They Will Save Us, or Shouldn’t They? An Analysis of the Role of the International Community in the Albanian Print Media After the January 21, 2011 Demonstrations

Abstract:     
This article investigates the political controversies related to the role the international community plays and should play in contemporary Albanian politics through an analysis of the media accounts of the January 21, 2011 demonstration. We analyze opinion articles in the mainstream media and find that there are two representations of the political reality that compete for legitimacy: one in favor of the government and the other against it. The picture that emerges from the media accounts is that events, political action and political personalities are subject to the perceived judgment of external actors, whose confirmation or support is taken as the legitimizing factor. Thus, the accepted patterns of power put the international community at the top, from where they control, monitor, confirm or refute political elites. The alternative representation criticizes international intervention as a deterrent to the democratization processes in Albania.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 34

Keywords: media, external actors, politics, control, Albania

JEL Classification: P33

Accepted Paper Series