A quiet corner of the Albanian Riviera has become the latest flashpoint in a global debate over foreign investment. Jared Kushner's proposed luxury resort near Sarandë has drawn protests from locals and a growing chorus of voices urging British investors to step back. The plan, backed by Kushner's Affinity Partners, envisions a high-end hotel and villa complex on protected land.
For the Albanian government, it promises jobs and prestige. For many residents, it spells displacement and environmental ruin. 'They want to build a fortress for billionaires while we lose our beaches,' one protester told me, clutching a hand-painted sign.
The sentiment echoes a broader anxiety: small nations selling off their soul to foreign capital. British investors, already under scrutiny for ESG commitments, now face a moral reckoning. Do they bankroll a project that seems to trample local sentiment and ecological safeguards?
Or do they heed the warnings of activists and rethink their involvement? The cultural shift here is palpable. Albania, once a pariah state, now courts global elites.
But on the ground, ordinary people are questioning who really benefits from this transformation. As one elderly fisherman put it, 'We want progress, but not at any price.' The coming weeks will test whether money or memory prevails.
