• A place at the table for Macedonia | September, 2010
• Morten Harket Sings a New Song | November, 2007
• Bryan Ferry in a New Town | October, 2007
• In Search of a Midnight Sun | June, 2006
• Decade | June, 2006
• The Leadership of Ronald Reagan | June, 2004
• Where the Monks Drive Range Rovers | December, 2000
A place at the table for Macedonia
Sept. 8 is the Republic of Macedonia's 19th birthday. Since 1991, Macedonia has worked its way through the painful transition from a socialist state born out of Yugoslavia to the point where it is today - a contributing member of the family of nations, an exporter of stability and a reliable ally of the United States and NATO.
Unfortunately, Macedonia has not been granted its seat at the table and instead has been, in many ways, relegated to the "deal with later" box of the administration's issues. But because Macedonia has earned its place at the table, it deserves a bit more consideration than what it is receiving, especially considering the attention lavished on its southern neighbor, Greece.
Macedonia is an important friend and ally of the United States and NATO, though not yet a full-fledged NATO member because NATO member Greece insists that Macedonia change its name, an absurd request. Yet Macedonia has many of the responsibilities of NATO membership and none of the rights. It's like being asked to serve the table but not take a seat. For example, as a percentage of active service personnel, Macedonia is the fourth-largest contributor to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, with 244 troops partnered with the Vermont National Guard. By comparison, Greece comes in at 44th place, with 15 troops. Macedonia also has troops serving in Bosnia and had troops in Iraq. And let's not forget Macedonia's contribution during the 1999 Kosovo conflict: Not only was Macedonia a staging ground for NATO, but it accepted 360,000 Albanian refugees from Kosovo and gave them shelter during the conflict.
On the economy, the government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has, among other things, introduced a flat tax of 10 percent on individuals and businesses and has pursued the reforms necessary to create conditions for wealth, which, in turn, contributes to stability. The World Bank report "Doing Business 2010" ranked Macedonia third among top reformers in the world, and Macedonia jumped 22 places in the Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal 2010 Economic Freedom Index to rank 56th in the world...