For more than 30 years I’ve lived in Albania, that small country north of Greece, south of the former Yugoslavia and east of southern Italy across the Adriatic. It’s a beautiful land, like a hybrid of the Swiss Alps and the French Riviera — but with Roman, Greek and Turkish archaeological sites.
With all its resources, Albania remains one of the poorest nations in Europe, still emerging from centuries of oppression, like a young Forrest Gump trying to run free of his leg braces.
I’ve learned that Americans born into freedom have a hard time understanding its alternatives or comprehending its costs. Our nation’s 250th birthday is an opportune moment for us to try.
The Albanians love freedom. The motto “Liberty or Death” rings as true for them as for us, but, historically, their national uprisings have resulted in more death than liberty.
Centuries before the United States was born, Albanians adopted the eagle as their symbol and referred to themselves as “sons of the eagle.” Whenever invading hordes reached their coasts, Albanians abandoned their softer plains and took to the harsher mountains to stay free.
In the 15th century, the greatest general you’ve never heard of — Scanderbeg — united the Albanians and staved off a frenzied Ottoman push toward Rome. The Albanians eventually fell and became subjects of the Ottoman Empire for nearly 500 years. Imagine a nation in bondage for twice as long as the United States has existed.
When Albania finally earned its independence in 1912, conditions were miserable — high rates of illiteracy, almost no infrastructure and extreme poverty. In 1913, a conference in London recognized Albania (freedom at last!) but drew borders that awarded half Albania’s lands and population to neighboring Balkan nations (more bondage!).
The world wars wrecked little Albania further, and a communist government emerged from the ashes. Why would freedom-loving Albanians welcome such a repressive regime? Because the bondage of communism was packaged as a “national liberation movement,” and they didn’t understand the fine print.
Albania aligned itself with Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union and Maoist China but eventually broke ties with them all, touting itself as the only pure Marxist-Leninist state. One of the popular names for Albanian baby boys was “Marenglen” (MARx-ENGels-LENin). Albania became the most isolated and xenophobic nation in the world — something like today’s North Korea.
In 1967, the regime tried to eliminate God from its national consciousness. More than merely suppressing religion, the government banned God explicitly in its very constitution. Houses of worship were closed, and clerics were killed or sent to concentration camps. Albania’s relations with the United States were icy at best, and the regime published a book titled “The Anglo-American Threat to Albania.”
It may seem surprising, then, that Albania is one of the most staunchly pro-American countries in the world. Why?
Recently I asked this question to an Albanian colleague a few minutes before giving a speech to the North Carolina Semiquincentennial Committee in Raleigh. Her reply?
“Liria!” — Freedom!
America is rare in the world not so much because it values freedom (many nations claim to) but because it was founded upon freedom. Liberty was the core principle embedded into the minutiae of our political and legal infrastructures, producing remarkably durable founding documents.
It is nearly impossible for American-born citizens to comprehend the all-encompassing prison of tyranny. In my 30-plus years in the Balkans, I’ve heard countless stories of government oppression, spying, paranoia and persecution. When my Albanian friends tell their stories, I believe them, but I cannot identify with them. I can’t conceptualize an existence where the government dictates everything from the books I may read to how many eggs I may buy.
In 1991, the Albanian communist regime fell. On a summer day, Secretary of State James Baker visited Albania — the highest-ranking American official ever to visit the nation to that point. Approximately 300,000 Albanians came to hear him in the central square. Imagine the roar of four Bank of America stadiums — not cheering for the Panthers, but thundering “USA! USA!” They chanted so loudly and for so long that Baker could not deliver his prepared remarks. The only words he could interject were “Freedom works!” — perhaps the shortest speech in political history.
Liberty-loving people all around the world love America. Deep down, even many who criticize and curse America long for the freedom she offers. Albanians love America not necessarily because life is easier here. In fact, many realize that life is harder here. They love America like they loved their rugged mountains — because freedom is worth the effort.
My prayer is that on our 250th anniversary, Americans will love our country as much as the Albanians do.
David Hosaflook is executive director at the Institute for Albanian and Protestant Studies.
