The Many Battles of Us

Jeff—Saturday

I know it’s difficult to imagine a nation more at war with itself than us.  Notice I used a small caps “us,” because this is not directed at Capital/Capitol US. 

That’s not to suggest the US faces any less political firestorms than other places, but rather to emphasize how so many “us” citizenries around the world are immersed in crises wrought upon them by elected leaders pursuing polarizing “us against them” political agendas.

It enough to makes one want to scream, “yUK yEU!” 

[My apologies to all immersed in Brexit, but I just couldn’t help myself.]

And what, you may ask, leads me to raise this topic today?

Simple: This past Thursday, the Greek Parliament ratified a June 12, 2018 agreement approved by Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).  That agreement—called the Prespa Agreement after the lake venue where it was signed—had been previously ratified by the FYROM Parliament, meaning the Greek Parliament’s vote put the agreement into effect, bringing to a close a quarter of a century of negotiations by UN mediator Matthew Nimetz (no relation to US Admiral/Aircraft carrier Nimitz). 

Prime Ministers Zaev and Tsipras

 By far, its most incendiary issue has been—and likely will remain—allowing FYROM to change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia. Largely over that issue alone, Greece had blocked its northern neighbor’s entry into NATO and the EU. As part of the Prespa Agreement, Greece shall no longer oppose its admission to those bodies.

More that sixty percent of Greeks opposed ratification of the agreement and violent demonstrations surrounded Parliament’s consideration of it.  Greece’s left wing ruling party SYRIZA lost the support of its right wing coalition partner over its decision to ratify the name change. 

Feelings run deep over this galvanizing issue, for the name Macedonia is sacred to Greeks, and a historic distrust of their Balkan neighbor’s intentions hovers large. 

 The official position of the Hellenic Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the FYROM name issue is spelled out in detail here.  But, the essence of the dispute can be gleaned from this excerpt taken from that document:

The issue of the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is not just a dispute over historical facts or symbols….

The name issue arose in 1991, when the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia seceded from Yugoslavia and declared its independence under the name “Republic of Macedonia.”

Historically, the term “Macedonia,” which is a Greek word, refers to the Kingdom and culture of the ancient Macedonians, who belong to the Hellenic nation and are unquestionably part of Greek historical and cultural heritage.

Geographically, the term “Macedonia” refers to a wider region extending into the current territory of various Balkan countries, with the largest part of the region being in Greece and smaller sections in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania. The core of what was ancient Macedonia lies within contemporary Greek borders, comprises the northern portion of the Greek state, and is called Macedonia. Some 2.5 million Greeks reside in this region today and they and their forebears have considered and called themselves Macedonians through the centuries.

The roots of the name issue go back to the mid-1940s, when, in the aftermath of the Second World War, Commander in Chief Tito separated from Serbia the region that had been known until that time as Vardar Banovina … renaming it, initially, the “People’s Republic of Macedonia,”, and later, the “Socialist Republic of Macedonia.” At the same time, he started to cultivate the idea of a separate and discrete “Macedonian nation.”

Tito of course had many reasons for making these moves, the main one being to lay the foundations for future Yugoslavian territorial claims in the wider region of Macedonia and secure an opening on the Aegean. Tito’s intentions in the wider Macedonian region had been confirmed as early as 1944, when he declared publicly that his goal was to reunify “all the sections of Macedonia that were broken up in 1912 and 1913 by the Balkan imperialists”….

Against this historical background, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia declared its independence in 1991, basing its existence as an independent state on the artificial and spurious notion of the “Macedonian nation,” which was cultivated systematically through the falsification of history and the exploitation of ancient Macedonia purely for reasons of political expediency.

I think you get the point—there’s a bad-blood history here.

And here’s the Hellenic Foreign Ministry’s official position on the name change: 

Greece is firm in its sincere will to achieve a viable solution of the issue of the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The Greek government has proposed a realistic and viable settlement framework that is aimed at the finding of a definitive solution to the issue of the name. Our position is clear: a compound name with a geographical qualifier before the word “Macedonia,” which will be used in relation to everyone (erga omnes), for all uses domestic and international. 

And thus, with the addition of the “geographical qualifier” NORTH to Macedonia, advocates of the name change hope their fellow Greeks’ long held suspicions and distrust of their neighbor will fade.

But it remains a lightening rod issue, around which much anger rages, making it an irresistible draw for office seekers in this year’s Greek national elections—especially for those who’d rather not address their nation’s economic concerns.

Sky News

 The looming question is how will this archetypal polarizing “them” issue be used for perceived political gain, and at what cost to the nation’s “us.” 

Stay tuned.

—Jeff

Alexander The Great's Triumphant Return To Greece. Maybe.

Amphipolis, Greece/AFP photo

Here’s just a sampling of headlines from around the world this week that have Greeks literally jumping for joy in robust pride:

“Vast Tomb Unearthed in Northern Greece.”

