FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Deutsche Welle has dedicated a documentary to Albania and the billion-dollar project of Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, placing the civic protest now known as the "Flamingo Revolution" at the center of the debate.
The documentary raises a question that goes far beyond a tourist investment: is Albania using its coastline as a bargaining chip to gain geopolitical influence and political connections with the Trump administration?
In the introduction to the documentary, DW describes the resistance to the project in Zvërnec as a story that speaks to real estate development as an instrument of geopolitics, to citizens' dissatisfaction with the Albanian government, and to the protection of one of the country's most important natural areas.
According to the documentary, the plan of Affinity Partners, the investment fund run by Jared Kushner, envisages the transformation of a protected area in southern Albania into a luxury resort with up to 10,000 hotel rooms, a project that the Albanian government considers as an opportunity to attract foreign investment and raise the country's international profile.
However, DW points out that opponents of the project do not see it as an ordinary investment. The documentary argues that the name Kushner represents not only private capital, but also a direct connection to the center of power in Washington.
" The name Kushner doesn't just mean money. He is married to Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter. That also means potential access to the White House, and that's a big deal for a small country like Albania ," the documentary says.
DW recalls that Jared Kushner has been one of the most influential figures in Donald Trump's circle and currently holds the informal role of special envoy for peace, being involved in negotiations on the conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and Iran. The documentary highlights that he has not been confirmed by the US Senate for this role, describing his position as informal.
An important part of the documentary is also dedicated to the environmental aspect. According to the authors, the development of the project will affect a protected ecosystem where flamingos, Mediterranean seals and sea turtles live, turning the issue into a clash between economic development and nature protection.
The documentary also provides the perspective of an American expert, who argues that the way political and business interests are intertwined in the Trump family is unusual by American standards.
" The extent to which the family's business interests and political activity have intertwined in the second Trump administration is perhaps unique in the United States ," he says, recalling that Jared Kushner had no experience in the financial sector when he created the Affinity Partners fund, but nevertheless secured billions of dollars in investment from the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
According to the expert, this has raised questions about whether Middle Eastern investors expected not only economic gains, but also benefits from the political influence that Kushner could exert.
The documentary also focuses on the position of Prime Minister Edi Rama. According to DW's analysis, for the Albanian government, the project fits in with its strategy to strengthen economic and political ties with the West, especially the United States.
" Albania exchanges access to its land – not oil or products – in the hope of gaining money and access to political power ," reads one of the documentary's key passages.
In the end, DW presents the protest against the project as a debate that is not limited to the construction of a luxury resort, but as a clash over how small countries use their strategic assets and whether they can ever reach equal agreements with powerful economic and political actors. /Pamphlet
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