Breakup in the Balkans: The Tragedy of Yugoslavia

ANCIENT MACEDONIA
Macedonia once comprised a great empire in the 300s B.C. After the death of Alexander the Great, Alexander's generals squabbled amongst themselves and divided up the empire. Macedonia was conquered by Rome in 168 B.C., after fighting the Romans for 47 years. After the Roman division in 395 A.D., Macedonia was part of the Byzantine Empire. Slavs migrated to Macedonia during the 6th century. The Macedonia region was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1371.

OTTOMAN MACEDONIA
In the decline of the Ottoman Empire during the 1800s, Greece, Bulgaria, and Serbia achieved independence. The three nations and the Ottomans began vying for control of the Macedonia region. Fighting was inconclusive until the 1st Balkan War (1912-1913), when the allied nations of Serbia, Greece, and Bulgaria freed the region from Ottoman rule. The 2nd Balkan War (1913) was a result of differences between the trio over the partition of Macedonia.

YUGOSLAV MACEDONIA
After World War One, in 1918, the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed from lands ceded by the Austro-Hungarians. Among them were Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia. Macedonia was officially part of southern Serbia, along with Kosovo.

Yugoslavia was conquered in 194_, and was divided by Italy, Germany, Hungary, and Bulgaria. Bulgaria was granted Macedonia. The Council of the People's Liberation of Macedonia, a resistance movement against the fascists, allied with Joseph Broz Tito's Communist Partisan movement. In gratitude for Macedonian assistance, Tito's government recognized Macedonia as a separate Yugoslav Republic from Serbia.

Macedonia experienced 45 years of stability under Tito's Communist regime. After the death of Tito in 1980, Yugoslavia began to unravel at the seams that held the patchwork of republics together. In June 1991, Slovenia and Croatia declared independence. On September 8, Macedonia held an independence referendum. The Serb and Albanian minorities refused to participate, leaving the ethnic Macedonian majority to vote. Ninety-five percent of the Macedonians voted for independence. The Yugoslav government in Belgrade was unhappy with the results, but did not prevent Macedonia from exercising the results of the referendum and seceding. Most likely one of the key reasons for Belgrade's aquiesence is Macedonia's lack of any extraordinary mineral resources, and its place as the poorest of the Yugoslav Republics.

FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA (FYROM)
Ironically, Macedonia's biggest challenge was not in seceding, but in making its secession accepted by the West. Greece regarded Macedonia with hostility, since it had the same name as a Greek province. Greece was concerned that Macedonia would cause trouble by trying to conquer the Greek Macedonia. There were also disputes over the emblem of Alexander the Great on the country flag, and the supposedly Greek origins of the very word "Macedonia".

Since Greece would not recognize Macedonia, Greece's partners in the European Union would not either. As a result, neither the US, nor the UN, would recognize the fledgling nation. Macedonia, already poor, would not qualify for UN aid until it had gained recognition by the UN.

After riots by ethnic Albanians in the capital, Skopje, the Macedonian government collapsed. A new democracy was setup, with Branko Crvenkovski named Prime Minister and Kilo Gligoriv as president, with the instructions to rebuild the government, a task easier said than done in a country with a large hostile minority.

In 1993, the UN determined that Macedonia would be called The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, until such time that a new name could be agreed upon. The FYROMacedonia was now eligible for loans from UN organizations. Also in 1993, 1,000 UN peacekeepers were sent to Macedonia to guard against a spread of the Bosnian War into the region. President Gligoriv appealed to the UN for the peacekeepers to remain there in light of growing fears of destabilization from the war in Kosovo.

By the end of 1993, the US, Japan, and several European countries had recognized the FYROMacedonia as independent. However, talks broke down with Greece, and Greece's embargo was re-initiated. In Spetember 1995, two years later, the FYROMacedonia and Greece signed an agreement. Greece would end the embargo and recognize Macedonian independence. In return, Macedonia redesigned the flag to suit the Greeks, and withdrew their claims on Greek territory. The issue of a name was not resolved, and Macedonia had to continue with the unwieldy FYROMacedonia.

Macedonia went through 2 changes in government from 1994-1999, but still managed to survive as a country. In early 1999, several thousand NATO troops were sent to Macedonia in anticipation of a peace agreement in Kosovo. The troops grew in number throughout NATO's air campaign, and entered the province from Macedonia on June 10. Macedonia continues to serve indefintely as a NATO supply base. It is unlikely NATO troops will leave at any time in the near future.