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International Statesman to Assist with NATO Bid

Excerpts from World Politics Review, September 11, 2006

TIRANA, Albania - In an attempt to boost its bid for a 2008 accession into NATO, the Albanian government has hired former U.S. homeland security chief Tom Ridge as a consultant to Prime Minster Sali Berisha.

Ridge, a former governor of Pennsylvania and congressman, was appointed as the first U.S. homeland security advisor on October 8, 2001, shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Ridge went on to become the first secretary of Homeland Security, overseeing the consolidation of the massive new department, created in the largest federal reorganization since World War II…

In a statement made during a joint press conference at the prime minister's office Sept. 4, Berisha announced that Ridge had agreed to join his government's efforts to become part of the military alliance, while providing much needed advice in the fight against organized crime and corruption.

"We have agreed that Mr. Ridge will become a consultant to the Prime Minster starting at the end of this month," Berisha told reporters.

The primary function of the former secretary's new job is to make the case for the accession of Albania into NATO in Washington. A government spokesman clarified that Ridge will engage a team of consultants and offer his connections to make known Albania's reforms in the United States, while forging homeland security and good governance strategies.

In addition to his security expertise and Washington connections, Berisha is hoping to exploit Ridge's experience as Governor of Pennsylvania. In a country in profound need of structural reforms, Ridge is expected to consult with the government on strategies to reform education, the judiciary, agriculture and information technology…

Berisha told reporters that Ridge was being selected as an envoy at a crucial moment for Albania, a job that is as significant as Bush's selection of Ridge as the first homeland security chief after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Ridge acknowledged Albania's role in the U.S-led war on terror, thanking the country for putting boots on the ground in various U.S. missions.

"I will be engaged enthusiastically and with passion to influence the necessary changes that should be made in the way that Albania becomes a member of NATO and a global partner in the world economy," Ridge said.

Albania's love for the United States goes back to the end of World War I and the League of Nations, when former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson gave vehement support to the territorial integrity of Albania. Most Albanians believe that Wilson was a major force that saved the country from territorial partition by its stronger and boulder Balkan neighbors….