Berlin in the Balkans
I’ve been distracted from the Balkans for more than a week, while traveling in France and New York. I was also distracted for a week before that by events in Syria. What do I find as I turn back to my favorite trouble spot?
Precious little real trouble. President Nikolic is congratulating himself on Serbia’s courageous leadership, while receiving plaudits from the American Ambassador. The Serbian Orthodox Church and other stalwarts of the Kosovo saga are urging Serbs to vote in the upcoming local elections. Serbia is expecting to start EU accession negotiations early next year.
It’s not that there is no trouble at all. There was the murder of an EU official last month, still unsolved to my knowledge. There was the bombing today of a moderate Serb politician’s apartment in North Mitrovica. Prime Minister Dacic still thinks it unreasonable for a Serbian citizen to say he might like the same treatment Serbs are getting Kosovo.
But the needle has moved. It now points clearly towards Serbia’s future EU prospects and away from its historical claims. I don’t expect Belgrade to forget about the Serbs in Kosovo, or its strong cultural and religious ties to its former province, but it clearly no longer wants to be held hostage by them. That, in my book, is progress.
I wish I could say as much for the other remaining legacy issues in the Balkans. Athens and Skopje still seem far from resolution of the “name” issue, which prevents Macedonia from joining NATO or getting a date to start EU accession talks. This is one of those disputes that revolve around issues that look pretty small to those not involved but in fact arouse passions because they challenge identities. I’d like to see Macedonia enter NATO as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as provided by the interim accord, but that won’t suffice for European Union membership.
Bosnia is the real nub. Its first census since before the war (1991), which is supposed to end today, has seemed at times to threaten stability, and some recounting will be needed, but it is also an opportunity for Bosnians to define who they think they are. The campaigns urging people to put themselves in this or that category carry much more political weight in Bosnia than they do in many other countries. If the “other” category were to reach its advocates’ fondest dreams and beat out the least numerous of the “constituent peoples” (presumably the Croats) that could have profound political implications. By the same token, if more than 50% of the country identifies as Bosniak, that too could have a big impact. Even small adjustments from the pre-war distribution may be viewed as redefining the basis for Bosnia’s polity.
I continue to think that only a decisive European intervention, fully backed by the Americans, will resolve the Macedonia’s name problem and Bosnia’s identity problem. I wish it weren’t thus. Skopje and Athens should be able to recognize the greater good in coming to terms on an issue that is holding up Macedonia’s Euroatlantic integration and threatening to destabilize its interethnic relations, as the Albanians care a good deal less about the name issue than do Macedonians.
Likewise Bosnia should be able to resolve its own problems, if only to because there is no longer serious will or means to fight it out. But the international community is partly responsible for the mess, as it pressed the Dayton solution and made it hard to change. A bit of tough love from Germany would make a big difference in Bosnia, especially if coordinated closely with the Croatians and the Americans. Wishy washy coaxing from the EU bureaucracy is all too clearly not going to be sufficient.
The world has much bigger problems than the Balkans these days. Germany, while burdened with Europe’s financial crisis, is not playing much of a role outside the EU, unless you count its formidable exports. Chancellor Merkel worked her magic in Kosovo and Serbia, where the progress is very largely due to her vigorous intervention against the “parallel structures” in North Mitrovica. More Berlin leadership in the Balkans is not too much to ask.
PS: I wish I’d known about Bosnia’s qualification for the World Cup when I wrote this piece. Here’s Sarajevo in celebration (no it was nothing like this during the war), courtesy of @TransferSources:
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6 thoughts on “Berlin in the Balkans”
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I said it before and will say it again,Athens has down their share of going to the middle ground by accepting a composite name with the word macedonia in it ie: new,north,upper,slav its skopje turn to meet athens in the middle.If they do then the get EU and Nato entry tomoorrow.
No Peter! Athens has not walked half way in the dispute. It has walked a full way into the identity of the Macedonian people by demanding that the range of application of the new name is “erga omnes” (including erga ourselves), as if the right to identity and own democracy should be owed to everyone else in the world! Another interesting note is that the 1993 provisional reference The Former Yugoslav is behind the word Republic of Macedonia. Greece now insists on a solution which in its 1993 version would very much sound like: The Republic of Former Yugoslav Macedonia. Notice anything different?!
Does this sound to you like Greece has given its share of going to the middle ground? Or did you by any chance think that the name Macedonia was a naturally attached prerogative to the newly formed State of Greece (est.1822)…and therefore by agreeing to negotiate it with the Republic of Macedonia, it already did its part? International Laws do not recognize such prerogatives. Au contraire, it is clearly in favor of the principle Qui prior est tempore potior est iure – Whoever is earlier in time is stronger in right. Macedonia was established a Republic in 1944. Name me an entity, just one entity either in Greece or anywhere in the world officially registered or formed under this name prior to this date!
