The Albanian Quest for Freedom and the End of Yugoslavia: Hon. Joseph J. DioGuardi and the Albanian American Civic League 1985-1993 edited by Faton Bislimi documents the history behind the successful lobbying efforts by DioGuardi and the Albanian American Civic League during the period of 1985, when DioGuardi was first elected to the U.S. Congress, to 1993, when Yugoslavia ceased to exist as the Socialist Federation it once was. Bislimi narrates this story chronologically by introducing and presenting some never seen before letters and documents from DioGuardi’s personal archives. The book sheds light on how DioGuardi and the AACL worked tirelessly to earn the support of many U.S. Congressional leaders to bring an end to the plight of Kosovar Albanians and achieve their independence. This ultimately would lead to Milosevic’s indictment for war crimes in 2001 and to Kosova’s statehood in 2008, as described in the Epilogue by Balkan Affairs Adviser Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi, who joined the Civic League in 1994.

Praise for the book:

“The accomplishments of DioGuardi and the Board of the Albanian American Civic League in the Civic League’s early years laid the ground for the recognition of Kosova’s independence in 2008 and the importance of America’s involvement in the region. For those who care about resolving the still unresolved Balkan conflict, The Quest for Albanian Freedom and the End of Yugoslavia is mandatory reading.”
Hon. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Member of Congress (1989-2019) and Chair of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs (2013-2014)

“The book superbly documents the early efforts of former Congressman Joe DioGuardi, Shirley Cloyes, and the Albanian American Civic League to arrest and imprison Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic, leading to our shared efforts to bring an end to Milosevic’s ultimately ten-year genocidal march across Southeast Europe.”
Senator Emma Bonino
Former EU Commissioner and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy

“By taking the reader through DioGuardi’s Congressional Resolutions, his correspondence with the US State Department, and the accounts of his trips to the Balkans with other US elected leaders, Faton Bislimi richly documents the instrumental role that DioGuardi played in bringing about the disintegration of the former repressive country of Yugoslavia and an end to the genocidal regime of Slobodan Milosevic.”
Roland Gjoni, PhD
Newman Fellow on Constitutional Futures, University College Dublin

“This book beautifully and meticulously documents the determined efforts of former Congressman Joe DioGuardi and the Albanian American Civic League to hold to account Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic.”
Steven Powles QC
Head of Doughty Street Chambers International