For most of the post World War II era, Albania was an anomaly, one of those areas of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that never really seemed to be a part of Europe to begin with and which slowly, but surely retreated intro the despotism of Stalinist Communism.
And then, the revolution came. It started in Eastern Europe, spread to Russia, down through Yugoslavia, and, finally, through Albania.
That’s what made the early 1990’s such a remarkable time. One by one, the dictatorships that defined Eastern Europe were collapsing. And, finally, even Albania, the one European dictatorship that seemed like it might list forever, collapsed like a pike of dust.
Which is why, it’s refreshing one some level to read stuff like this:
TIRANA, Albania, June 8 ? The highlight of President Bush?s European tour may well be his visit on Sunday to this tiny country, one of the few places left where he can bask in unabashed pro-American sentiment without a protester in sight.
Americans here are greeted with a refreshing adoration that feels as though it comes from another time.
?Albania is for sure the most pro-American country in Europe, maybe even in the world,? said Edi Rama, Tirana?s mayor and leader of the opposition Socialists. ?Nowhere else can you find such respect and hospitality for the president of the United States. Even in Michigan, he wouldn?t be as welcome.?
Thousands of young Albanians have been named Bill or Hillary thanks to the Clinton administration?s role in rescuing ethnic Albanians from the Kosovo war. After the visit on Sunday, some people expect to see a rash of babies named George.
So eager is the country to accommodate Mr. Bush that Parliament unanimously approved a bill last month allowing ?American forces to engage in any kind of operation, including the use of force, in order to provide security for the president.?One newspaper, reporting on the effusive mood, published a headline that read, ?Please Occupy Us!?
Say what you might about American foreign policy, but I think it’s clear that the people of Albania recognize how their liberation came about.
