This book provides a broad, interdisciplinary analysis of events impacting on North Macedonia since its independence, particularly during the last decade. In the past thirty years, the country has gone through deep political, social and economic transition, along with a name change from ‘Macedonia’ to the ‘Republic of North Macedonia’ following the Prespa Agreement signed with Greece. The contributors consider Macedonia’s challenges, its multi-ethnic make-up and its ambition to enter the European mainstream through the auspices of the European Union and NATO. The volume includes chapters on international politics and North Macedonia’s place in the region’s security architecture as well as the difficulties of the privatisation of socially owned enterprises, political corruption, state capture and backsliding. The book also covers the controversial ‘Skopje 2014’ project in addition to the impact of migration along the ‘Balkan Route’ and the current wranglings with Bulgaria over identity politics.
Author(s): Robert Hudson, Ivan Dodovski
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 274
City: Cham
Acknowledgements
A Chronology of Key Events During Macedonia’s Long Transition
1 Introduction
References
2 Macedonia’s Long Transition: An Overview of the Key Issues
Macedonia’s Relations with Its Five Neighbouring States
Serbia
Bulgaria
Albania
Kosovo
The Name Dispute with Greece and Its Resolution
The Euro-Atlantic Project
Illegal Wiretapping and the Colourful Revolution
Corruption, Backsliding and State Capture
Relations Between Macedonia and Russia
Conclusion
Notes
References
3 Macedonia’s Revolving Security Threats: Perpetual Instability on the Edge of Europe
Structural Shortages of the New State (1991–1995)
Regional Security Calculations in Retreat (1995–2001)
Internal Conflict and Beyond (2001–2008)
The NATO Summit in 2008: A Critical Milestone
Newly-Emerging Challenges
Political Islam in the Secular Region
Macedonia and the Middle Eastern Refugees
Domestic Authoritarian Tendencies
Conclusion
Notes
References
4 The Impossible Reconciliation of Historical Narratives: The Macedonian Name Dispute and Prospects for the Future
Overview of the Issue
The Greek Position on the ‘Name Dispute’
The Macedonian Position on the ‘Name Dispute’
Clashing National Narratives and Nation-Building
Legal Solutions
Political Solutions
A Post Scriptum Note
Notes
References
5 The Economic Transition of Macedonia
Economic Developments at the Crossroads
The Denar and the Stabilisation Programmes
Open Economy, (Political) Instability and Exogenous Shocks
The Economy on the Road to the EU
Large Emigration to Undermine Growth and Development Potentials?
Recent Economic Developments
References
6 Privatisation in Macedonia and Communities in Transition
The Law on Socially Owned Capital (Marković Law, 1989)
The Law on the Transformation of Enterprises with Social Capital (1993)
The Privatisation Models
The Evolution of Ownership Structure After Privatisation
The Progress of the Privatisation Process on the Transition Period in Macedonia
Conclusion
Notes
References
7 Political Parties and the Trials of Democracy
The Evolution of the Macedonian Political Party System
The Challenge of Intra-Party Democracy in Macedonia
The Faction Dilemma
Who Elects Whom and Who Is (Ir)responsible?—The Problem of Vertical Accountability
The Strong President and the Partocracy
The Political Clientele
Political Dialogue and Contentious Politics
Where Informality Prevails
Conclusion
Annex
Note
References
8 Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic Integration
Introduction
Two External and Two Internal Problems
EU Integration Trough Inter-Ethnic Reconciliation
Intra-Ethnic Dialogue as an EU Political Precondition
Conclusions
Notes
References
9 Migration Movements and Their Implications for Macedonia
The Right of the Free Movement of People in Macedonia
The Macedonian Experience of the Refugee Crisis
The Macedonian Legal Framework and Its Alignment with the EU Acquis in the Field of Migration and Asylum
Concluding Remarks
Notes
References
10 The Identity Shift: Claims on Antiquity in Macedonian Fiction and Drama
The Return of Antiquity
Defensive ‘Anticomania’, Corruptive Entourage?
Literary and Theatrical Refractions of Identity
Conclusion
Notes
References
11 The Dissonant Narratives of the Skopje 2014 Project
The Skopje 2014 Project—The Visualisation of a Re-created Macedonian Identity
Dissonant Voices
Conclusion
References
12 An Analysis of Bulgaria’s Rejection of the Macedonian Ethno-Linguistic Identity and Its Implications
Introduction
How a Bilateral Issue Was Internationalized
Why Does Bulgaria Reject the Macedonian Ethno-Linguistic Identity?
What Is the Rationale Behind Bulgaria’s Position?
Conclusion
References
13 And Beyond: An Afterword
References
Index
