Without a credible rule of law, US and European energy investment in the Western Balkans becomes harder to insure, finance, and defend from external influence.

For the past 30 years, and since the formal dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992, the United States has been party to a number of changes throughout the region. The Western Balkans today remains a strategically important conglomeration of states that shakily tend towards democracy or authoritarianism, depending on political interests and the strength of the institutions in place. Several Balkan states are candidates to join the European Union (EU), but the prospect looks increasingly unlikely due to concerns related to required, but yet to be implemented, reforms. Nonetheless, five of the six Western Balkan countries are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Each state has important diplomatic relations with the United States, and all play a role in stabilizing and securing Eastern Europe. Increasingly, the region also occupies a critical position in Europe’s energy architecture, sitting astride gas transit routes, electricity interconnectors, ports, and future renewable and hydrogen corridors linking the Eastern Mediterranean to Central Europe. The region’s potential to swing politically, however, sometimes favoring Russia, marks a significant challenge to US interests abroad.

Democratic Fragility in the Balkans

In Montenegro, anti-corruption and governance reforms have stalled as interinstitutional rivalries have contributed to a constitutional crisis. Likewise, in North Macedonia, political power has remained highly concentrated, while the penalties for corruption have remained unusually low. Albania, a country whose democratic norms have improved significantly over the last few years, has witnessed reforms, economic growth, and strong ties to the United States. However, here too, institutional weaknesses are creating the context for democratic backsliding. Many of the Balkan countries are seen as swing states, pulled between the opposing interests of Russia and the West. Notably, weaker democratic institutions in the countries correlate to greater alignment with Russia—a dynamic that carries direct consequences for energy security, as Moscow has historically leveraged weak governance to entrench influence over energy infrastructure, regulatory bodies, and strategic contracts, a shift that significantly sets back US interests in the region, considering the Balkans have become hubs for Western investment, tourism, NATO strategy, and energy transit. President Donald Trump, who helped to negotiate peace between Serbia and Kosovo, has vocally prioritized stability and the rule of law in the region.

Albania as a Test Case for Judicial Credibility

In fact, without continued US vigilance and positive diplomatic influence in the region, the........

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