He saw no such need with respect to NATO bombing of Serbian cities. Dr. Basil Gouranis, a leading scholar on the ethnic politics of northern Greece finds this puzzling. Yesterday, the Serbs were the people who supported the communist take-over of Greece, eradicated Greek culture and communities north of the border, and foisted the problem of Macedonian Slavs on us. Today, they are our ancient Orthodox brethren who can do no wrong. The contradiction between these two positions has produced public outrage.
Demonstrators gather daily at the port to protest the off-loading of any and all military equipment.
NATO ally Turkey crossing Greece to bases in Albania, however. For those with an historical bent, all this calls to mind the first and second Balkan Wars of 1912 and then 1913. Britain and France then came to Serbia's defense by sending a force to Thessaloniki that eventually pushed into Bulgaria, leaving the rolling hills of Macedonia littered with obscure war memorials and the graves of over 20,000 allied soldiers. A replay of that scenario, which ultimately led Europe into the Great War of 1914, may seem a little too rich for now. But it pays to walk among the graves, read the graffiti on the walls and listen to the voices.