ABSTRACT
From the beginning of Sali Berisha’s administration, there was a discernable tilt in Albania’s foreign policy toward the United States, which had strongly supported Albania’s democratization. Traditionally, one of Albania’s most important foreign policy objective has been preventing an Athens-Belgrade alliance directed against Tirane, and failing that, finding a Great Power ally to keep potential Greek-Yugoslav designs on its territory in check. Ties with Greece represent an important aspect of Albania’s overall foreign policy. Ever since Albania gained its independence in 1912, the issue of Kosova and other predominantly Albanian-inhabited territories that were forcefully incorporated into Yugoslavia have presented Tirane’s policymakers with a unique national and foreign policy predicament. Albania’s armed forces were grossly inadequate for the country’s defense much less to conduct a Kosovar war of liberation against Yugoslavia’s superior military. Rugova’s critics maintained that the situation of the ethnic Albanians had become much worse than it was in 1990, when Serbia suspended Kosova’s autonomy.
