From: branis@sci.ccny.cuny.edu (Spiros Branis)
Subject: EUROPEAN article on Greece and the Balkans
Reply-To: branis@sci.ccny.cuny.edu (Spiros V. Branis)
Organization: City College of New York - Science Computing Facility
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 15:02:01 GMT

A force of good in a cauldron of turmoil
Jonathan Eyal

At almost every level, Greece is being criticized for 
complicating the handling of the 
Yugoslavian war- ignoring sanctions imposed on Serbia, persecuting ethnic minorities 
within its borders, or fuelling a long dispute with Turkey. 
The criticism has reached such a crescendo that many wonder whether admitting Greece 
into the EC was a mistake. Many of these mutterings are based on fundamental 
misconceptions. 
Greece is not suffering from a terminal case of "neurosis" as many of its detractors allege. 
The Balkans are still a geographical expression, not a medical term, and Greece's behavior 
is perfectly rational, for it is determined by western Europe's manifest willingness to tackle 
the problems of the arena. 
The end of the Cold War has offered Greece no respite. Instead of the largely hypothetical 
danger of a Soviet attack, the Greek government now has to contend with an exploding 
Yugoslavia to its north, an utterly impoverished Albania in the West, and Turkey, whose 
  importance in the region is enhanced. 
Turkey is the gateway to the Middle East and the Caucasian Republics, and is  courted by 
every western government. For the Greeks this situation has clear strategic implications. 
The Greeks have searched for their security within European institutions. Suddenly they 
find these institutions are no longer welcoming. 
After strenuous diplomatic efforts, the Greeks were accepted as full members of the 
Western European Union at last year's summit. Yet they were also asked to provide 
guarantees that they will never invoke some of the security provisions in this organization, 
a requirement at best contradictory and at worst downright insulting against a full member 
of the EC. 
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis went out of his way to solve many of 
the disputes with Turkey. The leaders of the two countries meet frequently and military 
incidents over the Aegean Sea are deliberately played down. Greece, Turkey and ethnic 
communities of Cyprus have just completed yet another round of negotiations at the UN to 
sort out the problems of this divided island. The negotiations failed, but none of the UN 
Security Council's members blames Greece for this outcome. Far from being a thorn in the 
side of the Balkans, the government in Athens has contributed to regional security. 
Nevertheless, Greece is pilloried for refusing to accept Macedonian independence, a stance 
which supposedly threatens to enlarge the Yugoslavian civil war. Nothing could be further 
from the truth. First, swift international recognition for every Yugoslav republic is not 
necessarily the best solution, as the example of Bosnia now indicates. More importantly, 
Greece has never opposed Macedonian independence, provided the republic change its 
name. 
Again, it is easy to dismiss this demand as trivial. And Greek officials have not helped their 
case by anchoring their arguments in historic justifications which appear laughable to any 
other European. Yet the reality is more serious. It is not copyright over the name of 
Macedonia which is at stake, but security arrangements in the Balkans. Sandwiched 
between sworn enemies, Macedonia cannot fail to attract Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania and 
Greece into a new competition for spheres of influence, as it has done often in the past. 
While Greece is accused of stifling the republic's independence, Macedonia's other 
neighbors are advancing arguments which can be devastating to regional security: Bulgaria 
recognized independence , but will not recognize the existence of a Macedonian nation; 
Albania refuses to deal with Macedonian authorities as long as the republic's ethnic 
Albanians are not accepted as a separate nation. Seen in the light, Greek sensitivity to 
Macedonia's name is hardly the most demanding...
Kiro Gligorov, the Macedonian president, elicited a great deal of sympathy when his 
republic first applied for independence. Months later, the picture is slightly murkier. 
Gligorov claims that he cannot contemplate changing his country's name. Yet, was it wise 
for the Macedonians to adopt as their coat of arms a Greek historic symbol, thereby 
unnecessarily aggravating the conflict? In a region where history is politics, all Balkan 
states play with such symbols and Greece is certainly not the worst offender. 
Europe promised never to allow another war on the continent; the Yugoslav war has gone 
on for more than a year. The West has vowed to punish any aggressor, yet the lesson in the 
Balkans is that an aggressor can defy the world and attract no greater retribution than a visit 
from Lord Carrington. Unlike any other EC government, the authorities in Athens do not 
have the luxury of debating the finer points of principles and strategy. With severed 
overland trading routes and a full scale war on their frontiers, the Greeks now know they 
stand alone in a cauldron of turmoil. 
Those who suggest that it was a mistake to accept Greece into the EC are not only adding to 
the country's sense of insecurity, but also distorting the very purpose of the institution 
which they wish to safeguard. The EC was conceived as an organization which can 
transcend national rivalries; the reconciliation between between France and Germany is 
touted as its greatest achievement. 
The continuation of this tradition dictates Greece's deeper integration into the EC, not the 
country's isolation. Yes, the EC could choose to remain an exclusive club for the rich, an 
organization which states join after- not before- they have solved all their problems. Yet, by 
doing so, the EC will forfeit any influence which it may still have over security debates on 
the continent. 
The Balkans are gripped by a challenge which transcends the carnage in Yugoslavia. Bereft 
of any security structures, an entire region is on a precipice. Greece, as a country which 
has made the transition from dictatorship to democracy and from isolation to European 
integration, should be supported in playing a constructive role in the arena. If Greece is 
isolated, the Yugoslavian war will turn out a mere foretaste of bigger tragedies. 
Understanding and addressing Greece's fears are a necessary requirement in stabilizing the 
Balkans.

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Spiros