One of the oldest think tanks in Albania, the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) is listed among the best 20 think tanks in the Central and Eastern Europe in the latest 2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index issued by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the
Lauder Institute of the University of Pennsylvania. Within the distinguished list, AIIS has climbed to the 20 th position, up from the 23 rd one in
which it was ranked last year. AIIS features also as selected to be part of the global ranking of the best think tanks for the specific fields of foreign policy and international relations (90 th position) as well as in the global
list of think tanks that work in the field of defense and security (86 th position). Among the global list of independent research institutions in the world, AIIS is ranked as 71 st .
“The acknowledgement of our results is very inspiring and encouraging in these difficult times of the pandemic which have been challenging but also reinvigorating for us,”- Alba Cela , the Executive Director of AIIS tells Tirana Times. “We have had to work hard to adjust and adapt not only to remote work and online meetings but also a variety of other challenges to our
sustainability. We are grateful for the support of our partners and we commit to implement successful projects and bring forward new ideas that assist our country’ and our region’s democratic future and European integration.” For 2020 AIIS has wrapped up many interesting projects in the field of integration, foreign policy and social issues addressing among others the popular perceptions about integration and reforms that need to progress in order to start the accession negotiations with the EU; addressing
the future of the bilateral relations with Kosovo; capacity building for stakeholders involved in CVE actions, etc. It has hosted a variety of online events and forums as well as an international academic conference on the 75 th anniversary of the end of World War II, as part of a distinguished historical research project supported exclusively from the US Department of State.
AIIS in collaboration with IRCCE has also established a novel mechanism, the Interreligious Institute (IRI) that will uphold and expand interreligious dialogue and harmony in the years to come and serve as a regional example and resource hub. AIIS Chairman, Albert Rakipi has also authored this year a compelling book “Albania and Kosovo: is Unification the Common Future?”, resulting from in-depth research carried out simultaneously in both countries.
Among the achievements of the last two years, there is one that Director Cela wishes to highlight: the publishing of the Tirana Observatory: Foreign Policy and International Relations, which has become a platform of empowerment and promotion for expert voices from Albania and beyond. It is also accessible online at tiranaobservatory.com.
The publication had drawn interest and praise from many experts and academics who had previously pointed at a gap in expert literature that would bring the Albanian voice on issues pertinent the field of foreign policy and international relations. It is also serving as a tool to
engage the Albanian academic diaspora, accomplished young professors and researchers from Albania studying or teaching abroad, to bring their insights to a wider audience. The full ranking report can be accessed at the link: https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=think_tanks
James G. McGann
James G. McGann is a Senior Lecturer of International Studies at the Lauder Institute, Director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program and a Senior Fellow at the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania.
