Megale Macedonian Implications

By Dusan Sinadinoski

August 22, 2009

Greece ’s threat to block Macedonia ’s Euro-Atlantic integration may turn out to be another Balkan nightmare that no one wants. Greece is currently engaged in a well orchestrated yet reckless diplomatic assault on Macedonia over the name issue which could only lead to major political unrest in Macedonia; one that can easily engulf the rest of the Balkans. On one hand, if Macedonia doesn’t give up it constitutional name and Greece succeeds to block Macedonia ’s Euro-Atlantic integration that will certainly lead the country into major political crises. On other hand, if Macedonia gives up on its name in exchange for a membership in NATO and European Union, then Macedonia will be faced with national identity crises that will threaten the existence of the Macedonian state. In either case, a collapse of its political institutions will be certain to follow by severe consequences. The resulting political nightmare in Macedonia will have a visible affect on NATO, the European Union and the United States . They will be faced with a choice of either succumb to Greek pressure by allowing a destabilization of Macedonia and deal with the consequence later, or preserve Macedonia’s integrity and thereby assuring peace and stability in the entire Balkan region.

Ever since the Republic of Macedonia became an independent country, Greece has relentlessly pursued Macedonia ’s political demise. Greece effectively blocked the United Nations from admitting Macedonia under its constitutional name and forced the country to use interim name of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia . As a means to force Macedonia to give up its name, Greece imposed an economic blockade in the early 1990s. This blockade coupled with UN’s willingness to appease Greece could have been contributory factors to the Macedonian ethnic unrest of 2001. But these attacks on Macedonia are not just political and economic. What is so unimaginable in today’s Europe, especially when the country prides itself as being a cradle of democracy and supposedly fully integrated into the Western world, that Greece’s smear campaign against Macedonia benefits from a tacit consent! For instance, the Greek government doesn’t refer to the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia by their inherited name “Macedonian” but calls them skopians instead, after the name of Macedonia ’s capital city of Skopje . Thus to make sure that Macedonia has no second thoughts of Greece’s resolve on the name issue, Greece not only blocked once Macedonia’s accession to NATO in 2008 at the summit in Bucharest, Romania but continues to make further threats until Macedonia accepts a Greek compromise. To make their threats seem more credible, Greece is now challenging Macedonia ’s membership in the European Union. No doubt that these types of Greek blackmail and ethnic prejudice are calculated to wear down the Macedonian side into a submission.

The diplomatic intensity by which Greece has assaulted the Republic of Macedonia to give up its name can only be understood through Greece ’s national obsession with the Megale Idea, literary translated as “grand idea”. This idea was first introduced in Greek thought back in 1797 in a published manifesto by Rhigas Pheraios, a Greek politician, as a justification to expand the Greek state into territories which were perceived to be geographically and historically Greek. In the early 20th century Prime Minister Venizelos, Greece’s most famous politician, further defined it to mean “Greece on two continents and five seas”, apparently alluding to the lands inhabited by ancient Greek city states and the Byzantine Empire.

But for the Greeks, the Megale Idea is not just a land grab. It is understood to mean that anyone who lives in any of the places which they consider to be historically and geographically Greek then such people are also Greek by race. Thus all Turks, Macedonians, Vlachs, Jews, Gypsies, Albanians and others who “comprised” the Greek lands were also Greeks by race, whether they knew it or wanted it. In a sense, just as Plato’s ideal form is represented through its particular shapes, the Megale Idea seems to parallel it since all particular Greek territories are nothing but essential parts of the Megale Greek Union. Henceforth, ancient Greece continues to exist now as a union formed from the historic and inherent Greek parts. So it is precisely this perceived unity of Greek lands and people into one eternally integrated whole that not only gave rise to Greek nationalism of the early 19th century, but it also helped define Greece of today. From the Greek perspective, as it seems to follow, the “truth” is that Macedonia is historically and intrinsically Greek and it can only exist today as a part of the Megale Greek union.

Considering that even today Megale Idea is still a powerful nationalistic ideology used as a cohesive tool to keep all of Greek “parts” together, it is understandable why the Greeks are so paranoid about the name “Macedonia”. The greatest fear for Greeks is that if they lose on the name issue then they will see it as beginning of the end of the Megale union of the Greek parts. So, if Macedonia goes, according to the domino theory, so does Epirus, Thrace, Cyprus and any other endangered Greek part. However, this perceived threat to the contemporary Greek state does not arise just from the fear of loosing those parts but from a far more menacing fear of loosing the grip on the Greek “historical truth” under which all those “parts” were brought together. Breaking up of the Greek union is not a very pleasant thought for the Greeks to contemplate; just like it wasn’t pleasant for the Serbs loosing Kosovo. For Greece, loosing to Macedonia on the name issue will lead to questioning of the very foundations of their state, the sacred Megale Idea. It is no wonder that Greece can’t envision any other outcome other than winning on the name issue.

