administrator questions whether ethnic havens are the only way to enable Serbs to remain in Kosovo?
Calls for autonomy are increasing in Serbia's remaining province, causing growing friction within the opposition movement.
As the UN struggles to build its presence in Kosovo, the problems it faces mount by the day.
With UN prodding, Kosovo's rival Albanian leaders have patched up some of their differences. But key questions of money and power remain.
As Macedonia's veteran president Kiro Gligorov prepares to bow out of politics, would-be successors are jockeying for position in what is an increasingly open race.
