Macedonia's Ontological Insecurity and the Challenges of Stabilizing Inter-ethnic Relations

Abstract

The wars in former Yugoslavia and the questionable minority policies of the Balkan states seem to suggest that having an equitable multi-ethnic society in a Balkan state is difficult. In that context Macedonia was seen as part of the Balkan “powder keg,” because of its supposedly explosive ethnic and religious mix that just waited to explode in a bloody conflict. Despite that, unlike other parts of the former Yugoslavia, Macedonia long avoided war and was dubbed “the oasis of peace,” first by its president Kiro Gligorov and later used by many. The armed conflict in 2001 seems to confirm the stereotype of “ancient hatreds” toward the Balkans. However, it was brief, with comparatively few casualties, and a political agreement that ended the violence was reached in Ohrid that same year. The so-called Framework Agreement or Ohrid Agreement required constitutional amendments, some power-sharing arrangements, and concessions to the minorities, de facto mainly the ethnic-Albanian one, regarding the usage of language and symbols. These were major changes that were adopted in the Macedonian Parliament and officially redefined Macedonian society, but not without some resistance from the Macedonian side. This brief paper will explore the challenges of transition to a system more accommodating to the country’s largest minority, the ethnic Albanians, as they perceive it and the resistance by the majority group, the ethnic Macedonians, but mainly concerning the “symbolic issues” of the character of the state. This is due to the peculiar context of contested Macedonian identity by its neighboring countries whether it is the constitutional name of the country “The Republic of Macedonia,” the independence of the Macedonian church or the Macedonian language and the very identity as a distinct Macedonian nation. I try to capture this situation with the concept “ontological security,” 3 Steele’s concept of ontological security 4 assumes that nation-states seek ontological

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