But the Greek claim of the eternal union Between Greece and Macedonia has two major faults. First, for Greece to claim a historical and natural union between present Macedonia and the ancient Greek city-states would require proof to show a continuous and successive Hellenic identity of Macedonia. It is a fact of history, however, that Greece itself has over a two millennium gap of continuous and successive existence that brings to question of what is a Greek national identity in the first place. When the Romans conquered and ruled the Greek city-states for more than seven centuries, the political, cultural and economic dominance of the Hellenic city-states completely diminished. Athens, for instance was reduced to a village of barely two thousand people at the 19th century. Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, the new Byzantium Empire was such a mix of cultures that it totally obliterated any cultural and ethnic distinction in favor of the Christian Orthodox identity. However, if any perceived unity between Greeks and Macedonians can be claimed by the Greeks before the Turks conquered these two countries, such unity would have been definitely lost during the long and brutal Ottoman rule that lasted for more than four centuries. Thus after two millenniums of foreign domination, it is very difficult to maintain that the historical and cultural make up of the Greek people was not augmented beyond recognition in the first place, let alone believing that a very questionable unity between the Greeks and Macedonians could have survived under those historical conditions. In fact, during the Turkish occupation even the Greeks referred to themselves as romanois rather than Greeks. It seems very obvious that the Greek historical and cultural continuity was so severely disrupted that any claim of the survival of the perceived unity between ancient Greeks and the current Macedonians is nothing but a wishful thinking.

The second problem which makes the Greek argument unattainable that Macedonia is an essentially Greek part is that the term “Macedonia” has changed over time. Ancient Macedonia of Philip II and Alexander the Great was quite different than the Roman province of Macedonia. Ancient Macedonia occupied the land north of Mt. Olympus and roughly half of the current territory of the Republic of Macedonia, while the Roman province included the entire territory of Republic of Macedonia, the Greek Macedonian territories, parts of Albania to the West and parts of Bulgaria. After the Romans, the Serbian medieval Kingdom of Macedonia occupied the territory roughly corresponding to the current borders of the Republic of Macedonia. But the current usage of the name Macedonia is mostly associated with the Ottoman province of Macedonia from the late 18th to the early 20th century; a territory which more or less corresponded to the Roman province of Macedonia. Therefore, Greece has no historical right to lay a claim on Macedonia as being Greek because history shows that the name “Macedonia” was not a rigid geographical region that was uniquely associated with Greece.

So do all of these persistent but dubious claims that a historic unity between Greece and Macedonia is really needed to preserve the underlying cohesiveness of the Megale union? That may or may not be the case, but the Greek blocking of Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic integration appears to be nothing short of making sure that the Republic of Macedonia surrenders all Macedonian historical inheritance to Greece. Macedonia’s future, no doubt, is tied to Euro-Atlantic community and the country has no other option but continue to strive for an eventual membership in those organizations. But for Macedonians to exchange the constitutional name of their country for a membership in NATO and European Union amounts to nothing less than loosing their national identity. It is hard to imagine that without strong national identity Macedonia, as a newly developed democracy, can effectively function as a sovereign state. More importantly, the country’s political stability will be challenged from many directions, both from outside its borders and from within as well. Therefore, it seems beyond anyone’s expectations that Macedonia, as small as it is, will voluntary agree to a self-extinction. Moreover, the Macedonians justly feel that their national identity derives from the name of their country and it is not up for negotiations. To Macedonians, their beloved Macedonia is their historical and cultural inheritance and Greece has no rights to make demands on Macedonia.

Keeping Macedonia indefinitely away from NATO and European Union will almost certainly cause an ethnic rift between the Macedonians and its large Albanian minority. The Albanians may read into it as the West is writing off Macedonia as a failed state and use it as a pretax to demand federalization of Macedonia. The political squabbling among the Macedonian political parties as to who was to be blamed will further add to the country’s instability. Macedonia’s political will may be crushed to the point where people could no longer feel that their government could defend them. The breakdown of its fragile democratic institutions will unavoidably create situation where the future will be desperate and gloomy. Thus politically weakened, Macedonia’s national interest could be compromised by the powerful internal and external political adversaries and that could inspire the militant nationalist to take matters into their own hands. Such a chaotic situation may require an intervention by NATO and European Union just to keep the country afloat.

