Does Albanian Politics Need Dialogue and Collaboration?

(This article was written by Dr Scott Boldt for an Albanian political newspaper called The Gazette in August 2010)

When you think of the political future of Albania, it is based on the past and therefore will probably be correct. What do you think the relationship between Jewish people and Palestinian people will be like in Israel next year? You are probably right. For most of the world and for most of the time (even for politics in Albania), the past will determine the present and future. Are you doomed to continue with political strife and stagnation? If you are concerned only with your own political power and position, the answer is most certainly yes. If you choose to engage with the other, a new present and a new future will emerge.

I live in Northern Ireland which has been a political entity for less than 90 years, but it is a place where 800 years of struggle between Britain and Ireland shaped its story which is one of bitter conflict and division. From its beginning, Northern Ireland has been a space brutally determined by the past - battles remembered and marched to from 1690, leaders sung about from 1798, the sacrifices and martyrs that inspire from the period 1914-1918 and the politicians whose lives in the 1970s and 80s determined their position of leadership today. Although the sun does not shine too long in Northern Ireland, for so many years, there was nothing new under it. There was always the possibility for dialogue and collaboration; however, politicians chose to maintain their power, support their side and let the violent past script each new day.

The story could not have changed until people decided to talk to each other. You probably have read or seen the news over the last number of years that peace has broken out in Northern Ireland. You may also be aware that your neighbours in Macedonia have adopted the Belfast Agreement of 1998 which formalised politically the peace process, paved the way for power sharing, created the devolved government in Northern Ireland and led to economic prosperity. The reason why this happened was that some people took the courage to participate in dialogue.

At present, Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom with elected representatives in London along with its own government based in Belfast with a range of autonomous legislative powers. The NI government consists of parties representing those who want to remain part of the United Kingdom and those who want to separate from the UK and be united with the Republic of Ireland. This is a government which has accepted as legitimate those political parties who are actively working towards overturning the current territorial and jurisdictional arrangement. In most places, this is considered treason. In Northern Ireland, this is peaceful politics. This unusual situation can be seen by the fact that a person born in NI may hold a British passport or an Irish one or both.

Somehow, the past and the present of twelve years ago did not determine the future which is today. In fact, today people in Northern Ireland expect tomorrow to be peaceful. They are not looking for nor expecting trouble and violent conflict. The very young and fresh past of peace is beginning to determine the present and future. The explanation for this is, of course, complex and multi-faceted involving a wide range of interconnected and overlapping variables related to power, politics, economics, religion, culture, identity, et cetera. I want to share with you my view that this situation was created and sustained politically through the ongoing process of dialogue and collaboration. In this process, the other, the enemy, became humanised and related to as a person with legitimate political aspirations that could be accommodated because a vision of a shared future was the focus rather than a rigid political position.

Of course, politics has a great deal to do with gaining and keeping power, but if you do not pay attention to the common good and the needs of your country, you will remain enclosed in increasingly destructive positions. I assure you that if your only focus and interest is your party, then you will not be a good politician, you will not serve the interests of your country, and you may find yourself contributing directly to trouble and broken relationships that will lead to violence and breakdown. The best way to avoid this is to have a vision for your people, to concentrate on needs and to use your political skills, privileges and positions to serve that vision. In this way, you will be drawn to work with and consider how other parties and politicians can contribute.

If you are a politician and you go into negotiation with another party with whom you disagree, I can guarantee two things. First, if you stick to your position, you are extremely unlikely to reach any agreements. Secondly, if you focus on needs, you are very likely to begin hearing the other and probably you will come to a shared agreement. Positions rarely meet but we can agree on needs; in so doing, we humanise the other and begin to consider their perspective and views. Negotiation of positions is a debate which creates adversaries and usually leads to each side demonising the other. Negotiation of the ways and means to meet shared needs is dialogue and moves politics from competition to collaboration.

This ultimately was the stark reality facing the politicians and people of Northern Ireland. In many ways the choice was fairly simple – to continue to fight for a position or to share a peaceful future. Once that choice is made, politics has to engage in dialogue and collaboration; otherwise it is an easy return to violence. Does Albanian politics need dialogue and collaboration?


Background to Albania






Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging but Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991.  In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges to reduce crime and corruption, promote economic growth, and decrease the size of government. The election, and particularly the orderly transition of power, was considered an important step forward.   Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession.  Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure.