Comment / Opinion by: Sasha Uzunov – Editor of Alternate Comms –
On the 8th of September Macedonia celebrates 33 years of independence but is it independent?
In 1991 Macedonia broke away from the Yugoslav Federation, of which it had been a member since 1944. It avoided the brutal wars fought in Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina which had also seceded from Yugoslavia.
Prominent Macedonian academic Professor Biljana Vankovska, who works and lives in the Macedonian capital of Skopje, has in the leading newspaper Nova Makedonija raised some provocative points but painful home truths that Macedonia’s independence is nothing more than superficial. She has identified the deliberate process of de-Macedonianisation upon Macedonians by foreign players, namely the United States of America.
It is very important to include some lengthy quotes from her column (translated from the Macedonian into the English):
“We celebrate a holiday, but it’s not time to celebrate. It’s not surprising that high school students, and not only them, have no idea what we celebrate on September 8… In fact, we haven’t had a single good reason to feel good, proud, or satisfied for a long time. From holiday to holiday (whichever it is, but especially between Ilinden, September 8 and October 11), things are going to – finally get rid of the fear of saying things by their real name! In 33 years, we have not only built state on solid foundations, but we also demolished the ASNOM [foundations of the Macedonian nation-state within the Yugoslav Federation in 1944] ones.”
Professor Vankovska adds:
“…the year 2001 opened wide the gate of the dictatorship of the minority over the majority. That dictatorship is not classical, but it is very specific. Apart from the federal elements that were inserted by the constitutional amendments (defined by foreigners and adopted under duress, with a crosshair at the head), the “framework” began to deform at the whim of the interpreters, ie. the smaller community, which was and remained under the open protection of Kaleto [US Embassy in Macedonia].
“The USA sees the Albanians as a strategic partner in its entirety, regardless of where they live in the region, and treats them as such – as a useful actor for American strategic interests. Whenever the Macedonians rebelled about [threats to] their identity, name, history – the [US] whip was the Albanians, who would threaten “destabilisation.”
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Since Macedonia became independent in 1991 from the crumbling Yugoslavia, Greece has blocked it from first gaining international recognition and admission into the European Union and the US led military alliance of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) unless it dropped the name of Macedonia.
Macedonia, in essence became a US protectorate put on life support so as to stop it from falling into the hands of Serb strongman Slobodan Milosevic, then involved in wars in Croatia and Bosnia in the 1990s, but not allowed to fully form into an independent Macedonian state – remaining deliberately dysfunctional.
The West, namely the US, has used salami slice tactics, slicing the country piece by piece until eventually nothing is left.
When Macedonia declared its independence in 1991 from then crumbling Yugoslavia, the US and UK, in support of Greece, deliberately sabotaged Macedonia’s recognition under its constitutional name, forcing the tiny Balkan state into signing the 1995 Interim Accord with Greece, giving up its Vergina sun flag and accepting the absurd temporary name of FYROM for United Nations membership. That was one slice.
Then came the 2001 war in Macedonia started by US trained and equipped right wing Albanian Neo Nazi Ali Ahmeti. Another big slice. This resulted in the Ohrid Framework Agreement, in effect creating an Albanian statelet within Macedonia. A huge slice. Then the so called 2017 Good neighbourly deal with Bulgaria, a massive slice. And the Prespa Agreement with Greece and name change of Macedonia. A gigantic slice. Let’s not forget the rigged census held recently. Another slice. Soon there won’t be anything left of Macedonia and Macedonian identity to slice off!
Nothing happens in Macedonia without the US first knowing about it. Washington’s grip is firmly tight on the tiny Balkan state, so much so that it can issue Presidential Executive Orders that threaten anyone with being blacklisted if it dare touch the Prespa Agreement, an agreement which it claims it had nothing to do with drafting it.
In 2016 Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski was removed in a US financed soft coup called the “Colour Revolution” on the pretext of corruption but the real reason being his unwillingness to change Macedonia’s name quick enough.
In 2018 using coercion and blackmail, the Zaev government of Macedonia, which replaced Nikola Gruevski’s government two years prior , changed the country’s name to “North Macedonia” by securing a two-thirds majority in the Macedonia Parliament. Zaev rammed home the Prespa Agreement, signed by both Greece and Macedonia in which Macedonia would change its name to “North Macedonia.”
The new Prime Minster Hristjan Mickovski, elected in May 2024, vowed during the election campaign that he would not change Macedonia’s Constitution to accommodate Bulgaria’s demand, tantamount to extortion, by including Bulgars as a “constituent nation forming people.”
If Macedonia refuses to do so, Bulgaria, taking its cue from Greece’s past actions, will block Macedonia from joining the EU.
Before the election, the US and EU mandarins demanded that Mickovski obey Bulgaria’s diktat. So it looks likely that at some point he will probably buckle and cave in. When that will happen is anyone’s guess.
It is also important to remind that the US has on the table a scenario to partition Macedonia, should nation-building fail.
SERWER SCENARIO
That brings us to the Serwer scenario…spelled out before the US Congress in 2017 as a “hypothetical” or worst case scenario (pardon me using the CNN term popularised during the first Gulf War in 1991). In plain English, worst possible outcome.
Foreign affairs expert and academic Professor Daniel Server was called to testify In 2017 during a US Congressional hearing, He mentioned the possibility of a long term US military occupation of Macedonia which would oversee the partition of the country if “nation building failed”- a large slice being given to the Albanians and what was left over would be “allowed to vote” to join a neighbouring state – Greece, Bulgaria or Serbia.
THE NORTH PREFIX IMPOSED BY NORTH AMERICAN SUPERPOWER
What’s not mentioned is the US has been the major obstacle to nation building in Macedonia, through its support of Greece in the name dispute to the installing of right wing Albanian Neo Nazi extremists through the 2001 war in Macedonia, which was completely unjustified.
If the US imposed “North” prefix isn’t used in Macedonia’s name, the US Embassy in Macedonia (Kale) becomes furious and lets loose its Albanian Neo Nazi proxies who begin to destabilise the country. This is a clever reminder of who the real boss is. That was the reason why Albanian Neo Nazi proxies were installed in Macedonia via a 2001 war.
In effect the US State Department runs Macedonia. There is a US Presidential Executive Order that outlaws or “criminalises” being Macedonian.
This is unheard of since the end of European colonialism in Africa, Asia and Oceania. The US is 8,000km away from Macedonia across an ocean but it imposes US laws upon Macedonians in Macedonia – and in all likelihood in other parts of the world.
