From: kostis@aifh.ed.ac.uk (Kostis Kaggelides)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: Macedonia: What's in a Name? (was The New Greek Phobia)
Date: 3 Sep 92 15:17:27 GMT
Reply-To: kostis@aifh.ed.ac.uk (Kostis Kaggelides)
Organization: Dept of AI, University of Edinburgh, Scotland

In article <Sep.2.12.00.08.1992.25989@math.rutgers.edu>,
cromar@math.rutgers.edu (Scott Cromar) writes:
# pef@dcs.qmw.ac.uk (Panayotis Fouliras) writes:
# : (Peter Nelson) writes:
# : >  is this:  If a nontrivial number of people (i.e., "nation sized"
# : >  whatever that means, but let's say a million or so since there
# : >  are other countries with such populations) in some locale feel
# : >  that they represent a distinct enough culture to want to form
# : >  their own nation, why shouldn't they have the right to do so?
# : >  And why shouldn't they have the right to call it whatever they
# : >  want?
# 
# > And who told you that Greece is opposed to the independence of
# > Skopje? As long as it doesn't bother me, I have no problem.
# 
# Wonderful.  After my last posting on this subject, I received several
# pieces of mail asserting that the Macedonians wanted to annex the part
# of Greece bearing that same name.  Aside from this rather dubious
# assertion (something like claiming that Jamaica had plans to invade
# the US), I have not heard of anything in Macedonia's petition that
# would impact Greeks in any possible way except that they want to call
# their country "Macedonia."  
# 
# This really seems quite reasonable to me.  After all, we could find
# examples ad nauseum of places that bear the same names.  For example,
# I'm posting this from Middlesex County in New Jersey.  But I have not
# heard of any movements in Middlesex or Jersey to protest the local use
# of these names.  By the same token, there are several places in the US
# that have continued to use Native American place names although the
# original inhabitants are now only a tiny portion of the population of
# those places.  Should we tell them that they have to change the name
# just because they are almost totally desecended from people other than
# the original inhabitants?
# 

Well, I think that most of the netters can not perceive the issue and of 
course it is not their fault. You haven't heard for any movements in NJ 
because there is nothing no motivation for anything there the last 200 years.
Take a look in the history of my place to see whether there is even the
smallest
analogy. The borders were stabilised where they are only after the SWWII ( I 
include in the instability the action of Bulgarians with the Germans in
SWWII).
If you want to perceive the situation in the States I recommend to think the 
invasion in Cuba not to mention the most recent invasion in Granada.
By the way Jamaika is much bigger than Granada. I am not interested in the 
details. I just want to break all this naiveness about politics. Here we dont
speak about trademarks we speak about geopolitical power. Greece is not 
hostile against the new born state. Greece is AFRAID of future implications.
You know probably , that in 1974 we had an invasion in Cyprus by Turkey. 
You should relate this with the following fact: Turkey was the first country
not
to recognise but to GUARANTEE the borders of this state. You get it now ?
Tomorrow
they might "guarantee" their "true" borders. Get the picture ? That 's how 
a war starts my friend. If you consider that this small state is very poor as
well
this is an extra reason to be afraid. Because in their despair the ISLAMIC 
foundamelists may lead this small state to the war, and their friends to
grasp
the chance to help them. 

People as young as 23 years old remember WAR in 74 in Cyprus. We speak now
about
war IN your country something that you have NEVER experienced . The history
of
the place my friend goes back many years. Many things happened , many people 
invaded, many people were killed, NOBODY in Greece wants this to happen again.
Maybe what I said helps you to perceive the true dimension of the issues.
Consider the problem in a real basis , and don't be fooled by simplifications
going around the net. If the name does not mean anything no one would care. 
The issue is just expressed in this way .

Hope it makes now sense.

Kostis
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,alt.politics.elections,alt.politics.bush