Reggie tells Stabler when dealing with his uncle to never make a promise he can't keep, Stabler replies "you mean Besa". Besa is an Albanian precept that is a pledge of honor, in Albanian the word translates to either "faith" or "oath". The concept originates in the early 1900's when Albania was part of the Ottoman Empire, and in the Ottoman culture honor was of paramount importance. The code of Besa was put forth by Mehmed Ferid Pasha, who served as the Grand Vizor of the Ottoman Empire from 1903-1908, he said that "An Albanian who says besa once cannot in any way break [his] promise and cannot be unfaithful [to it]." An Albanian who broke Besa (failed to keep a promise) became an immediate outcast and was never trusted by any fellow Albanian again. And when it comes to the Albanian mob a member who breaks their word or fails to keep a promise is almost always killed.