I want to start today with a bit of a riddle.
OK. Actually, it's more of a personality quiz
for an entire nation. I want you to picture a
dinner party, a very high stakes and honestly
very confusing dinner party. I'm already intrigued.
Who exactly is on this guest list? OK. So at
this table, you have seated the following people.
First, you have a former United States Secretary
of State, a four star general. Right. Next to
him, you have the Emir of Kuwait. Okay, a bit
of a pivot. Across the table sits a retired British
appellate judge. Next to him is an Italian TV
broadcaster. A TV broadcaster. Yeah. And finally,
in the empty chair at the head of the table.
Yeah, the empty chair. An empty chair. Because
seated there is an assassinated politician. That
honestly sounds like the setup to a very complicated...
with a niche geopolitical joke, or maybe a meeting
of the UN that went completely off the rails.
It does, doesn't it? It sounds like a random
number generator just picked the guest side of
a hat. But it's not a joke, and it's not random
at all. This is an actual list. So the question
for you listening is, what on earth do all of
these entities, because obviously one of them
isn't even a single person, what do they all
have in common? And just to ground this for everyone
listening, we aren't talking about... A conspiracy
theory here. These aren't members of some secret
society meeting in a basement somewhere. No,
not at all. These people are linked by a very
specific, very official thread that's found right
there in public government records. Exactly.
They're all recipients of the Gjergj Kastrioti
Skanderbeg decoration. It is one of the highest
honorary state decorations given by the Republic
of Albania. And that is exactly what we are unpacking
in this deep dive today. Because on the surface,
if you just glance at the source material, it's
really just a list of names. It looks administrative.
Boring even. Yeah, boring. But if you actually
stop and look at who is on this list and crucially
why they're there, It stops being a simple list
of names and it starts becoming a map. A map
of what, exactly? A map of survival. I mean,
a map of high -stakes strategy. This single medal
gives us a forensic look at how a small nation
like Albania navigates the modern world. Which
is fascinating! We're going to see how they balance
superpowers, how they attract foreign wealth,
how they honor their own scars, and perhaps most
surprisingly, how they fight to keep their culture
alive in a completely globalized world. So we're
treating this medal as a lens to understand a
country's entire worldview. I love that. But
before we get to the celebrities and the emirs,
we really have to establish the ground rules.
What exactly is this object we're talking about?
Right. The Jujurd -Castrioti -Scenderbu decoration.
It is a state decoration awarded by the president
of Albania. Now the name itself is the very first
clue to his weight. Scenderbu, or Scanderbeg
in English. Right. Jurd -Castrioti -Scanderbeg.
If you aren't familiar with Balkan history, or
if you've never visited Tirana, you really cannot
overstate this man's importance. No, you can't.
The source material describes him simply as the
national hero of the Albanian people. Which feels
like a bit of an understatement given his actual
legacy, right? It is a massive understatement.
He was a 15th century military commander who
led a decade -long rebellion against the Ottoman
Empire. Wow! He held up a superpower for 25 years.
In the Albanian consciousness, he isn't just
a historical figure. He is the ultimate symbol
of resistance identity and survival. He is the
founding myth. His helmet is literally on the
flag. So naming the medal after him is essentially
the highest compliment the state can pay. It's
their version of the Legion of Honor or the Congressional
Medal of Honor. Precisely. It invokes the spirit
of the nation's greatest defender. And because
the name carries that incredible weight, the
criteria for getting it are very, very specific.
Why are they? Well, the source says it is awarded
for important contributions or specific heroic
acts for three things, the defense, the strengthening
and the advancement of the Republic of Albania.
Defense, strengthening and advancement. I want
to keep those three pillars in mind, because
as we go through this list, I think we're going
to see that the definition of defense is much
broader than just guns and ammo. It definitely
is. But before we move on to that, I need to
make one technical clarification. OK. This is
important because the terminology can get quite
confusing. And if you're ever at a diplomatic
reception in Toronto, you do not want to mix
this up. You have to distinguish this decoration
from the Order of Skanderbeg. Oh, I noticed that
in the notes. There's a big distinction there.
A massive one. The Order is a dynastic award.
That is given by the Albanian royal family. The
descendants of the monarchy King Zog's line.
Right. The decoration we are analyzing today
is a state award from the Republic. So one is
from a would -be king and the other is from the
elected president. Correct. We are looking at
the government's choices here, not the monarchies.
