Eurasia News

W hat Albania is experiencing today is not merely a crisis of government. It is a crisis of a political system that, for years, has worked to concentrate power, restrict political competition, and distance citizens from decision-making. The roots of this crisis can be traced, in significant part, to 21 April 2008[ 2 ], when constitutional amendments adopted at the eleventh hour fundamentally altered the architecture of political representation in Albania. That day, it was not merely a matter of changing a few articles of the Constitution. The rules of the political game were changed. And when those who hold power are also in a position to rewrite the rules governing its exercise, the first question must be straightforward: who gained more power, and who lost the ability to hold that power in check? The answer leads us to a problem that has become increasingly difficult to ignore: the concentration of power in the hands of party leaders, the weakening of Parliament as an institution of ...

  W hen I was invited to visit Azerbaijan, with the invitation of The Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) and Azerbaijan International Development Agency (AIDA), I had no doubts that this would be a great opportunity to provide some insights of what I believe is just and important to work toward reconciliation between two destined to be neighbour countries.   The observations and findings that I would line up in this paper, are not only as result of my two extensive weeks throughout the country, numerous interviews with individuals as well as several visits in the sites, but as result of a much earlier interest in the region which of course culminates during my time serving as Ambassador of the Republic of Albania in Azerbaijan, 2023-2016.   A brief history of modern Azerbaijan  (known by the ancient name as Caucasian Albania).  Azerbaijan, located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, has a rich history shaped by its geog...