
The man who has focused on the word 'Macedonia' for 23 years - sohkamyung
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-40781213
======
drinchev
This conflict might resolve soon.

My country of origin ( Bulgaria ) just signed a contract with FYRM which
states that we have some shared history [1].

I think the current government of FYRM will do as much as it can to open the
door for joining EU, so I would not be surprised if the talks about the name
with Greece, continue in the next months.

1 : [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-macedonia-bulgaria-
treaty...](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-macedonia-bulgaria-treaty-
idUSKBN1AH4E3)

EDIT: Broken link.

~~~
binarray2000
What you are not being told by your favorite main-stream media - but is
important to understand the "conflict" \- is that the territory of the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was, prior to the end of the WW1, territory of
Serbia and it was (together with Kosovo and Metohija and Raška [Rashka])
called "Old Serbia":

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Serbia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Serbia)

After the WW1, it was still a territory of Serbia (which was one of the
winners) and that territory was brought by Serbia into the "Kingdom of Serbs,
Croats and Slovenes" which was later renamed "Kingdom of Yugoslavia":

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Yugoslavia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Yugoslavia)

Now the question is: Why have Tito
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josip_Broz_Tito](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josip_Broz_Tito))
and the Communists after WW2 drawn the lines of new republics in such a way
that Serbia has essentially lost the territory?

~~~
chumali
It is because of nationalist propaganda such as this that the 'conflict' will
never die.

Despite all the blood that has been shed in pursuit of Greater Serbia (Balkan
wars, WWI, Yugoslav Wars) people like you continue to push their nationalist
agenda with no regard for ethnographic or economic considerations. The region
has suffered immensely from these conflicts and yet still Serbian nationalists
aggressively pursue expansionism blindly and bitterly.

It speaks volumes that the Serbian president is on record advocating genocide
and sympathising with war criminals yet still received overwhelming support
during the last election.

~~~
binarray2000
Aaaaahhhhh... those outworn words and phrases: "nationalist propaganda",
"Greater Serbia", "Serbian nationalists aggressively pursue expansionism".

I don't know where you live and or your nationality, but looks like those
words were taken from "How to demonize those you want to conquer"-manual, that
the US/UK/EU empire uses for all those who want to live free (Syrians, Iraqis,
Iranians, Serbs...).

Further, it seems OK for all those who mindlessly use those phrases that
Albanians can create their states (and plan Greater Albania), that it is OK
for the Germans to unite and create greater (Greater?) Germany, and it is OK
that the Croats who have been "dreaming for a thousand of years" to have their
own state to get it.

But for the Serbs to be in one state where they would live together and free
on territories where Serbs have lived for thousands of years, that is
"nationalist propaganda"!

Where is the logic in that?

To add to this:

\- Serbs were the first and major peoples who have truly fought the Ottoman
Empire (1389 in Kosovo Polje)

\- Serbs were tho only ones in the "Balkans" who, after being occupied by the
Ottomans, have constantly and truly rebelled against them. For almost 500
years!

\- Serbs were the only ones in the "Balkans" who have fought in the WW1 on the
right side (over 2/3 of the male population between 18 and 55 were dead in
that war)

\- Serbs were the ones in the "Balkans" who have fought in the WW2 on the
right side (over 60% of the partisans were Serbs)

\- In 1999, 19 NATO states have attacked Serbia after US/UK empire has
supported "the rebels" (the same scenario was later applied in Libya and
Syria). After 78 days, Serbia and NATO have signed a peace agreement, not a
capitulation of Serbia.

That is only a part of your glorious past in which we were attacked and had to
fight a much, much stronger enemy. And it's only the last 600 years of
constant attacks! Which other "nation" in the "Balkans" has done (or gone
through) that?

(maybe the reason for the hatred of the Serbs in the "Balkans" stems from the
fact that they are not doing what other "nations" are: Always support the
oppressor [Hitler, Ottomans, Austria-Hungary, NATO], build concentration camps
for the innocent, accept the Pope, always have the foreign king...)

Also, let's talks about victims. For brevity, I'll mention the WW2 and 700.000
Serbs (mostly civilians; children, as well) killed in the Croatian
concentration camp Jasenovac. Which is a fraction of the two million Serbs
killed during the WW2.

To speak about Serbian kings, about Serbian states, about Serbian culture,
heritage, religion, science (Milutin Milanković, Mihajlo Pupin, Ruđer
Bošković, Nikola Tesla - to name a few) would take too much time.

Regarding Vučić ("the Serbian president"): (1) He is an IDIOT. He always was
and still is. In the past ('90ies) he proclaimed "we should kill 100 Muslims
for each Serb" which is against everything that is Serbian way of thinking and
fighting. (2) Now he is the favorite of the US/UK/EU empire. They have brought
that IDIOT to power to finally let Kosovo i Metohija to the Albanians and
their masters (US/UK/EU empire), to definitely destroy Serbian economy,
culture, to burden the debt on the Serbs etc. (3) It is VERY, VERY fishy what
happened in the last election in Serbia. There were sooooo many irregularities
that, if brought to the court, the whole election would be void (and that
IDIOT would lose). Of course, US/UK/EU empire is quiet about irregularities
because they don't care what their stooge is doing as long he's on their
mission.

~~~
rospaya
I come to HN to escape from the "poor Serbian" version of history, not read
about it in English instead of Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian.

Go back to 4chan.

~~~
binarray2000
Instead of an argument you use belittling. Very "smart" of you.

From the context I assume your family roots are in the "Balkans" and you
understand Serbian but you are not a Serb, so one question: What is the
version of history of your peoples?

------
m0llusk
Namespace conflicts are pervasive. Perhaps countries might use UUIDs instead.

~~~
noncoml
The conflict is more about history; who are the true descendants of the
ancient macedonias.

~~~
tnzn
About political use of history more than actual history that is

~~~
noncoml
Yes, sorry, that's what I meant. And it's a bit of an irony because Ancient
Hellenes(aka Ancient Greeks) didn't really consider Macedonias as
Hellenes(Greeks).

------
xg15
Easy. Just call them Mazedo~1 and Mazedo~2

~~~
anotheryou
But if the creation date record is corrupted, which is which? It's more like a
merge-conflict.

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gumby
SGrow up, guys. omehow France and the United Kingdom gavan managed to find way
to live with Brittany and Great Britain being next to each other.

------
cafard
Demosthenes, you should be living at this hour...

------
snambi
These are two small countries the size of bay area (or smaller). This is like
watching two minions fight.

~~~
59nadir
Lots of countries in Europe are very small in population and/or geography.
Lots of them also served as the bedrock for civilization. I don't know if the
purpose of your comment is to somehow try to minimize the conflict, but you
might want to reconsider your stance on what makes a nation/people relevant.

There a saying that goes, if I remember correctly: "In Europe 100 miles is a
long way, in America a 100 years is a long time".

