Here in Albania's capital, hotel receptionists do their best to emphasize that the ongoing protests outside are entirely peaceful. Apparently, there have been a lot of room cancellations since the mass demonstrations began in the spring. But if you ask them directly, they might subtly hint that they welcome tourists who are taking part in the protests. Every night, people of all ages gather in front of Prime Minister Edi Rama's office to complain about corruption and demand his resignation.
The Flamingo Revolution, as it has been called, was sparked by what many consider an unsavory deal between the Albanian government and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. Thus, we are witnessing an unexpected global effect of Trumpism: A government that gets into bed with the most corrupt administration in American history risks facing internal challengers.
A lot can change in a year. Recall that, throughout 2025, analysts around the world were rightly criticizing the reckless destruction of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and lamenting what a second Trump presidency had brought to democracy and human rights around the world. The message to autocrats almost everywhere was that they would face no opposition. Given Trump’s known weakness for strongmen, they might even be applauded.
And so, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić ordered police raids on various USAID-supported NGOs, gleefully justifying such brazen attacks on civil society and echoing Elon Musk’s designation of the agency as a “criminal organization.” By some estimates, Musk’s dismantling of USAID will lead to millions of deaths; but the world’s autocrats saw its closure as a positive development.
Perhaps the members of “Autocracy Inc.” must have realized that getting Trump’s support for their evil activities would prove to be a mixed blessing. Ultimately, the political logic that so many observers were complaining about in 2025 could be overturned, as ties to the Trump regime are also seen as evidence of their own corruption.
Dhe kështu ka ndodhur. Jo vetëm që Trump është thellësisht jopopullor në pjesën më të madhe të botës, por ata që kundërshtojnë qeveritë aktuale të lidhura me Trump mund të argumentojnë shumë më lehtë rreth korrupsionit. Në fund të fundit, edhe ata që nuk janë veçanërisht të informuar për detajet më të imëta të politikës amerikane do të kenë dëgjuar për skandale si dhurata që Katari i bëri Trumpit një "pallat ryshfeti fluturues".
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Pse Rama nuk tërhiqet dot nga Zvërneci
17 Gusht, 12:29
Reagimi popullor kundër korrupsionit të Trumpit duket se përshkruan situatën në Shqipëri. Sipas rrëfimit të tyre, Kushner dhe Ivanka Trump “zbuluan” një ishull të bukur pranë bregdetit shqiptar (Sazani mezi ishte i pazbuluar, pasi kishte shërbyer prej kohësh si një bazë ushtarake shqiptare). Për më tepër, ata zbritën në këtë perlë dhe në bregdetin e tij të bukur ndërsa po bënin pushime në super-jahtin e mikut të tyre miliarder Nathaniel Rothschild, ku iu bashkua askush tjetër përveç Ramës.
Menjëherë pas kësaj, Kushner dhe Ivanka Trump filluan të eksploronin mundësinë e shndërrimit të një rezervati natyror të caktuar zyrtarisht për flamingot në një vendpushim luksoz, dhe kur protestuesit vendas e kundërshtuan skemën, ata u dhunuan nga banditë privatë të sigurisë. Por kjo u filmua dhe protestat shpejt u përhapën nga jugu i vendit në Tiranë. Tani, çdo mbrëmje janë organizuar demonstrata masive, duke shfaqur në mënyrë të spikatur flamingo në të gjitha format dhe madhësitë - nga prerjet deri te flluskat e mëdha rozë.
Është interesante se, mes shumë flamujve shqiptarë që mbajnë demonstruesit, janë edhe flamuri amerikan me yje dhe vija. Në këtë vend tradicionalisht pro-amerikan, qytetarët duan qartë të sinjalizojnë se mesazhi i tyre nuk është anti-amerikan, por anti-korrupsion. Ajo që ata kundërshtojnë është mungesa e plotë e transparencës.
Trump është katalizatori i përsosur për një lëvizje të tillë, sepse ai është më i korruptuar se shumica e udhëheqësve autoritarë sot. Ai pranon me mburrje dhurata të bollshme - nga diamantet te pagesat me kripto - dhe pastaj, me sa duket, "rastësisht" heq tarifat ose lëshon falje. Provat e tregtisë së shfrenuar të brendshme dhe manipulimit të aksioneve ishin të shumta edhe para se platforma e mediave sociale e Trump të fillonte të shiste në mënyrë eksplicite akses të hershëm në deklaratat e presidentit që ndikojnë në treg.
The Trump White House’s official message to the rest of the world could not be clearer. In 2025, the White House “stopped” the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a key weapon against bribery beyond U.S. shores. Then, this summer, it dismantled the Corporate Transparency Act — once hailed by Trump’s secretary of state, Marco Rubio, as “the most important anti-corruption and anti-money laundering law in decades” — making it easier for domestic and foreign criminals to hide behind shell companies.
Given this message, however, it is not surprising that those doing visible business with Trump’s fledgling mafia state would be viewed with suspicion. While Trump’s “fake news” rhetoric has helped autocrats everywhere justify attacks on the press, his open corruption has also drawn attention to their own misbehavior.
In Albania’s case, demonstrators are criticizing both Rama and opposition leader Sali Berisha, a former president and prime minister. The protesters’ moral charge falls on the country’s entire political class, which has long talked in empty words about the prospect of European Union membership, even though it could make that outcome less likely by serving the Kushners of the world. EU parliamentarians have already warned Rama that deals that ignore EU regulations could jeopardize membership.
Rama laments that “If it weren’t for Jared Kushner… no one would care about flamingos, about Albania, about anything. It’s all the hatred against Trump that creates all this resentment.” He’s right, though not in the way he intended. Few could have imagined just a year ago that Trump’s return to the White House would end up fueling a massive pro-democracy movement and demand for transparency globally. However, the world’s autocrats have a new enemy: their best friend.
*Taken from Project-Syndicate.org . Original title: How Trump is Revitalizing Democracy.
Author Jan-Werner Mueller is Professor of Politics at Princeton University. He is the author of the book "The Rules of Democracy."
