The recent NATO Parliamentary Assembly that was held in Tirana was another occasion for key practitioners and commentators of foreign policy to display their skills. The usual comments about Brexit and a plea not to leave were uttered one more time. The routine lemonade exposure of the threat from Russia or radicalism- that is if Europe enlargement fails to pick up pace,- took place. Albania had some useful thoughts on how to face Russia, how to counter radicalism, how to fix the world.
One after the other several players took the stage for a game that has been taking shape for a while now: engage and comment on international developments and conflict which in reality are simply too large and complex for Albania to take part in; denounce with fervor the usual suspects such as Russia; and ultimately elbow their way into the EU attention by overplaying largely fictional threats in the Western Balkans.
Let’stake these issues one at a time.
Having experienced an unbelievable isolationist dictatorship, Albania is used to asymmetric relations with major players in the world. For one time it was, better it perceived itself to be, the great rival to the United States. Parallel to this it was the brother nation to the Sino giants over in Asia. And let’s not forget that it showed the world who the true communists were when it broke off with the Soviet Union. This has established an unfortunate legacy of being convinced that Albania matters in the international arena, despite its size, economy, position and all other factors. Commenting on this important matters of international politics comes also free of charge, hence anyone is just too happy to engage in these discussions. Further points are gained for letting aside the stress of dealing with other pressing matters at home.
Denouncing the enemy outside can be easily traced to the Bolshevik manual as well. In the times of the dictatorship the enemy was always a handy target: the Yugoslavs, the reformed Soviets, the imperial Americans. Much of it seems to have lingered. Now it is Russia which steals the thunder. Albanian Minister of Defense made it a centerpiece in her public appearance at and about the NATO Assembly offering Albania’s advice (to the west?) on how to deal tough with Russia. It is perplexing why there is this need to become protagonists at a time when Albania has done what it had to do. It has demonstrated its seriousness about aligning with western policy when implementing the sanctions towards Russia. Any other rhetoric about exacerbation of this this engagement seems futile.
The perils of Russian influence and interference in the Western Balkans are overstated and misused. It is clear to all astute observers of the region that Russia does not constitute any serious alternative plan for any of the Western Balkan states, least of all for Albania. Even the description of Serbia as a historic Russian ally is not anymore in line with the contemporary moves of Serbian leadership which are arguably smarter. And last time we checked, it is Serbia who has opened negotiation chapters with the EU and not us.
Last but not least, both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs repeated what it is now becoming a stale act in the passive-aggressive game played in the European integration play. That goes more or else like this: unless the EU hurries up, other actors will come to fill the void.
This serves two points: first it diverts attention from the domestic hardship, the imminent failure of some top reforms and second it lays the ground for the next excuse when things fail. The EU institutions, especially those present in Albania, should have been alert to counteract this display by being clear on what and who rests the responsibility for furthering integration. Integration efforts are and will be related to progress and changes in Albania much more than the international scene.
In 2003 Albanian Prime Minister Nano in a public letter for the Boston Globe was urging western European Nations such as France and Germany to reconsider their distance from the Bush administration war decision, reminding them of Normandy and World War II. In elevated tones in defense of freedom all over the world Nano was too eager to save the Iraqis from weapons of mass destructions of the Hussein regime!
More than a decade later we see the same sort of acting. Trying to play at being giants in the IR arena is ridiculous at best and outright dangerous often times. Albanian foreign policy and behavior in the IR arena needs to be recalibrated to a more realist, practical and modest way of operating.