This is the state speaking about who matters
to the state. Got it. Republic, not royals. And
looking at the eligibility for this, it seems
pretty open. Yes. And that is key to our analysis.
It is eligible to both Albanians and foreign
nationals. And honestly, The foreign nationals
are where the geopolitical story really gets
interesting. Why is that? Because when a country
gives a medal to a foreigner, they're sending
a message to the rest of the world. Let's get
into that list then, because when I was scrubbing
through the recipients, the first group that
jumped out at me were the heavy hitters. We are
talking about legitimate global power players.
You are seeing the defense aspect of the criteria
in action right there. This is Albania shoring
up its security through alliances. I'm looking
specifically at 2003. Who gets the medal? Colin
Powell. At the time, a retired U .S. general
and the former secretary of state. Context is
everything here. Look at the date. 2003. Post
9 -11. Exactly. Post 9 -11. The early stages
of the Iraq war context. Albania, having emerged
from decades of extreme isolation under communism,
was very keen to demonstrate its loyalty to the
Atlantic alliance. By honoring Colin Powell,
the Albanian state is sending a massive signal.
It's a signal of alignment. It's basically saying,
we pick this side. Exactly. It's a way of saying,
we are with you. And reciprocally, thank you
for being with us. Remember, US intervention
in the Balkans in the 90s is a defining memory
for the region. Right. Without US involvement,
the map of the Balkans might look very different
today. Honoring Powell is cementing that specific
bond. And he's not the only American official
on the list either. We see Rosemary DeCarlo,
a career diplomat, and Jonathan and more. It
feels like a very deliberate strategy to keep
Washington close. Absolutely. For a small country
in a volatile neighborhood, access to the U .S.
State Department is a survival mechanism. These
medals are diplomatic currency. They build relationships.
They build personal relationships. But notice
it's not just the U .S. If you look at the European
names, you see a similar pattern of cementing
alliances, but with a slightly different flavor.
Right. I see Giorgio Napolitano, the president
of Italy. That makes sense. Italy is right across
the water. Then you have Michael Spindalegger,
the foreign minister of Austria, and the Norris
Tack, a German politician. These are key European
power centers. Italy, Austria, Germany. These
are the countries that hold the keys to European
integration. Albania wants to be part of the
EU. honoring these figures is a way of acknowledging
their support in that long, difficult process.
It's almost like a who's who of people Albanian
needs on speed dial. In a way, yes. But it's
deeper than just shaking hands at a summit. I
want to draw your attention to Henry Brooke.
The British judge. I saw that. Sir Henry Brooke.
Yes, a retired British Court of Appeal judge.
Now pause for a second. Why does a British judge
get a medal named after a 15th century warrior
who fought the Ottomans with a sword? I honestly
assumed he did something heroic. Or maybe presided
over a specific case that helped Albania internationally.
He did help them, but in a very specific context.
The source notes he was honored specifically
for services to justice reform. OK, so that connects
back to the criteria strengthening the republic.
Exactly. This is where the definition of defense
expands. Strengthening the republic isn't just
about tanks and NATO treaties. It's about the
legal system itself. Does that make sense? For
a post -communist country transitioning to democracy.
Judicial reform is arguably the hardest battle
they face. Corruption can destroy a state just
as effectively as an invading army can. So honoring
a British judge is a way of acknowledging that
a functioning court system is just as vital to
the nation's survival as a military alliance.
Correct. It acknowledges that the rule of law
is a central pillar of the state. So you have
the American military might, the European diplomatic
corps, and British legal expertise. All covered
by this one single medal. It paints a picture
of a country that is firmly, firmly looking west.
It's integrating itself into the Euro -Atlantic
framework. It's saying, we are part of this club.
That is the primary narrative, yes. But, and
here's where the plot kind of thickens. It's
not just looking west. Because if you scroll
down that recipient list, you suddenly leave
Europe entirely. You cross the Mediterranean
and land squarely in the Middle East. This is
the development aspect of the award kicking in.
And this is where Albania's strategy gets very
pragmatic. We're talking about royalty from the
Gulf. We have Hamad bin Khalifa al -Thani, the
emir of Qatar. We have Abdullah bin Zayed al
-Nahyan, the former minister of the UAE. It creates
a fascinating balance, doesn't it? You have the
NATO commanders on one side and the Gulf leaders
on the other. Albania is diversifying its portfolio
of friends. And there's one specific example
that I think perfectly illustrates why they are
getting this award. It's almost transactionally
transparent. the Emir of Kuwait, Saba al -Amar
al -Jaber al -Asaba, he got the medal in 2012.
