• Macedonia begins the new century under the leadership of people who spent most of the 1990s in opposition. Outgoing president Kiro Gligorov left office with the state well established and enjoying normal relations with its potentially hostile neighbors. Issues at the forefront now include economic development, political reform, and improving internal ethnic relations.
• The centralization of political power and a "winner takes all" political ethos continue to hinder the smooth functioning of Macedonian democracy, especially the development of local governance and political parties.
• The 1999 presidential elections highlighted the political importance of Macedonia's Albanian population, as their votes were key to Boris Trajkovski's electoral victory.
• Ethnic Macedonians are concerned about the growing political and demographic power of Macedonia's Albanian population. Albanians claim they remain second-class citizens due to denial of cultural and language rights and under-representation in government employment.
• The relevant historical legacy is not "ancient hatreds," but rather the socio-economic structure left over from communist Yugoslavia. Concerted efforts are needed to overcome obstacles to establishing inter-ethnic relations on a basis of mutual understanding and respect.
• The massive influx of refugees from Kosovo strained Macedonia's new coalition government and population. While the myth of pan-Albanianism has been deflated, the international community must realize that decisions on the final status of Kosovo will inevitably impact Macedonia.
• Macedonia has emerged from successive crises--economic blockade, an assassination attempt on its president, clashes between citizens and police, and the influx of refugees from Kosovo--with its democratic institutions intact. To secure its future, Macedonia needs economic and development support, and visible progress towards admission into NATO and European institutions.

About the Report

This report focuses on recent developments in Macedonia, and seeks to identify the obstacles to and opportunities for continued democratization and greater ethnic harmony in a country that has--despite many difficulties--avoided the kind of violent conflict seen elsewhere in the Balkans during the past decade. This report, written by Senior Fellow Keith Brown and Research Assistants Edward Bestic and Kristine Herrmann, is based on information presented at a meeting of the Balkans Working Group in December 1999. The United States Institute of Peace co-sponsored the meeting with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the National Albanian American Council. The Balkans Working Group is a policy forum convened by the Institute to facilitate discussion and development of policy options by representatives from government agencies, think tanks, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Institute of Peace, which does not advocate specific policies.