"What's in a Name: the Macedonian Name Dispute in the Balkans"

Main speaker: Mathew Nemetz, UN Special Representative on the Name
Dispute between the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece

Respondents: Robert Greenberg, Yale University, Harris Mylonas, George
Washington University

Moderator: Keith Daren, Yale University

Upon the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
declared its independence in 1991 as the "Republic of Macedonia," but
because of objections from Greece was admitted in the United Nations
in 1993 under the provisional name "The Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia" (FYROM), pending a resolution of the dispute with Greece.
The newly independent country has maintained that it has a right to
its preferred constitutional name and to recognition of a Macedonian
national identity and language. Greece believes that calling the
country "Macedonia" without the use of a disambiguating qualifier,
such as "Upper" or "New", implies monopolization of the geographical
region of Macedonia, much of which is a part of Greece, and accuses
its northern neighbor of irredentist tendencies over Greek Macedonia.
Negotiations to resolve the dispute are ongoing and headed by Matthew
Nimetz, the UN Special Representative on the Macedonian name dispute.

Matthew Nimetz is the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for
the Macedonian name dispute talks. He also served as Under Secretary
of State for Security Assistance, Science, and Technology and as a
Counselor of the Department of State (1977-1980). Along with his
governmental positions, Mr. Nimetz has been a lawyer in New York and
is currently a managing director of General Atlantic, a New York-based
private equity firm.

Robert Greenberg is Associate Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences
at Hunter College and adjunct Professor at Yale. He specializes in
Slavic linguistics, language and nationalism in former Yugoslavia, and
ethnic identity among the Southern Slavs.

Harris Mylonas is Assistant Professor of Political Science and
International Affairs at George Washington University. His research
focuses on the process of nation- and state- building, immigrant and
refugee integration policies, and institutional change.

Keith Darden is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Yale. He
specializes in the shaping of politics by economic, religious, and
national ideas, especially as they pertain to post-Communist Eurasia.

Tuesday, April 14, 5:00 PM
William L. Harkness Hall 119
100 Wall Street, New Haven

NOTE: THE EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. HOWEVER, NO RECORDING
DEVICES WILL BE ALLOWED IN THE HALL.

Sponsored by the Yale European Undergraduates

3 Responses to “Panel discussion at Yale on the Macedonia name dispute”

1. Ivan Brezneski says:

   April 11, 2009 at 10:45 am

   I would love to take part in that discussion! Unfortunately I cannot! But I would like to make a short comment because I have followed very closely the name dispute and my family comes from that region so I have my own opinion about what is going on in the Central Balkans!
   The idea of creating a country on the geographical area called Macedonia comes from the end of the 19th century after the Berlin Congress of 1878 when Bulgaria was partitioned.The majority of the people were believed to be tightly connected wuth Bulgaria and her heritage! Nevertheless, the idea of greater Bulgaria did not appeal to the Great Powers. Apparently, even today it still does not although the impression that FYROM is a “cloning” of Bulgaria comes to almost everyone’s mind! Now the attempt of the irredentist government of Skopje is to hide away this resemblance, they try to concentrate the people’s mind on the antique part of the history and run away from their Slavic (bulgarian) roots! In that they succeed pretty well, indeed! But thus they fell in the trap that Greece had prepared for them and now it seems like there is no way out of it! And with that attitude, the government of Skopje cannot now even count on any benevolent actions or any kind of support from Sofia! On the contrary, Sofia is worried now about Skopje ordering the exhumation of Bulgarian soldiers on the territory of FYROM! Skopje is in isolation!
   And I think there is only one way out of this situation: huge reform in Skopje! From A to Z!! Put an end with all disputes with the neighboring countries, including the name dispute by cutting any claims on ancient or medieval history! FYROM started in 1944 and its idea originated after the Balkan Wars, not with Alexander the Great!
   This will inevitably lead to a change in identity that will be painful to many! But the excommunist propaganda has to be stopped! Many homes in FYROM still kepp the portrait of Tito hanging on the wall! This is unacceptable!
   The idea of a Macedonian state stands for a republic in the Central Balkans that will unite all surrounding countries! It will strive for peace among Greeks, Slavs and Muslims, not hate (as it does now)!! In this context, the subject of its name or its people’s national identity has no significance! It is meant to be “Balkan’s Switzerland”! It may be called Central Balkan Republic and the nationality – “vardarian” by the name of the river “Vardar” and then just put this “macedonian’ mania behind us! Once and for all! It is the root of all evil!!
   Otherwise, we do not need another ultranationalist government to sow hatred on the Balkans! If this will be the goal of Skopje’s republic, NO, thank you, we do not need it! We do not need such a country! We need a country like Switzerland on the Balkans – neutral and peaceful, striving for stability in the region, not war!!
   Now this is the view of a Macedonian republic that the French have in the WWI:
   http://the-macedonian.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-post.html
   Unfortunately, it is not in English, it is in the language soiken in FYROM but if you can find someone to translate it for you you will see the main idea of a state on the territory of Macedonia! If you are interested, I could translate it for you too! If FYROM will be something else than that idea, then it is senseless to bother about its existence because it will bring only trouble to the Balkan region, if not a third Balkan war! And we do not need that!!
   Write to my email! I will be interested to see any comments!! Thank you!
2. zoran says:

   April 11, 2009 at 7:28 pm

   WE are working on united Europe which is mean Europe with no borders .Now Macedonia has been diveded in three regions in 1913..Pirin,Egej and Vardar run by Bylgaria ,Greece and Srbija.The Vardar region in 1991 become a separate STATE with the name of Repablic fo Macedonia. But how ever now EU is united which is mean this name do not damage Greece and the greek people becouse all Region fo ALL MACEDONIA be come parth of EU ….so there for Greece shoud help Macedonia now rather then later.Thanks .
3. Sotir Ilievski says:

   April 12, 2009 at 5:51 am

   There is no Macedonian on the panel.