Gospels of (Re)conciliation in North Macedonia: Skating on the Thin Ice of Albanian-Macedonian Inter-Ethnic Dialogue

Abstract

Similarly to the entire Western Balkans, North Macedonia represents a post-conflict environment; an environment, however, characterized by a rather non-intuitive conflict understanding where conflict develops at the inter-ethnic intra-state level. Mutual antagonism and centrifugal tendencies in relations between Albanians and Macedonians are being materialized through various forms of conflict, ranging from verbal violence and symbolized insults, to inter-personal violence, domestic terrorism, and longitudinal insurgency bordering on civil war. This article analyzes occurrences of inter-ethnic antagonism between Albanians and Macedonians on the intra-state level and assesses them within the framework of reconciliation as a means to build societal resilience and strengthen national security. The article concludes that despite certain progress in conciliation of antagonist ethnic groups, local peace, stability, and resilience in North Macedonia are still fragile and need to be addressed comprehensively through a whole-of-a-society approach.

Notes

1 Not to be confused with the same abbreviation for Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës, the Kosovo Liberation Army.

2 While this term is an ethnonym Albanians use to call themselves, in south-Slavic languages it is a derogatory ethnic slur.

Additional information

Funding

This publication was written at Masaryk University with support from a Specific University Research Grant provided by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Czech Republic.

Notes on contributors

Bojana Zorić

Bojana Zorić is a PhD candidate in Security and Strategic Studies at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University in Brno. Her academic interests include EU enlargement, EU-Russia relations, and the influence of third-party actors in the Western Balkans. She was awarded an MA degree in EU-Russia Studies at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, Tartu University, Estonia, and an MA degree in Russian philology and pedagogy at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Zagreb, Croatia. She works as a Senior Policy Analyst at the Regional Cooperation Council, where she follows the enlargement portfolio of Western Balkan countries. E-mail: [email protected]

Jiří Němec

Jiří Němec is a PhD candidate in Security and Strategic Studies at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. Primarily he focuses on Russian and Chinese foreign malign influence in the security sectors of the Western Balkan states. Generally, he is interested in the WB states’ contemporary foreign and security policies, hybrid warfare, influence operations, and sexual and gender-based violence in conflict. Jiří Němec worked for the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, received the Award for Active Development of Civil Society for co-leading a volunteer project in northern Albania, maintains active relations with NGOs supporting survivors of sexual violence in Kosovo, and holds a master’s degree in International Relations. E-mail: [email protected]