Two years after the NATO intervention in Kosovo, Macedonia knew an ethnic crisis that blew up in March 2001. A band of Albanians rebels attacked a police station in the north of Macedonia(69). This event marked the start of a crisis between the Albanians and the Slaves in the country. The Albanian population pretended to be economically disadvantaged and discriminated by the Slavic majority; believing they were undermined, the Albanians quired changes to the constitution for more Albanians rights(70).
However, the Slaves refused to accept Albanian demands because of the consequences of the Kosovo crisis. Indeed, the possibility of a Greater Albania was raised, including Albania, Kosovo and the Albanian regions of Macedonia; moreover, Macedonia had some problems with Bulgaria and Greece, which didn’t make easy the relationship with Europe(71).
The danger was a broader regional confrontation. The United States and Europe’s position was clear. They didn’t want to see a new crisis and a risk of partition of Macedonia or even in the Balkans.
69 James Dobbins, Europe’s role in nation-building: From the Balkans to the Congo, Rand, 2008
70 James Dobbins, Europe’s role in nation-building: From the Balkans to the Congo, Rand, 2008
71 James Dobbins, Europe’s role in nation-building: From the Balkans to the Congo, Rand, 2008