Classics in Contemporary Politics

FYROM or Republic of Macedonia?  Does Greece own the rights to the name "Macedonia"?  Did Alexander the Great speak a Slavic language?  The "name dispute" has caused riots, and has so far stymied the country's desire to enter NATO...This week, Hillary Clinton received an award from the "National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes"; she answered some questions:

QUESTION: I was wondering on another subject --

SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes.

QUESTION: -- on the FYROM issue, which you mentioned.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes.

QUESTION: There is hope that maybe this Administration will be a little bit more sensitive to Greece’s sensitivities, and you personally. Will you address the issue, and do you plan doing something so we can solve this and more forward with their accession to the EU and NATO?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we have been very committed to that. I have spoken out about the need to resolve the name issue in a way that is acceptable to both parties. And Deputy Secretary Steinberg was recently in the region making that case. We have picked up this issue with a lot of commitment early on in our Administration. Obviously, this has to be resolved by the parties themselves, but we are urging that resolution. We think it is in everyone’s best interest. As you said, it would open the way for movement toward another nation joining the European Union, which we think promotes stability in the region, so we are very committed to doing what the United States can to facilitate that.

FYROMians also would like to resolve things...

Meanwhile, Classicists have also stepped into the fray. Stephen Miller drafted a letter to President Obama, which has been co-signed by a number of scholars, arguing against the former Yugoslav republic's claim to the name "Macedonia"; a version of the letter appears here, with supporting documentation here. Daniel Tomkins wrote a response to Miller's letter, arguing that on the one hand, ancient Macedonia was not simply "Greek"--and on the other hand, the ramped-up nationalistic fervor is not helping matters on either side. It's worth looking through both.

My position? Ancient Macedonians were not considered Greek (by Greeks) across the board, however many of them spoke Greek, and however much the royal line was acknowledged to have Hellenic identity. On the other hand, clearly Alexander did not speak a Slavic language; he was culturally more or less Greek. Ethnicity is a cultural construct, not a fact of nature...

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As a comparison, who has the right to the word "Britain?" Should Bretons be objecting to the use of "British" by the UK? Or vice versa?