“Important Ancient Tomb Discovered In Greece Dates Back To Era of Alexander The Great.”

“Massive Alexander-era tomb unearthed in Greece—but who’s buried in it?”

“Mysterious 2,300-year-old tomb found in Greece.”

“Mystery over massive Alexander-era tomb unearthed in northern Greece.”

Those headlines give you the gist of this still developing story, one that undoubtedly will keep more than archaeologists on the edge of their seats for quite some time. 

Photo: Alexandros Mihailidis/AP

The tomb won’t be opened until the end of August, but already some are calling it the archeological find of the century; some view it as an astrological demonstration of the power of Leo in Jupiter—this being the Zodiac month of Leo, the lion being the guardian of tombs, and Jupiter the Roman equivalent of Zeus; and virtually all Greeks see it as an “up yours” to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)’s claim to the name “Macedonia” and appropriation of the legacy and symbols of Alexander the Great as its own.

Heavy stuff, with a lot more expected to come, not the least of which are anticipated breathtaking hoards of gold in keeping with the way things were done back in those days.  That’s also one explanation for round-the-clock police protection at the site.

Treasures from nearby tomb of Philip II of Macedon at Vergina

The news stories covering the find are generally the same, and things are so preliminary at this point (and the mood so ebullient) that it’s hard to get any more solid facts from folks on the ground than what’s in the newspapers. 

I guess they’re mindful of what US television newsman Geraldo Rivera found on live TV in opening the subject of the hugely hyped television special, “The Vaults of Al Capone” (1987).  Hint: Shut your eyes and what do you see?

I have it on good authority though, that they’re hoping to find a blood relative of Alexander the Great in sufficiently good condition to yield up a DNA sample, and thus open up a whole new world of exploration and explanation. 

Hmm, “Be careful what you wish for” comes to mind.

Anyway, here’s one news story on this truly extraordinary find as reported by Nick Squires in The Telegraph:

Archaeologists uncover entrance to important tomb from reign of warrior-king Alexander the Great.

Archaeologists in Greece have discovered a vast tomb that they believe is connected with the reign of the warrior-king Alexander the Great, who conquered vast swathes of the ancient world between Greece and India.

The tomb, dating to around 300 BC, may have held the body of one of Alexander's generals or a member of his family. It was found beneath a huge burial mound near the ancient site of Amphipolis in northern Greece.

Antonis Samaras, Greece's prime minister, visited the dig on Tuesday and described the discovery as "clearly extremely significant."

A broad, five-yard wide road led up to the tomb, the entrance of which was flanked by two carved sphinxes. It was encircled by a 500 yard long marble outer wall. Experts believe a 16ft tall lion sculpture previously discovered nearby once stood on top of the tomb. [Ed. Note: The Lion of Amphipolis was unearthed a century ago five kilometers away.]

The Lion of Amphipolis, 4th Century BCE

They ruled out the possibility that the tomb could be that of Alexander - the emperor is believed to have been buried in Egypt after he died of a fever in Babylon in 323BC.

The tomb was found in Greece's northern Macedonia region, from where Alexander began to forge his empire.

"It is certain that we stand before an especially significant finding. The land of Macedonia continues to move and surprise us, revealing its unique treasures, which combine to form the unique mosaic of Greek history of which all Greeks are very proud," said Mr Samaras.

Archaeologists, who began excavating the site in 2012, hope to fully explore the tomb by the end of the month to determine exactly who was buried there. The site is being guarded by police while archaeologists continue their excavations.

Photo: Alexandros Mihailidis/AP

Catherine Peristeri, the head of the ancient monuments department in northern Greece, said some of Alexander's generals and admirals had links to the area around the ancient city of Amphipolis. It was also the place where his wife, Roxana, and son, were killed in 311BC by Cassander, a Macedonian general who fought over the empire after Alexander the Great's death.

Situated about 65 miles northeast of Greece's second-biggest city, Thessaloniki, the tomb appears to be the largest ever discovered in Greece.

It probably belonged to "a prominent Macedonian of that era," a culture ministry official told Reuters.

The tomb, which consists of white marble decorations and frescoed walls, was partially destroyed during the Roman occupation of Greece.

Amphipolis was founded as an Athenian colony in 437 BC but conquered by Philip II of Macedon, Alexander's father, in 357 BC.

Alexander the Great single-handedly changed the history of the ancient world with a lightning pace of conquest. Born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in 356 BC, he was educated by the philosopher Aristotle. When his father was assassinated in 336 BC, Alexander set about consolidating his hold on the kingdom of Macedonia before embarking on the conquest of the powerful Persian Empire.

He led his army to victories across Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt, establishing an empire that eventually stretched from the Danube to the frontiers of India.

Hmmm, sounds like there’s a book in here somewhere.

Jeff—Saturday