To make the situation even worse, all of Macedonia’s neighboring countries have either territorial claims against Macedonia or some other unresolved issues. Bulgaria, a recent member of both NATO and EU, has recognized Macedonia under its constitutional name but still staunchly denies the existence of a separate and distinct Macedonian national identity. Bulgaria has made no secrets of her desire to “reeducate” the Macedonians of their Bulgarian past. Albania continually publishes maps of Greater Albania which quite openly include the entire Western Macedonia, including part of the capital Skopje, as part of their expanded territory. Now that Kosovo is an independent state, there is a not so secret desire to split Western Macedonia and form a new Albanian state of Iridia. Sometime later, this new state could request to unite with Kosovo on the grounds that those areas were once parts of the Roman province of Dardenia to which Kosovo is staking a claim. Also, considering the fact that Macedonia was once part of Greater Serbia, it would be unreasonable to expect that Serbia would stand still and watch from outside while Bulgaria and Albania are breaking up Macedonia into pieces. It is also hard not to imagine Greece being on a sideline here without some sort of hidden territorial agenda. All of this points out that the disintegration of Macedonia may trigger reintroduction of a new round of 19th century Balkan nationalism.

If there are doubts that this scenario may not be possible, just take a look at the Balkan’s disputed territories and one will better understand why there are no friendly neighbors in this part of Europe. It is a well known fact that Greece and Turkey are mortal enemies over Cyprus, religion, history, disputed territories and score of other issues. Greece and Bulgaria pretend to have no open question but that is only a lull of convenience since the Macedonian question remains an open sore between these two neighbors. The same is true of Bulgaria and Serbia. These two countries have fought many battles over disputed territories but they are still itching from the scars of the First and Second Balkan wars over Macedonia. Another pair of Balkan mortal enemies are Bulgaria and Turkey. Similarly, it can be said with overwhelming certainty that Serbia and Albania will never be friends as long as those two countries exist. Last but not least belligerent, Albania has territorial claims against every country it borders including Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia via Kosovo. Although not neighbors, Albania and Bulgaria have overlapping territorial claims over Macedonia. The only exception here is the historical and religious kinship between Greece and Serbia but this holly alliance isn’t unified on the name issue. Therefore, as the events following the disintegration of Yugoslavia provide clear lessons, any of these antagonists could start the fire of Balkan nationalism that could very quickly engulf this part of Europe.

Countries like Russia and Turkey may not have overt geopolitical interests in Macedonia but the fires of nationalism there cold present them with opportunities to influence the politics of the larger Balkan region.. If trouble starts in Macedonia, will Russians stay aside, arbitrate or agitate? Will Russia help Bulgaria or Serbia? Given the Russian interest in the Balkans and the geopolitical locations of these two countries, it is very likely that the history of Macedonian question to repeat itself. Of course Macedonia itself is of no interest to Russia but Macedonia is of national interest to Bulgaria and Russia once before delivered Macedonia to Bulgaria. Certainly Russia for her favor will expect something in return from Bulgaria, that being commensurable with the price Bulgaria is willing to pay for Macedonia. In addition to Russia’s potential Balkan ambitions, not to be ignored is the growing economic and political appetite of Turkey. The Turks, only a few hundred kilometers from their border, would love to restore their political foothold in Macedonia for reasons of their own. One of Turkey’s possible reasons for returning to the Macedonian question could be to keep Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria at bay. Another could be to get closer to their Muslim brethrens in Bosnia.

Taking into account the above scenario and the Greek resolve to endure in its demand, the question that arises is whether Europe and the United States can allow Macedonia to become a failed state? If this possibility does not cause an immediate concern, can Europe afford to have another failed state next to a quasi Kosovo state with a large and overlapping Albanian population? If this seems like a real hair-raising scenario, then the political decision makers in Brussels and Washington ought to rethink the entire Macedonian question. Allowing it to burn indefinitely, it can’t be ruled out for certain that Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Turkey and Russia wouldn’t turn this Greek diplomatic blunder into a Megale political calamity.

It is a high time for Europe and United States to rethink their perception of contemporary Greece. They can’t loose sight that modern Greece is not born out of the noble and graceful Hellenic world of antiquity. To the contrary, Greece as we know it today was created from the crumbles of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Culturally and politically modern Greece is as much of a Balkan country as is Serbia, Bulgaria or Albania. It is a stone throw away from Middle East but it is centuries away from Western Europe. Greece is no more a cultivating ground of democratic virtues today than any other Balkan country. The Megale Idea is as much of a carrier of the infectious virus of ethno-chauvinism, a Balkan type of ethnic nationalism which extols its own culture at the expense of their neighbors, as is Bulgaria, Albania or Serbia.

