Books

Shqiperia dhe Kina: Nje aleance e pabarabarte
Elez Biberaj

Elez Biberaj offers his views on the Albania-China relations during their “golden era” (1962-1978). For seventeen years Albania used this alliance as a strategy to pursue and secure its national objectives. This interaction, examined here from the Albanian viewpoint, was made all the more unique by a basic incongruity of interests, a great geographical distance, profound historical and cultural differences and significant disparities in economic and military capabilities. 

Shqiperia dhe shqiptaret ne udhen e rimekembjes
Elez Biberaj

A collection of 15 essays, articles and speeches that have been published or presented by Mr. Biberaj during his work as journalist and academic. This book offers useful perspectives on the most important historical developments in Albania and Kosovo during the last 30 years. It also gives a sharp analysis of the Albanian issue, both in Albania and Kosovo. There are articles also dedicated to the different phases of post-communist transition in Albania.

Shqiperia ne marredheniet Nderkombetare
Albert Rakipi, Editor

“ Shqiperia ne marredheniet Nderkombetare” is a collection of 20 articles, essays, reports and academic works of Albanian and foreign historians, political scientists and researchers. This book offers readers a modest mapping of Albania's international relations since 1912. The idea to work on a map of Albania's relations with other countries throughout its 100 years of existence as an independent state was an inspiring one for the Albanian Institute of International Studies and was enthusiastically supported by Albanian and foreign academics. 

Weak States & Security: Rethinking the Balkan Post-Cold War Security Agenda 
Albert Rakipi

Following the Cold War’s “peaceful” period and the bloody 1990s, the Balkan region today represents a mixture of weak states and international protectorates, positioned equally far from failure as from eventual success. The study is focused on domestic threats to security, concentrating on the Balkans, and in particular it analyses the range of security problems of Albania and Macedonia. It therefore represents a genuine debate on the security dilemma at the domestic level in the post Cold war environment based on the argument that with the demise of the bipolar international system, internal security issues became more important compared to external threats.

Albania 1943-1945
Bernd Fischer

The period from 1943 through 1945 is still a vital part of the twenty-first century cultural and political landscape in Albania. This book analyzes the most important events that have occurred during this period and it is mainly based on two documents:  Final report of the German Wehrmacht in Albania and the report of the special mission of the U.S State Department in Albania on the recommendations related to the recognition of the “Albanian Democratic Government “in 1945. 

Leksionet Soros ne Universitetin e Europes Qendrore
George Soros

This book is a collection of lectures delivered by George Soros in 2009 at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. In lectures one and two he summarizes his whole life experiences and reflections. He elaborates in detail what has driven him in business and philanthropy. In lectures three and four the author explores issues of ethical values and political power and the relationship between them. In the last lecture the author lays predictions and solutions on different matters that concern humanity in the present.

Shqiperi - Austri: Reflektim historiografik  

This book is a collection of academic studies on the relations between Albania and Austria throughout history. It begins with the founders of the scientific discipline of Albanian Studies, moving further on to several Austrian diplomats and research-travelers, whose purpose was the full exploration and systematic registration of everyday life, traditions, history, customs and language of Albanians. Further again the book explains the meaningful role the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy played in the establishment of the Albanian state, up to the recent intensive and diverse relations between the two countries. 

Nje dhe e pandashme: Refleksione mbi 150 vitet e Italise sone
Giorgio Napolitano

This book touches upon salient aspects of the unification process: the architecture of Cavour, the heroism of Garibaldi, the active participation of South-Italian society in building the united Italy, the deep connections of the national unification movement with European experiences and the unifying role of language and culture. Napolitano explains his views without hiding the grey areas of unkept promises, especially the imbalance between north and south and the slow and partial implementation of federalism, clearly already present already in the Italian Constitution.

Rruga e ligjit
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

“The Path of the Law” was originally written as a speech in 1897. The main message of this book is that there is no basis in reason for deciding which of two contradictory legal doctrines is correct. To elaborate this message, Holmes first turned to the distinction between law and morals: “The prophecies of what the courts will do in fact, and nothing more pretentious, are what I mean by the law”. If law is prophecy, Holmes continues, we must reject the view of “text writers” who tell you that law “is something different from what is decided by the courts of Massachusetts or England, that it is a system of reason that is a deduction from principles of ethics or admitted axioms or what not, which may or may not coincide with the decisions”. Holmes next introduces his most important and influential argument, the “bad-man” theory of law: “if we take the view of our friend the bad man we shall find that he does not care two straws” about either the morality or the logic of the law. For the bad man, “legal duty” signifies only “a prophecy that if he does certain things he will be subjected to disagreeable consequences by way of imprisonment or compulsory payment”. The sharp distinction Holmes draws between law and morals had a powerful impact on the thought of most Legal Realists, although it too was construed in a variety of ways. 

Sfidat e medha: Shoqeria dhe sistemi politik amerikan
Enri Hide

The book aims to contribute to one of the least developed realms of political sciences in Albania, that of American studies. Its aim is to provide a comprehensive analysis of American society and political system after the Second World War. The book encompasses aspects of American democracy, institutions, political parties, electoral system, ideology and justice. Ii is addressed to researchers, the general public, teachers and decision makers in Albania.