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US and Trump sign sanctions against Rama and Berisha
2025-12-19 20:04:04 / IDE
The United States’ decision to formalize a new sanctions regime against destabilizing actors in the Western Balkans is not a routine diplomatic act. For Albania, this decision is a wake-up call to a well-known but denied reality for years: the capture of institutions, systemic corruption, and the use of power for personal and clientelistic interests. It constitutes a clear political indictment of the class that has ruled and continues to rule the country for decades. At the center of this indictment stand two symbolic figures of this rotten transition: Edi Rama and Sali Berisha.
The text approved by the US Congress does not speak in vain. It clearly mentions the corruption of current and former officials, the undermining of democratic institutions, and serious human rights violations as grounds for direct sanctions. These are not abstract terms for Albania; on the contrary, they are definitions that are disturbingly consistent with the political and institutional reality of the country.
For years, corruption in Albania has been treated as an “internal” problem, relativized with folkloric justifications and protected by a culture of impunity. Now, Washington has made it clear that this approach is over. When corruption undermines the stability, democracy and credibility of the state, it becomes an international security issue.
The asset freeze and visa ban are not symbolic measures. They are direct strikes against the political and economic elites who have built up wealth, influence and immunity for years, hiding behind the banner of sovereignty, while behind the scenes they have undermined the state. The message is clear: shady money and abused power no longer enjoy international protection.
In the case of Albania, this sanctions regime also puts the pro-American rhetoric of domestic politics to the test. Friendship with the US is not measured by photos, statements or flags in campaigns, but by respect for the rule of law and the real separation of powers. Whoever used this friendship as a personal shield has lost it today.
The close coordination of the US with the European Union and the United Kingdom makes the situation even more difficult for problematic actors in Albania. The safety net is narrowing. It is no longer a question of a visa ban as a “diplomatic incident”, but of complete political, financial and international isolation. It is already known that people close to Edi Rama, but also close to Sali Berisha, have tense relations with the British authorities, which is expected to bring a second wave of sanctions. Berisha is today a political and moral non grata, while Rama risks becoming a functional non grata.
The new US sanctions regime is not intended to punish a country, but to expose and punish the individuals who have held it hostage. For the first time in many years, the clock of accountability is no longer theoretical. It has a deadline, it has names, and it has real consequences.
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