Past and present, ancient and modern, young and old, Muslim and Christian, rich and
poor, north and south, urban and rural, monarchist and socialist: the extremes of Albanian
society are vivid, it's tensions palpable. But Albania is not "another Yugoslavia:" it is
more like a tensegrity framework, a stable structure of rigid poles positioned in space –
and linked together by flexible cables. The cables are stressed but, barring catastrophe,
they will not snap. Albania, this land that is very beautiful, but only some Americans can
tell Albania from Albany or Alabama, and fewer still would be able to find the country on
the map. Despite it's spectacular and varied beauty, it's rich natural resources, and it's
extraordinary tradition of hospitality, Albania has always been the most isolated country in
Europe, and from World War II until very recently, one of the most isolated countries on
Since 1991, Albania has welcomed foreign visitors but, as the poorest country in
Europe, it has attracted relatively few of them. Yet there are many reasons why the
outside world should be interested in Albania and concerned for it's future. Albania is a
Balkan country and thus a crossroads of East and West, North and South; it is as rich in
history as it is in resources. When Albania achieved independence, nearly half its
population found itself outside its newly drawn borders, in what is now called "the former
Yugoslavia." But Albanians are not Slavs, and the Albanian language is not Slavic. Much
has been written about historic "transition" from communism, but Albania's transition is
ignored in most of these accounts. This is probably because Albania's brand of
communism was different from the others, and its society is more difficult for a Westerner
to understand, or maybe because people didn't pay much attention to what happenes in a
...