Republic of Macedonia

Introduction

The Republic of Macedonia, also known as The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe on the Balkan Peninsula. Nations have several different symbols that are important to each nations and its citizens. Four of these symbols are the nation's flag, its national emblem, its national anthem, and, finally, the name of the country. The nation's flag is important because it rallies the citizens, and is displayed, outside the United Nations, for everyone to see. The emblem is important because it can arouse national pride in a nation's citizens. The anthem is taught to every school child, and is sung at every important event. The name of the country is important because it identifies nationality, and it, usually, has historic significance.

Important National Symbols

The present flag of the Republic of Macedonia is unique and recognizable. The flag, adopted October 5, 1995, is a red field with a yellow sun and eight rays. This flag, which is mentioned in the country's national anthem, symbolizes "the new sun of Liberty".1 The national emblem displays garlands containing wheat sheaves, tobacco leaves, and fruit of the opium poppy, which are connected by a ribbon with traditional folk motives on it. Other items on the emblem are a lake, mountain, and sunrise.2 These two items, along with the national anthem "Today Over Macedonia", are important symbols of national pride.

"Today over Macedonia, is being born
the new sun of liberty.
The Macedonians fight,
for their own rights!"3

Names and Nationalism

We live in an age when nationalism is asserting itself. There are numerous headlines in newspapers and on the internet that testifies to this, but none of them emphasizes this fact better than the dispute between the Republic of Macedonia and Greece. There are some who may think that a name is not a big deal, and certainly not something to start a war over. However, a name is precisely what is causing the rise of nationalism in both Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The problem with the name Macedonia, is that it has significance to both the people of Greece and the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia. Macedonia is the designation for the area in Greece where Alexander the Great was born, and it is, also, the name some Greek citizens use to identify themselves. In addition, the area of Macedonia was once part of the Ottoman Empire, and, when this Empire fell, Macedonia was divided between Greece, Bulgaria, and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.4

When the present day Republic of Macedonia, declared its independence in 1991, it changed its name from the “Socialist Republic of Macedonia.”5 The government of Greece objected, and the Republic of Macedonia attempted to smooth things over by stating, in its constitution, that it had no claim to land in another country. This did not help, nor did the United Nations compromise in 1993, which gave the Republic of Macedonia the name the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.6

Because of nationalism, and other issues, this dispute may or may not be settled in the near future. The only thing, those of us, outside of Greece and the Republic of Macedonia can do is watch the situations, and hope that the two countries will come to an equitable compromise.

Word Count: 549

Footnotes
1  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_Republic_of_Macedonia
2  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_emblem_of_the_Republic_of_Macedonia
3  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_Republic_of_Macedonia
4  https://jacobinmag.com/2018/03/macedonia-greece-balkans-nationalism-nato
5  ibid.
6  ibid.