The desperation of its populace has meant that Albania continues to lag more successful former communist nations like Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia in modernization and quality of life, although recently the Albanian government has taken measures to curb violent crime, and instituted fiscal reform packages to reduce corruption, curtail the 'gray' or quasi-illegal activities supporting the economy, and to attract foreign investments. Still, much of Albania's most talented individuals often move abroad, although they often send money home. It is estimated that the Albanian "economy is bolstered by annual remittances from abroad of $600-$800 million, mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy," which also helps offset the towering trade deficit ("Albania," 2008, CIA Fact Book).
The one bright spot has been Albania's relatively smooth transition to democracy, as it is has not been afflicted by the xenophobic uprisings that characterized the dissolution of neighboring Yugoslavia. Economic corruption has been the primary problem for Albania, however, but with the curtailment of economic pyramid schemes: "When five of these schemes collapsed in the beginning of the year, robbing Albanians of an estimated $1.2 billion in savings, Albanians' rage turned against the government, which appeared to have sanctioned the nationwide swindle. Rioting broke out; the country's fragile infrastructure collapsed, and gangsters and rebels overran the country, plunging it into virtual anarchy' ("Albania, 2008, Infoplease). However, after these uprisings, Albania was able to reassert the rule of law: "international observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability in 1997. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime and corruption, promoting economic growth, and decreasing the size of government. The election, and particularly the orderly transition of power, was considered an important step forward" ("Albania, 2008, CIA Fact Book).
The perpetual problem suffered by Albania is its lack of technological expertise in its population and infrastructure, and the digital divide has only widened this. Even agriculture, "which accounts for more than one-fifth of GDP, is held back because of lack of modern equipment," and unclear property rights that are the result of rapid government transitions and the prevalence of small, inefficient plots of land" ("Albania,"...
For instance, Moens and his colleagues advise, "It bears recalling that NATO for Canada and other allies, has always made sense as a vehicle for providing at least some access into the shaping of the U.S. national interest. NATO has been good not only because it kept the Russians out and the Germans down, but because it got the Americans mixed up in the security affairs of other, reasonably
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