FLASH NEWS
The US is with Rama and Berisha
2025-06-25 19:15:47 / EDITORIAL
From 2021 onwards, the United States’ stance on corruption in the Western Balkans has become increasingly clear and forceful. President Joe Biden’s Executive Order “Blocking the Assets of Designated Persons who Assist or Engage in Activity Undermining Democracy and the Rule of Law in the Western Balkans” has been a strong signal: the US will no longer tolerate the corrupt political elite that obstructs democracy in the region.
This executive order, which includes sanctions, travel bans, and asset freezes for individuals involved in high-level corruption, has been implemented and continues to be implemented today, despite changes in the US administration. From the Biden presidency to that of Donald Trump – who has supported and strengthened this hard line – the message is the same: corruption is a threat to national security and regional stability.
This policy is not just diplomatic rhetoric. It has had concrete consequences. The US State Department’s “non grata” declaration of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha was one of the strongest blows to a figure who, for decades, has dominated Albanian politics. Although Berisha has denied the charges and has mounted a political campaign to challenge this decision, the fact is that this sanction has not been withdrawn and remains in force – showing that no matter who is in the White House, the US stands on the same page.
But here an important point must be made: the US is not against an individual or a party. It is against corruption, wherever it is. In Albania, the most widespread and systematic corruption is currently that of the Rama government. From dubious concessions and uncompetitive tenders, to the capture of justice and control over the media, Edi Rama's governance has become synonymous with state capture. International reports, including those of the State Department and independent organizations such as Freedom House and Transparency International, list Albania as a country with hybrid democracy and widespread corruption.
There is no shortage of denunciations from within the country: from scandals, such as the incinerators, suspicions of links to organized crime, to the McGonigal affair that has shaken the international scene, all of these indicate a government that has lost its democratic compass and the ethics of public service.
The US is aware of this and the signals are clear and diplomatic pressure is mounting. Even the executive order itself includes ample language that covers not only past but also current officials who obstruct reform, favor cronyism, and undermine the rule of law.
Therefore, it is wrong to believe that the US is in a selective battle, only with Berisha or the opposition. This is a sincere and long-term fight against a rotten political culture, where corruption has become a system. Whether on the right or the left, anyone who is part of this structure will face the consequences.
In this sense, the title of this opinion piece is more than a provocation:
Yes, the US is against Rama, the US is against Berisha, because the US is against corruption.
This is a battle for the future of Albania, for a state with functional institutions, for a society where the citizen has power and where justice is not dependent on power. This battle is no longer an internal issue but is now a geopolitical issue.
Time is running out and for the old politicians, right or left, who have built their wealth on the backs of Albanian citizens, time is running out.
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