Doves against Hawks: Symbolic Politics in Greece and the Macedonian Question

Neophytos Loizides, Queen's University - Belfast

Abstract

The article examines why issues of mainly symbolic significance often overshadow problems of potentially higher security risk for a country. To answer this question, it looks at Greek reactions to the use of the name “Macedonia” by the neighboring republic since the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. It utilizes debates from the Hellenic Parliament as the main source of empirical evidence to illustrate how the “name issue” became a major priority in Greek politics, sidelining arguably more threatening and urgent disputes with Albania and Turkey. The analysis demonstrates on Turkish and Albanian issues a sizeable ‘dovish’ camp championing ideas of reconciliation and compromise. On the contrary, “hawks” succeeded in monopolizing framing and fostering an early nationalist consensus on the Macedonian issue. As the crisis unfolded, elite consensus on the rightness and efficacy of nationalism prevented adaptation to new conditions and reassessment of contrary information. Symbolic politics redefined the meaning of security and the country’s priorities, eventually leading to elite entrapment when compromise was desirable and necessary.