‘I Grew Up Trying To Explain the Truth About Albania—the Sazan Island Protests Are About So Much More Than Ivanka and Jared’s Resort’

Ivanka Trump described the $1.4 billion resort she and Jared Kushner are developing on Sazan Island, Albania, as "unbelievable" and vowed to protect its landscape, just hours before thousands of Albanians protested the project. The author, whose family emigrated from Albania, contrasts Trump's portrayal with the reality of local opposition, highlighting a historical Western tendency to view Albania as a place for external development rather than home for its residents. The author's parents pursued the "American dream," with her father enduring difficult conditions, working long hours and cycling to a dilapidated trailer, to build a new life in the U.S. This experience underscores the author's lifelong effort to bridge the gap between Albania as home and its perception in the Western world, often characterized by stereotypes or a lack of recognition. The Sazan Island protests represent a broader sentiment among Albanians regarding external influence and control over their country's development and identity, moving beyond the specific resort project to encompass national pride and self-determination.