THE SPECTACULAR FAILURE OF DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT IN ALBANIA

              On November 26, 2019 – two days ahead of the country’s Independence Day – a major earthquake of 6.4mag hit Albania’s most populous urban centers, Tirane – the capital city – and Durres, one of the main entry ports on the Adriatic coastline. Aftershocks have continued since, forcing people to literally abandon these areas to go farther into the hinterland, away from the earthquake’s epicenter. Neighboring and friendly countries – Italy, Kosovo, Greece, Northern Macedonia, the US - have all sent search and rescue missions to look for people caught under the rubble. Buildings have simply collapsed trapping people inside. Hopes fade as the death tolls raised to 46 people today. The overwhelming number of buildings that have collapsed were built after 1990, when Albanians took to the street to oppose communist oppression, which led to the collapse of the Albania’s communist republic.         

              Reading the local press, one can’t escape descriptions of the earthquake along apocalyptic proportions. But was it? Building codes were approved in 1980 following the devastating 1979 earthquake that left over 100 people dead. Those codes were strictly enforced; they made provisions for buildings to endure earthquake of 7.5 – 8 mag. Growing up in Albania, I remember earthquakes – Albania lies along an active seismic zone. Not for many years have we seen earthquakes of such magnitude. As a matter of fact, the November 26 earthquake was only 6.4 mag. As search and rescue teams inspect ruined and collapsed buildings substantial deficiencies have been seen. Where building codes required steel reinforcement rebars for the concrete to hold, they have been considerably sub-standard and insufficient. Building permits have been incessantly issued on marshlands over the last 30 years. Coastal property classified under the law as pubic assets for tourism development have been re-classified, converted and assigned on 99-years’ leases to foreign investors – many of them fraudsters wanted in countries they hail from. In Durres, the epicenter of the earthquake, a 12-storied building was erected literally a few meters from the coast. That building has suffered irreparable damages. Building structures erected at least 50 years ago did not have as much as a cracked wall here and there. What gives?

              Since the end of communism, everything has been done to reverse any achievement attained up to that point. Pre-1990s Albania had a rather modern seismological institute, where scholars received PhDs; a nuclear physics laboratory; civil engineering institute; a general inspectorate of food and plants, a huge research and development facility. All of them were disbanded, the seismological institute being the latest to cease to exist in 2007, despite being in an area with very high seismological activity.

              If you think anyone is feeling responsible for this, think again. Ruled by an utterly inept and corrupt political class, they have put the country up for sale to the highest bidder for as long as they utter the magic words “take Albanian to the EU” even though it is a sure guarantee that it never will get there this way. It is inspiring to see Kosova’s government search and rescue units – a brethren country only 11 years old – far more disciplined, professional, committed, in contrast to Albania’s units who you could not tell because the writing on their uniforms in many cases was in German -courtesy of assistance from the German government.

               Not too long ago the EU rejected Albania’s bid to become an EU candidate country. It never came as a surprise for the Albanian people. They knew it, but blame it on France’s Emmanuel Macron, the one being highly vocal about Albania’s candidacy. It is time the EU leadership learns and understands that EU membership is sought by Albanian ruling elite and Albanian people for entirely different reasons. Albanian people are willing to forego EU membership on the condition that the ruling corrupt elite, which makes corruption look like the rule of law, finally departs to give the country a real shot at developing. It would be better if this happened sooner rather than later even for the sake of regional geopolitics where more than regional, but world powers are vying for influence. The Balkan people has shown one too many times they are not strangers to populism. Albanians are no exception.

              The United States must take notice of this, too. There are few nations in the world with a staunch pro-Americanism. Albanians are one of them, even more so than Europeanists. Albanians, as a matter of fact have suffered to ill-conceived decisions of the latter, while the U.S. is solidly trying to make it right. There is one other country I can think of that can boast unwavering American support and that is Israel. The U.S. government must see things for what they are. They have no better friend in Albania than the Albanian people. Governments come and go, but people are where they have been for the past 2,500 years if not more.

The past 30 years should have been an opening for Albanians to leverage certain gains from its communist experience (e.g., literacy, women political participation and emancipation, scientific progress) and seize opportunity to build an open, free, and prosperous society. But we blew it. This earthquake is symbolic of everything that has been done wrong and the consequences are unforgiveable.

              Happy Independence Day, Albania, and may the primordial aspiration of dignity and freedom save the Homeland!