By Dritan Hila
In analyzing the participation of Albania and Kosovo in the Peace Board, for the sake of mental hygiene, it is best to avoid the opposition’s narrative, simply because they have by now constructed a parallel universe that drifts ever further from the terrestrial one.
In fact, Rama’s visit there was one that positioned Albania on a course that will continue for at least the next 20 years.
There is a tendency to portray this board as a form of Trumpian exhibitionism, as one of his passing whims and the gratification it gives to a man who, before becoming president, aspired to be a showman.
At its core, however, Trump is a product of the empire’s apparatus. If his first victory was an accident—something exotic, especially when it culminated in the spectacle at Capitol Hill—the second was a calculated move to align himself with the objectives of the Pentagon, the State Department, and the intelligence services, the CIA foremost among them.
None of the measures Trump undertakes—from tariffs to the expulsion of migrants—are tied to his morning mood. America is deindustrializing, immigration is turning into a threat, the budget deficit is reaching alarming proportions, all as a result of often indulgent policies in defense and the transfer of industries and technologies. An empire does not sustain itself by giving, but by taxing its provinces in exchange for security, free trade, and to some extent, ideas.
The Peace Board fits within this framework. It would be naïve to think it was created solely for Gaza. If you look at the participants, you realize that most of them lie on the empire’s frontiers and all seek its protection. Albania is no exception. It faces a major dilemma: whom should it choose?
A European Union beset by centrifugal forces—where Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland pursue their own policies; where Britain seeks only to use the bloc; where France is burdened by aging, immigration, and memories of its lost grandeur; where Germany’s interests, even in its best dreams, extend only as far as Dubrovnik; a continent without a unified army, whose foreign policies follow the appetites of individual capitals, while Brussels stands as the symbol of a union that cannot even keep its own state, Belgium, fully united?
Or a state whose leader has a direct phone number (not without reason did Trump tell Osmani: “If you have problems, call me”), with a General Staff, a unified command (everyone speaks English, unlike across the Atlantic where commands are issued in 27 languages), and a 50-year strategy. And, most importantly, a state that has consistently pursued measured policies toward Albania, never allowing its existence to be threatened.
As such, the alignment of Albania and Kosovo with the United States is a choice in Albania’s national interest. The EU is valuable for the free movement of goods and labor, for welfare—but no one there has the power to defend Albania. Protection does not come from alliances but from a protectorate. And a protector is preferable to allies who still do not know why they are allies at all.