The Implementation of the Ohrid Agreement: Ethnic Macedonian Resentments
Publisher: Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe Volume: 24 pages, pdf Description: This article explores the difficult process that attended implementation of the Ohrid Agreement. It explores the various resentments the terms of the agreement provoked amongst ethnic Macedonians, in particular those dealing with ‘symbolic’ issues, and examines reasons for their rejection. These, the author argues, are related to the peculiarities of Macedonian national identity as well as to the political dynamics in the country. On the one hand, it is argued, many politicians feared for their patriotic credentials if they supported the agreement. On the other hand, large parts of Macedonian society saw the very existence of the Macedonian nation under threat.