An Invitation to National Suicide
By Jason Miko
As was expected, the EU once again sank to its lowest common denominator
of having no backbone and chose not to offer Macedonia a date to start
accession talks, something Macedonia is clearly ready for. According
to a report on June 15 by Radio Free Europe/Radio Europe, Catherine
Ashton, the EU high representative for foreign policy, demonstrated,
yet once again, that she is clearly not up to the job and out of touch
on such issues. RFE/RL wrote “Reflecting the EU's unwillingness
to collectively get involved in the issue, Ashton remained noncommittal,
saying only, ‘We wish [Macedonia] well and hope for a quick solution
which will help us move forward.’” Naturally, she could not
bring herself to say “Macedonia” let alone anything positive
nor could she bring herself to say that Greece bears any responsibility
for this mess. This is one reason why Europe – in its present state
– will fail. I wish Europe well for a quick solution to their current
mess.
We also saw a classic diplomatic play, and a total lie and fabrication
at that – Greek media started reporting just before the EU meeting
that a solution between the two countries was imminent. Greek Alternate
Foreign Minister Droutsas and other Greek diplomats at the meeting urged
the EU not to give a date for accession talks because the “name
talks were in a serious stage and that reaching any kind of decision
was not the most sensible step.” Nothing could be further from
the truth.
American columnist and commentator Charles Krauthammer, writing in
The Washington Post on June 4 about the demonization of Israel over
its response to the so-called Gaza flotilla episode, notes, “The
world is tired of these troublesome Jews, 6 million -- that number again
-- hard by the Mediterranean, refusing every invitation to national
suicide. For which they are relentlessly demonized, ghettoized and constrained
from defending themselves, even as the more committed anti-Zionists
-- Iranian in particular -- openly prepare a more final solution.”
Krauthammer’s sarcastic prose is telling for he could be writing
about Macedonia “refusing every invitation to national suicide.”
Because it seems that every time I see news about or from Macedonia
on the name issue, some international diplomat is encouraging Macedonia
to give up its name and identity and enter into the promised land of
NATO and the EU happily singing hosannas and picking up the manna delivered
from on high.
While I must stress – for my friends from the EU and State Department
reading this column – that I do support Macedonia in NATO and the
EU (and Macedonia has certainly done everything requested and required
to earn its position in NATO), I will also repeat, once again, that
there are some things in life worth keeping at all costs – and
names and identity are in that category. At the same time, I must also
stress that Macedonia is not in danger of being physically eliminated
by its neighbors – something Israel faces all of the time. Israel’s
problems are much greater than Macedonia’s in that its neighbors
want the Jews eliminated from the face of the earth.
However, a quick review of recent statements by the policy makers and
decision makers courting Macedonia and encouraging Macedonia to give
up its name point to the fact that Macedonia is continually being given
an invitation to a national suicide of its name and identity.
Balkan Insight and Voice of America both reported that US Deputy Secretary
of State James Steinberg, at the early June EU Sarajevo Summit on the
Balkans said “Macedonian leaders should focus on the reward their
country will get from reaching a name compromise with Greece.”
He also said “that the United States would fully support courageous
decision-making by the Macedonian leadership,” meaning a name change.
According to the Associated Press, NATO Supremo Anders Fogh Rasmussen
said, in Skopje last week, “At some stage courageous political
decisions will be needed from all sides so that your country’s
strategic goal of NATO and EU membership can be achieved.” Two
points: his statement “courageous political decisions” (which
mirrors Steinberg’s – you’ll be seeing more of these
statements) means “change your bloody name” and the fact that
he cannot bring himself to say “Macedonia” shows, once again,
that the so-called leaders of the West are more than willing to sacrifice
what is morally right and just for a little unity, getting neither in
return. A pox on their house.
In the documentary film A Name is a Name, musician Branislav Nikolov,
says this about his Macedonian identity, in part: “…sometimes
I am proud of that, other times I suffer because of that. Anyway, if
one can manage to avoid committing identity suicide he has to love being
what he is.” Of course my question is, if one can avoid identity
suicide, is it possible that others can attempt to wipe out your identity?
Is it possible to commit identicide to coin a new word? Identicide:
The systematic attempt by one people or nation to destroy or eradicate
the identity of another nation or people. The Greeks are surely attempting
it, aided and abetted by others. A pox on their house as well.
Native Arizonan Jason Miko reads, writes, thinks and travels a bit
www.jasonmiko.com
This article was originally published in Macedonian in Nova Makedonija
on Thursday, June 24, 2010