Macedonia’s choice of whether to give up their name and become a part of European Union or keep the name and be locked out from Europe amounts to the same devastating effect: in either case Macedonia’s future as a sovereign state will be very seriously challenged. There is no doubt that an unstable Macedonia in the middle of the Balkan Peninsula can easily become a raging vortex which could lead to catastrophic consequences. But Greece has a choice of rethinking the validity of Megale Greek union and become a stabilizing factor in the Balkan region or to continue with its aggression against Macedonia and deal with Megale Macedonian unrest next to her border. The European Union and the United States could step in from the sidelines and exert their political muscles to help Macedonia to overcome the Greek coercive behavior. They could convince Greece of the right solution and settle the name dispute or appease Greece and deal with the Macedonian question indefinitely. The European realpolitik unambiguously points out toward a stable and prosperous Balkan region and it could only be accomplished if the Westerners successfully integrates the Republic of Macedonia in the Euro Atlantic community

Athens actions concerning the Greek ‘name issue” during the past 18 wasted years can only be described as “reckless” with very serious implications
within the region.

Very well summarised.

Macedonians need not love our niegbours they need to remember that.

Never let Greeks (?) piss on you and then tell you its raining out ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xGswzjzIeE

FIGHT BACK!

http://www.youtube.com/user/MACEDONIANE ... O_XxZo6PTc

Dushan,

You know our history, and the terrible injustices committed against us by Greece, by our neighbours and 'the West'. But I believe strongly that the fate of the Macedonian State does not rest in the hands of Europe, or Greece, or the United States, but in the hands of the Macedonians.

It is a given fact that there is little to no sympathy for the Macedonians in Europe or among its neighbours (as you have rightly pointed out), although there are some exceptions. But by the same token the Macedonians should not go looking for sympathy either.

What we must realize is that Greece cannot effectively block Macedonia at the U.N. The problem from the beginning has been that the Macedonians have not been aware of their rights in the U.N institution, even though the U.N has been violating its own articles all this time. I refer of course to the advice of Professor Janev.

Our path to being admitted to the U.N organization as the Republic of Macedonia, is now straight foward (and it does not involve spending another moment talking to Greece).

I have been more concerned with the manner in which the E.U, the U.N and our neighbours have embraced the grievances of Greece, as though they had a sound basis in fact. But I won't turn this into a historical dispute either. Its about power. There is no doubt that Greece's position poses an existential threat to our identity. Should I be concerned that the international community has been very quiet about it. Is it right to expect them to come to our defence? Greece (and its supporters), are demanding everything of Macedonia - where are our defenders? No where to be found. This points towards people in the E.U, who at the very least sympathize still with Hellenism, as well as a strong anti-Macedonian position within these organizations but also among our neighbours. Are these organizations we want to belong to? I won't go into an analysis of why that is so, except to say that the blocking operations, run deep and have a long history "in the West".

Notwithstanding, I want to point out however that the lack of practical support for Macedonia is not the real issue - Greece's blocking operation is not the real issue. What I my reasons behind this position?

The main reason would be that we have not been effectively blocked at the U.N. The U.N has acted illegally and that is an entirely different matter. It is up to the Macedonians now to bring the U.N to justice, which a favorable ruling at the ICJ will inevitably do.

From that point on we will be known as the Republic of Macedonia in the U.N. Consequently, all those organizations and agencies throughout the world that have been using our acronym at the U.N as a pretext to deny us, will have lost their reason. We can go to work on them.

What I want to stress is that the Macedonian leadership have a clear path ahead of them. We all do. It is up to them, and us, to take it. Overturning the acronym FYROM at the UN should be straight foward, but what is significant for us is that being admitted to the U.N as the Republic of Macedonia no longer requires Greece, and no longer requires "negotiations".

Now that is bound to bother some people, especially some 'Macedonians'. In time this point will no doubt be on everyone's minds. The business of "negotiating" our identity "for membership" has been a disgrace from the beginning. This business of continuing to discuss the current political climate as though Macedonia has no options, as though our fate is out of our hands and as though "negotiating" is the ONLY option for Macedonia in terms of gaining membership at the U.N, E.U and NATO - needs to end for all of our sakes. I am certain it will continue however, particularly at the UMD organization and in other quarters of the diaspora (and in the Republic) until better heads prevail.

With a clear path to the U.N as the "Republic of Macedonia" now ahead of us (specifically without the involvement of Greece) - I would say that those Macedonian individuals and organizations that ignore this opportunity, and instead advocate maintaining the status quo are probably doing it for personal gain, or for something far worse.

P.

Pelister-Paul, you're a 100% full-blooded extreme Vlach nationalist, so what do you think about Vlachs in the Republic of Macedonia dancing with Vlachs visiting from Greece and waving the Greek flag?

ask chris phillipidis aka tsar boris

www *rude word* ontheweb.fu

written very well, bravo