Are we moving towards a military solution for the Macedonian Dispute?

[Paulos Melas]

During the last 3 weeks we have experienced a mounting aggresion from the skopian leadership. Minority issues, irridentic maps, open claims and an extremely open claim against the northern greek territories.
It is apparent that the skopian government is desperetaly trying to disorient negos for a compound solution for the name in a very last attempt to establish their pseudo-macedonian identity.
Nonetheless things are quite deeper than that.
The current global econimic trends-with all commodity values surging-are the key factor for this outbreak of skopian ultranationalism.
Skopje faces the hard truth that the whole world is witnessing. The diminish of its middle class and the impovrishment of the lower social classes.
In fact should energy and basic food values continue to rise a great portion of both slavic and albanian population of skopje qare going to find themselves in despair. For the government not to be heavily affected people s attention must be turned elsewhere.
At the name issue of course. In that way Grueski shall be able to persuade the skopians that its greece and not the global circumstances that imposed such situation to the righteous skopian people, and probably capitilise in the short run some more victories against his adverseries.
Nonetheless the albanian element shall not be happy from the inefficient and shallow way the whole issue is managed by the government and probably will seek a solution through the right of independence.
Ineviably skopje shall enter a vicious circle of violence this winter should the oil prices continue to surge.
Such situation shall create opportunities for all 4 adjustent countries to have a skopian piece and particularly bulgaria wcich would present itself savour of the bulgarians of skopje ( one nation, two countries). Equally albania shall prey on the west half.
It seems that the policy of isolation shall benefit greece a lot should grueski doesn t accept the obvious: That Macedonism is just another forgery and real politics are much better than glorious illusions from an unexisting past.

[Tsontos]

Paulos Melas, get serious. There will never be any military confrontation between Greece and FYROM.

[Ariadni_Nefeli]

Fyrom and their allies?

See the big picture here, we all know what is the real job of the fyromians, and who is behind them, and what they really want.

Maybe not war, but very possible a provocative ''thermo episodio''. It wont be the first time...

[Makedonia25]

Originally Posted by Tsontos

Paulos Melas, get serious. There will never be any military confrontation between Greece and FYROM.

I agree.. We are in the age of diplomacy, and whether FYROM like it or not, we have the upper hand, as we are in the organizations that they strive (or need) to enter..

[Melbourne Patriot]

There is no need for a military solution. At the moment, Greece is working this well, the skopjeans are getting more and more desperate, letters to karamanlis and the eu.

Greece has to continue to work its way through, I dont think we need to find a solution in 2008, we should be looking at mid 2009 onwards. To that end, Greece has one or two things up its sleeve, Karamanlis can call an early election, if he calls it in late September or October, then the campaign takes the Greek Government right through October and at least half way through November. That means that the Americans would have had there Presidential elections. Greece must work the timeline to its advantage. In the meantime,

Greece needs to continue to VETO Skopje in NATO
Greece needs to VETO Skopje at the EU

If things go to plan, the Skopjeans will be right under the pump in 2009 and Greece will achieve a good outcome.

[Grace]

Minority issues, irridentic maps, open claims and an extremely open claim against the northern greek territories.

Same things many nations are doings, especially Greece on southern Albania, I mean "Vorio Epirus". Wars are over for a long, long time.

FYROM is too small to harm you anyway so you'd lose in the public opinion and almost all EU powers would be against you.
Do they have a point on minority issues and properties? How come Greece is the only country with no minorities? Once again, war is out of the question, no one will let it happen: you would have Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Serbia and Turkey settling old scores in a major bloodbath over some billion $ property claims and opening some schools.

[kostas68]

Originally Posted by Grace

How come Greece is the only country with no minorities?

Who says that?We have a minority of 120.000 Moslems in Thrace.

[Petros Houhoulis]

Originally Posted by Paulos Melas

...

Such situation shall create opportunities for all 4 adjustent countries to have a skopian piece and particularly bulgaria wcich would present itself savour of the bulgarians of skopje ( one nation, two countries). Equally albania shall prey on the west half.

...

So, we should let the Albanians and Bulgarians to negotiate their common borders... We have no reason to get involved...

[Mygdonia]

No doubt in my mind that Macedonia will be solved based on a military solution if history is any guide. ANy conflict in Macedonia has been solved only by military means and this time will be no different. Whether Greece is involved is yet to be seen but the Macedonian problem will be solved militarily.

[Veroia34]

Originally Posted by Tsontos

Paulos Melas, get serious. There will never be any military confrontation between Greece and FYROM.

Historically, so many confrontations have occurred that should 'never' have taken place. I am FAR from convinced that a military confrontation will not take place. Given the number of Albanians in both FYROM and Hellas, and the territorial and cultural claims of skopjans on Hellenic lands, military conflict regarding the Macedonian dispute or an offshoot of it (at least on a small-scale, whether it be in 5, 50 or 100 years) involving Greek forces would far from surprise me. In fact, a non-military effective solution to this problem would be the MOST surprising and least likely of all.