btionalists outside of Yugoslavia. Hijacking an airline, seizing a
bconsulate in Chicago, shooting officials in Europe—these are ex-
bternal proofs of the conflict that simmers beneath Yugoslavia’s
bsurface.
bYet another problem is Macedonia. In 1878 the Treaty of
bSan Stefano gave Macedonia to Bulgaria. A few months later the
bTreaty of Berlin took it back and gave it to Serbia. The Bulgar-
bians claim that there is no such thing as a “Macedonia,” that
bthe people are racially Bulgarians.
bThe poorest province in Yugoslavia is Kosovo, inhabited by
bAlbanians who have powerful cultural and family ties with their
bbrethren in neighboring Albania. In 1968 riots shook Kosovo as
bdemands for separation led to violence. This occurred again in
b1975, but in March 1980 as Tito lay dying, it was announced
bthat a major trial of fifty Albanian nationalists would be held.
bThe charge was detailed in the Belgrade daily Politika: “They
bdistributed hostile banners and pamphlets, spread untruths
babout Yugoslavia, and advocated irredentist standpoints in con-
bnection with our country.”
bThe government has made efforts to defuse the nationalist
bdemands. This means radio and television, books, magazines,
band newspapers in eight languages. What the Yugoslavs—and
bIsraelis—cannot understand is that to satisfy national separatism by
bcatering to it will soothe it for a while, but the very concessions only feed
band strengthen the separate identity and appetite, invariably leading to an
bultimate explosion.
Rumanians versus Hungarians
bAll East European states were virulently nationalistic be-
bfore they became Communist. All East European states today
bare Communist and all are still virulently nationalistic. Between
bthe two world wars, Poles, Slovaks, Rumanians, Hungarians,
bRussians, and Lithuanians hated each other with a passion. Af-
bter World War II a great international game of musical chairs
bwas played whose major purpose was to push Russia westward.
bThus, Poland lost her eastern territories and 1 million Poles
bto Russia but received the eastern portion of Germany. Czecho-
bslovakia lost Ruthenia with its Slavs to the Russians but gained
bparts of Germany. And Rumania lost Bukovina and Bessarabia
bto Russia (they now form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Re-
b