Research Article

Signaling, Alliance Support, and Patronage: Reinterpreting U.S.–Albania Relations through Structural Realism

Volume: 6 Number: 1 July 12, 2026
TR EN

Signaling, Alliance Support, and Patronage: Reinterpreting U.S.–Albania Relations through Structural Realism

Abstract

This study examines the relations between the United States and Albania within a Structural Realist framework through the concepts of patron–client relations, alliance support, and signaling. The study analyzes bilateral relations across four major periods: the World War I era, the World War II era, the Cold War period, and the post–Cold War period. The findings demonstrate that shifts in the distribution of capabilities within the international system played a decisive role in shaping Albania’s foreign policy orientation and its relations with major powers. During the first stage, Wilsonian principles and the discourse of self-determination were interpreted as early signaling mechanisms. During World War II, the support provided by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the USSR to Albanian resistance movements was analyzed within the framework of proxy warfare and competitive patronage relations. During the Cold War, Albania’s relations with the USSR and China were examined through the lens of alternative patronage strategies. In the post–Cold War era, U.S. economic, political, and security assistance evolved into a broader framework of alliance support rooted in patron–client relations.

Keywords

References

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  7. Gashi, I., & Idrizi, Z. (2020). Contribution of U.S. diplomacy determining the fate of the Albanian state (1919–1920). FREEDOM Journal for Peacebuilding and Transcultural Communication, 1(1–2), 36–41.
  8. Shurman, J. G. (1913, July 10). The American minister to Greece to the Secretary of State no. 107. Office of the Historian. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1913/d76 (accessed: 24.03.2026).

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Sociology (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

July 12, 2026

Submission Date

May 29, 2026

Acceptance Date

July 7, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 6 Number: 1

APA
Akbal, O. (2026). Signaling, Alliance Support, and Patronage: Reinterpreting U.S.–Albania Relations through Structural Realism. Mesleki Ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 6(1), 172-196. https://izlik.org/JA94KM43XW
AMA
1.Akbal O. Signaling, Alliance Support, and Patronage: Reinterpreting U.S.–Albania Relations through Structural Realism. Mesleki ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 2026;6(1):172-196. https://izlik.org/JA94KM43XW
Chicago
Akbal, Ozdemir. 2026. “Signaling, Alliance Support, and Patronage: Reinterpreting U.S.–Albania Relations through Structural Realism”. Mesleki Ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 6 (1): 172-96. https://izlik.org/JA94KM43XW.
EndNote
Akbal O (July 1, 2026) Signaling, Alliance Support, and Patronage: Reinterpreting U.S.–Albania Relations through Structural Realism. Mesleki ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 6 1 172–196.
IEEE
[1]O. Akbal, “Signaling, Alliance Support, and Patronage: Reinterpreting U.S.–Albania Relations through Structural Realism”, Mesleki ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 172–196, July 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA94KM43XW
ISNAD
Akbal, Ozdemir. “Signaling, Alliance Support, and Patronage: Reinterpreting U.S.–Albania Relations through Structural Realism”. Mesleki ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 6/1 (July 1, 2026): 172-196. https://izlik.org/JA94KM43XW.
JAMA
1.Akbal O. Signaling, Alliance Support, and Patronage: Reinterpreting U.S.–Albania Relations through Structural Realism. Mesleki ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 2026;6:172–196.
MLA
Akbal, Ozdemir. “Signaling, Alliance Support, and Patronage: Reinterpreting U.S.–Albania Relations through Structural Realism”. Mesleki Ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, vol. 6, no. 1, July 2026, pp. 172-96, https://izlik.org/JA94KM43XW.
Vancouver
1.Ozdemir Akbal. Signaling, Alliance Support, and Patronage: Reinterpreting U.S.–Albania Relations through Structural Realism. Mesleki ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi [Internet]. 2026 Jul. 1;6(1):172-96. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA94KM43XW