Yes. The citation for that award is incredibly
telling. It's very specific. The source explicitly
says he got it for his, quote, financial contribution
to the reconstruction of the Skanderbeg Square,
end quote. Connect the dots there. The medal
is named Skanderbeg. The main square in the capital,
Tirana, is Skanderbeg Square. Right. The Emirate
Kuwait writes the check to fix up the square,
and in return he receives the Skanderbeg decoration.
It's incredible literal. You fix the namesake
square here as the namesake's medal? It is, but
you shouldn't dismiss it as just a receipt. It's
symbolic of modern statecraft. Development is
one of the pillars of the award. In a modern
context, securing funding for major infrastructure
projects, making the capital city look like a
modern European capital, that is a high service
to the state. It is interesting, though. Skanderbeg
was famous for fighting the East, specifically
the Ottomans. And now the medal named after him
is being used to thank leaders from the East
for rebuilding his square. That is the irony
of history, isn't it? But it's also the flexibility
of modern diplomacy. Albania is recognizing that
to strengthen the republic, you need diverse
resources. You can't just rely on one group.
Right. You need security guarantees from the
West. But you also need development capital,
and often that capital comes from the Gulf. So
the metal essentially bridges those two worlds.
It says we value your money just as much as we
value their protection. Precisely. It's a survival
strategy. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
OK, so we've covered the global stage. We've
been to Washington, Brussels and Kuwait city.
But we have to talk about the neighborhood, because
a significant number of these recipients are
from the Balkans. Naturally. You cannot separate
Albania from the broader Albanian ethnic region,
specifically Kosovo. We see Futmer Sijju, the
president of Kosovo. We see Ramush Hardinash,
the former prime minister of Kosovo. This signals
regional solidarity. By awarding the leaders
of Kosovo the highest state decoration, Albania
is reinforcing the bond between the two populations.
Right. It's an acknowledgement of their shared
struggle and shared political destiny. It's stating
your leaders are our heroes, too. And it's not
just the external leaders, either. There's mention
of internal politics, too, like Faros Nano, the
former prime minister of Albania. But what really
struck me most about the domestic list is the
tragic element. There are several posthumous
awards. Yes. This is where the medal serves a
completely different function. It stops being
a tool of diplomacy and becomes a tool of memory.
The name Azem Hajdari stands out. The source
describes him as an assassinated Albanian politician.
Hajdari was a key figure in the student movement
that helped bring down communism in the early
90s. He was a turbulent, charismatic figure in
the democratization process. He was decorated
posthumously in 2008. And Sebregoto, a writer,
screenwriter, and politician, also decorated
posthumously. When the state does this, awarding
the dead, It's doing something very different
than when it awards a foreign diplomat. How do
you mean? It's canonizing them. It's saying this
person's life and their death was for the strengthening
of the republic. Yeah. It weaves their personal
story into the official national history. It
makes them permanent. Exactly. It elevates them
to the level of Skanderbeg himself. a defender
of the nation. It creates a pantheon, basically.
It's telling the citizens, these are your saints.
Exactly. It tells the next generation who to
look up to. It says a political sacrifice is
recognized and honored. It binds the trauma of
the past, like the assassination of Hajdari,
into the strength of the modern state. It's fascinating
how one physical object, this piece of metal
and ribbon, can mean thank you for the money,
thank you for the protection, and we will never
forget your sacrifice all at the exact same time.
It is a multi -purpose tool of state identity.
But there's one more category that I think is
the most surprising. And in my opinion, the most
profound. I think I know exactly where you're
going. We've done defense. We've done development.
We've done politics. Now we have to talk about
culture. We have to. Because if you look closely,
the list includes poets. It includes historians.
It moves away from the hard power of generals
and politicians and right into the soft power
of ideas. I saw Sabri Hamidi. The source says
he was awarded for irreplaceable contribution
to modern Albanian thought. Modern Albanian thought.
Just pausing that for a second. That is a magnificent
phrase for a government citation. It really is.
Usually, governments reward action. You built
a bridge, you won a battle, you signed a treaty.
This is rewarding thinking. It acknowledges that
philosophy, literature, and ideas are a genuine
form of national service. And next, I hear Spahiu,
decorated for contribution to national culture.