Another trivia I have heard by some Greek representatives is that “The right to self-determination of any nation must not interfere with the right of another nation to protect its history and heritage”. I remember that the right to self-determination is in fact a human right in international law. I have never heard that this so called “right to protect the history and heritage from other nations’ self-determination” belongs to the corpus of human rights. Prove me wrong!
MK WHAT WAS FYROM CALLED BEFORE 1944?And why and who named it “Macedonia”?
Also why can bulgarians completly understand you and you them if your “macedonian”?
Hey Peter, I am glad you actually asked these questions because I have a few for you as well.
What was Greece called before 1822? Who established it, who named it and who ruled it when it was established?
On the issue of Bulgarians understanding Macedonian, every honest Bulgarian would confirm it to you that they actually can’t understand Macedonian better than they do Serbian or Russian. On the issue of the language, it will be a futile battle for you or other philhellenic nihilists to deny the existence of the Macedonian language which is a UN recognized language.
Finally, I want to reveal to you the big truth to you on WHY and WHO named it “Macedonia”.
Namely, after being divided up in 1913, the Serbian occupied part of Macedonia was named Vardarska Banovina (covering all of today’s Republic of Macedonia plus some territory up north all the way to Pristina and Nish) and this Banovina co-existed along with Dravska, Zetska, Moravska and all kind of -ska Banovinas in the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes deprived of all human and collective rights, just as was the case prior to 1913 and the subsequent division of Macedonia. During this period there were no Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia not less Bosnia or Montenegro, as well as Macedonia. But there was no Macedonia elsewhere except in the memories of the people of the world. Including Macedonians themselves
With the break out of the World War II, Bulgaria occupies both todays’ Republic of Macedonia and parts of Greek occupied Macedonia – today’s Greek Macedonia. However, interestingly enough, Bulgarians are not invited by the German Nazi forces to formally manage the territory of what Greece calls today Kentriki Makedonia. This tells us that Bulgarians did not care for all “Bulgarians” of Aegean Macedonia and that the Nazi regime had a different agenda in the area which includes ancient Pella and Vergina. It was mesmerized by the prospects of uncovering ancient Macedonian artefacts, just as was the case with the ancient Roman Empire artefacts.
As Serbs were unable to re-capture Vardar Banovina that they lost to Bulgaria which unlawfully occupied it, they had to employ other strategies. Nationalists in Serbia were not in favour independent Macedonian entity. Communists on the other hand needed the support by the local population, which had no doubts of its Macedonian identity, but just as is the case with any oppressive society, they had to keep low profile fearing for their lives and safety. During World War II occupation, the local population resisted the Bulgarian fascist regime and organized armed actions against it. Very small number of locals favoured this regime for totally self-serving reasons. This practice continues even today.
In 1944 ASNOM declares an independent state Democratic Macedonia. In order comply with International Laws and because the relations with the rest of Yugoslavia improved as the nation’s identity is recognized, Macedonia becomes a Federal State (People’s and later Socialist Republic of Macedonia). ASNOM is a representative body of the population who lives in today’s Republic Macedonia (and even then included other ethnicities, such as Albanians which only shows the level of mutual respect of the nationalities living in the Republic of Macedonia.
So, to sum it up for you: Who named today’s Republic of Macedonia – Its own people who are in no way inferior to the Greek people as Macedonians too have brains. Why they named it Macedonia? Because it is 100% Macedonian territory, today, in 1944, in 1903 during the Ilinden Uprising and ever since the humble and oppressed people of Macedonia remember it.
Finally I would like to mention it to you that Alexander is just one of the Macedonian rulers. He or anyone else is not the only Macedonians in charge of Macedonism. As far as Macedonism is concerned it is nothing more nationalistic compared to the Hellenism, Bulgarism or Serbism. The thing my dear friend is that Greece has no way about Macedonia. It has made too many sins and it still lives in hope to see what it calls fYRoM disintegrate. For Europe, the last Berlin wall is not in Berlin, but rather along the border of Macedonia with Greece and Bulgaria. When these borders fall, then we shall see if Europe is worth its existence.
Tito named it Rom because he had territorial aspirations for a outlet to the Aegean.as do the present rulers my ,friend the rest you write is jerberish at best.still what for you to tell me why Bulgarians and Slavs of your country understand each other perfectly.As for pella and vergina what language is represented there in all the archeological digs?as in the new massive findin Serres at amphipols?
By the way you mention that Greece wants to see Fyrom disintegrate.that is not the case as long as the leadership in Skopje keeps feeding you the above garbage you will accomplish that on your own.the longer it takes for Skopje to get a EU date to start talks and NATO entry the closer it comes to your demise.greeks don’t want to see that.they don’t need a greater Albania and greater Bulgaria on her borders.
Also my wife in Bulgarian and a polyglot I trust her more than you about the Bulgarian language that you both speak.