The history of Albania is not a proud one. Communists expelled the invaders and seized control of the country, cutting it off from the rest of the world and plunging it into oppression until a revolution in 1992. The nation's troubles, however, are far from over. Democratic leaders and remnants of the socialist party still grapple for power while the populace adjusts to freedoms not seen for decades. The country remains poor, with farmers still tending fields by hand and using livestock to pull carts and wagons.
Most people walk, ride bikes, or squeeze onto overcrowded buses.
Thousands fell victim to a Ponzi-like scheme in recent years that took what little money most people had. Just two years ago, armed citizens seized tanks and weapons from the military before a revolt was put down. The timing of the crisis in Kosovo, then, could not be worse. As the Serbians push hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians from their homes in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo, many are pouring into Albania. The results could be devastating to a nation that has a tenuous grasp on stability itself.