And Aleksandr Stepchevich, the historian and
archaeologist. These aren't people leading armies
or signing treaties. They're writing books. But
in the Balkans, writing history is a form of
defense. Establishing your narrative? Your origin,
your culture? That is how you maintain your identity
against larger powers who might want to erase
it or claim it as their own. That makes a lot
of sense. The historian is a soldier in the battle
for memory. Wow. But the one that really stopped
me in my tracks, the one that made me go, wait,
is this a typo? Was the award given recently
in October 2023? You're talking about RAI Calabria.
Yes. It's a TV station. Right. Well, a branch
of the Italian broadcaster by REI. It seems odd
at first glance, doesn't it? Putting a regional
TV branch on the exact same shelf as Kellen Powell
or an assassinated martyr, it feels like a category
error. It seems very odd. I mean, why did a TV
station get the highest state honor? Did they
produce a really good documentary or something?
The source explains it clearly. They were awarded
for their significant contribution to preserving
the Arboreshi culture and language. Can you unpack
that for us? Because I think a lot of you listening
might not know who the Arboreshi are or why they
matter so much to Albania. The Arboreshi are
an Albanian community living in southern Italy.
But they aren't recent immigrants. They didn't
arrive on boats in the 1990s. Okay. They fled
Albania centuries ago. actually right after the
death of Skanderbeg himself in the 15th century
to escape the Ottoman conquest. So they have
been in Italy for 500 years. Over 500 years.
And miraculously, they have kept their distinct
language, their customs and their identity alive
in Italy all that time. They're essentially a
living time castle of medieval Albania. That
is incredible resilience. Five centuries. It
is. And RAI Calabria The regional branch of the
Italian State Broadcaster produces regular programming
specifically for this community. So they broadcast
in the language itself. Exactly. They broadcast
in the Arboreshi dialect. They tell the local
stories. They keep the dialect breathing in a
digital age. And the president of Albania decided
that this act, keeping the language alive across
the Adriatic Sea, was worthy of the Skanderbeg
decoration. That is a profound statement on what
actually constitutes defense. It is the ultimate
statement. It says that the nation isn't just
borders and armies. The nation is the language.
The nation is the culture. If the language dies
the nation disappears, no matter how many tanks
you have or how many treaties you sign. So by
broadcasting a TV show in an old dialect, this
Italian media outlet is in the eyes of the state
defending the Republic. They are defending the
very soul of the Republic, and that's why they
get the medal. It puts the preservation of identity
on the exact same pedestal as geopolitical security.
It elevates the cultural worker to the rank of
the general. It's a really incredible spectrum.
When you look at it all together, you realize
that a state has to operate on so many different
levels simultaneously just to exist. It really
strips away the simplicity of foreign policy.
It shows that survival is a complex ecosystem.
So let's try to pull this all together. We started
with a riddle. What connects a U .S. general,
a Kuwaiti emir and an Italian TV station? And
the answer is there are all pillars that hold
up the house. That's a great way to put it. If
you were a small nation like Albania. You cannot
survive on your own. You don't have the luxury
of isolation. You absolutely need the hard power
That's Colin Powell in the NATO Alliance. You
need that shield, right? Right, but you also
need the soft power and infrastructure That's
the emir of Kuwait in the Skanderbeg Square.
You need investment to make life livable and
modern And you need the political will that's
the regional leaders and the domestic politicians
who sacrificed for the system. And finally, you
need the soul. You need the soul. That's the
writers, the thinkers, and yes, the broadcasters
who ensure that 500 years from now, someone is
still speaking the language. It's amazing how
a single Wikipedia list, if you actually take
the time to read it, can reveal the entire survival
strategy of a country. It's not just a list of
awards. It's a list of values. And it shows that
national defense is a much wider concept than
we usually think. It's not just about stopping
an invasion. It's about building a square where
people can gather. It's about writing a book
that challenges how people think. It's about
broadcasting a song in your grandmother's language.
All of that is Skanderbeg. All of that is Skanderbeg.
It really makes you think about how we define
contribution in our own societies. That is a
powerful place to leave it. But before we go,
I want to leave you listening with one final
thought to chew on. What's that? We live in a
world where we constantly obsess over military
budgets and trade deals. We track where the aircraft
carriers are going. We look at GDP growth quarter
by quarter. But here is a nation that officially
equates modern thought and cultural preservation
with national defense. They give them the exact
same medal. It really makes you wonder about
our own priorities. Exactly. If we started viewing
our artists and our teachers as being just as
critical to our national survival as our generals,
how different would our own societies look? That
is a question definitely worth exploring. Thanks
for joining us on this deep dive. A pleasure
as always.