The Macedonia Conundrum - Focal Point of the Balkans
Abstract
The outbreak of war in the former Yugoslavia has presented the United States with a glaring denunciation of its ineffectual efforts to espouse a comprehensive policy towards this complex region. Foreign policy leaders have been increasingly reactive to shocking developments in the Balkans and seem especially impotent to promote even the most modest calls for stability. Of special significance is the fact that the present crisis does not address the most contentious ethnic region of the Balkans, the amorphous province of Macedonia. The present status of the Balkan crisis mandates the recent United States endorsement of an immediate cease fire of hostilities coupled with an American-sponsored third party negotiation of this conflict. However, these measures are clearly inadequate to the larger ethnic- and religious-based animosities endemic to the region. What is not clear is how the United States should respond to the most compelling and potentially destabilizing problem in the Balkans, the Macedonian Question. This paper proposes to analyze the Macedonian Question, consider American interests in this conflict, offer a policy recommendation to support these interests, and determine the strengths and weaknesses of this policy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 20, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA440676
Entities
People
- Lawrence R. Adair
Organizations
- National War College