The French-Bulgarian proposal and bad behavior

The story goes that American J. Paul Getty, upon achieving status as the world’s first dollar billionaire, was asked by a reporter, “Mr. Getty, how much is enough?”  To which the billionaire replied, “Just one dollar more.”

The refrain from the Macedonian government and many international Western progressives is that Macedonia must compromise one more time: Carl Bildt, former Swedish Prime Minister, tweets “I’m worried by the escalating disputes in Macedonia.  Moving forward on the compromise solution with Bulgaria is the way forward towards the EU.  It’s not easy and a compromise is always a compromise, but the alternative is to go nowhere and risk sliding backwards.”  To which the reporter might ask, “Mr. Bildt, how many compromises are enough?” To which Mr. Bildt has replied, and will forever reply, “Just one compromise more, Macedonia” (though he would add the directional, fictional, adjective).

Bad behavior, arrogant behavior, on Carl’s part.  So, let’s talk about behavior.  

The behavior from the Macedonian Government, some progressives, most of the EU officials and member state officials, the US State Department and US Embassy in Macedonia, and various others has been atrocious: depending on who is doing the writing or making the statements, it is blind, arrogant, sinister, threatening, condescending, and more.

Macedonians,  increasingly from all sides of the political (but not ethnic) spectrum, have come out loudly, and in large numbers, against the French-Bulgarian proposal which would ostensibly allow Macedonia to start EU accession talks, at some undefined point in the future if the current Macedonian government and parliament agree to it which includes, per media reports, adding Bulgarians to the Macedonian constitution, and formally recognizing that the Macedonian identity and language have Bulgarian roots.

For several days and nights now (today is July 7) Macedonians have been protesting, mostly peacefully, in front of Macedonian governmental institutions.  Macedonians are, rightly, upset. 

Unfortunately, goons and thugs affiliated with some of Macedonia’s minority ethnic-Albanian parties are now showing up with guns, firing the guns, and throwing various projectiles at Macedonians who are protesting.

The current foreign minister, Bujar Osmani, said last week that a rejection of the French-Bulgarian proposal would lead to ethnic tensions.  And he’s right – because his party, among other minority ethnic Albanian parties, have raised the ethnic flag and made this into an ethnic issue and are using their trigger fingers to attempt to get their way.  Granted, Osmani’s party, DUI, led by Ali Ahmeti, is borne out of the terrorist so-called “National Liberation Army” so violence comes naturally to them.  Not just bad behavior but illegal behavior.  Think the current government, including the interior minister, will do anything about this criminal activity?  Behavior: arrogant, sinister, threatening, illegal.

Una Hajdari, a “journalist” with by-lines in the New York Times, Politico, Boston Globe, etc., writes that Macedonians are now driven into a “nationalist frenzy” by “EU incompetency” (I’ll agree with her on EU incompetency).  If defending one’s identity and language by protesting constitutes a “nationalist frenzy” then count me in and count her ignorant or, more likely, someone with an agenda.  She is, of course, Albanian.  So much for proper journalistic behavior.  Behavior: blind, arrogant, condescending.

Edi Rama, the prime minister of Albania, has demanded that Macedonia accept this proposal.  Did I mention that he is the prime minister of another country?

Behavior: condescending, threatening, sinister.

Charles Michel, a Belgian EU diplomat (can we talk about the history and behavior of Belgium, especially in Africa?), insists that Macedonia accepts this though he couches it in language such as “Of course it is up to you.”  He might as well be quoting Orwell’s Squealer from Animal Farm, “No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?” 

Behavior: condescending, arrogant.

Leaders of Macedonia’s minority ethnic Albanian parties have all demanded that the proposal be accepted.  They do not care about the Macedonian identity or language and do not appear to be interested in co-existence.  Their view, shared and perhaps dominated by Albanian prime minister Edi Rama, is “What is good for ethnic Albanians in the region is good.  Anything else is bad, including the Macedonians and their identity and language if that gets in our way.”  This is not a recipe for a happy ending.

Behavior: threatening, sinister.

Simone Fillippini, the former Dutch ambassador to Macedonian, after mangling her tweets and then defending them, came out with this gem: “Interesting to see the quite hateful reactions based on an error, the result of a slip of the pen. Did you even see what the message was about? I was supporting your country for which I developed and still have a big soft spot! Let’s be tolerant & positive towards one another.”  Now, most of the reactions were not “hateful” and were along the lines of “please respect us.”  But note how she “developed” Macedonia, singlehandedly?  Behavior: arrogant, blind. 

The EU ambassador, David Geer, and tweeting about some of the protestors, tweeted “I condemn last night's scenes of violence in Skopje against police carrying out their duties. They have no place in a democratic society. I call for restraint, respect and accountability.” Aside from the fact that he doesn’t use an Oxford comma (an unforgiveable offense) the man is delusional.  Where’s the respect for Macedonians? Where’s the restraint from the EU and its thuggish behavior?  Where’s the accountability from the EU?

Behavior: blind, arrogant, condescending.

Former Macedonian foreign minister Nikola Dimitrov, the main author and supporter of the so-called “Prespa agreement” which changed Macedonia’s name, and in many ways, its identity, is against the proposal, trying to rehabilitate his rotting image. And yet in one tweet he states, “Unless the people support it the success will be short lived.”  The irony here is that Macedonians did not support the September 30, 2018 referendum: it failed in that it did not reach the threshold for legitimacy, but fail it did.  And then Dimitrov and company ran right over the will of the Macedonians.  And so here we are: the “success” of his beloved agreement, is indeed, short-lived. 

Behavior: blind, arrogant.

Naturally, I could continue writing.  The only amusing thing to come out of all of this is to watch those who enthusiastically supported the name change now do a 180 degree turn the other way and wonder why all of this is happening. 

Behavior: arrogant, blind.

At the end of the day, the following is true: the current Macedonian government is willing to sell all of Macedonia to advance into the EU, which is not even guaranteed.  The US State Department, the EU, NATO, some members of various think tanks, NGOs, civil society, and the media, do not care about Macedonian identity, language, culture or even the very existence of Macedonia and the Macedonians. And they believe they can ram this down the throats of Macedonians.

And so it is up to the Macedonians to determine their own future, as they are doing now in their protests.  No, to the Bulgarian-French proposal.  Untether Albania and let them begin their own talks with the EU.  Bring down the SDS/DUI government.

And above all, keep up the courage to stand for what is right: Macedonia.