Macedonia: Ethno-Religious Conflict (1991-2016)

Abstract

Since its independence 25 years ago, Macedonia has been besieged by considerable inter-ethnic tensions and sporadic violence. In addition, a short armed conflict took place in 2001. The conflict between its majority Orthodox Christian Macedonians and minority Sunni Muslim Albanians in many ways dates back to at least the late 19th century. Over time, the nature and intensity of this conflict has shifted from peaceful, yet strained, coexistence to open warfare. This thesis focuses on Macedonian-Albanian relations since independence in 1991 and contends that conflict is the result of three overarching factors: incompatible worldviews; competing constitutional rights claims; and an anocratic state that lacks democratic institutions to manage conflict.

The thesis analyses the worldviews, informed largely by nationalist doctrines and religious belief systems, of the two communities. While these worldviews are not universal across both ethnic groups, they do form the basis from which many currently perceive reality. These worldviews shape the way in which individuals from both groups understand themselves and their collective interests, and how they perceive ethno-religious ‘others’. Because of their worldviews, the two groups understand contemporary problems differently and their opposing visions for the future result in widely conflicting solutions.

Competing rights claims between the two groups are a struggle to assert dominance over the state by the Macedonians, and exercise greater self-governance by the Albanians. These competing rights claims – constitutional status of ethnic Albanians, local self-government, proportional public employment, parliamentary veto powers, and the use of minority languages – principally stem from the incompatible worldviews of the two communities and their respective visions for the state.

Macedonia’s anocratic state and weak institutions are unable to provide an effective bargaining mechanism to negotiate conflicting rights claims. Nor is either community able to provide credible guarantees that it is committed to a peaceful resolution of the issues or a long-term rapprochement. In addition, a culture of ethnic outbidding by political elites, within both communities, has grown over the past two and a half decades resulting in the ethnicisation of many political issues.

The larger political parties, under international auspices, attempted to resolve some of these issues through significant constitutional and legislative amendments agreed to under the Framework Agreement. Rather than addressing these issues the Framework Agreement has exacerbated the causes of conflict, while becoming a contentious matter in and of itself. The thesis contends that there cannot be peaceful cohabitation or successful national integration between the two communities under the status quo. Show more