New despotism in liberal democracies

New despotism has emerged as a real challenge in liberal democracies such as the US, UK, Australia, Canada, the EU and Macedonia.  Prominent democracy researchers like Professors John Keane and Damien Kingsbury have written extensively on this subject in recent times.

It is a process where arrogant elites assume they know better than the citizens that elected them. It involves abuse of democracy, institutions and processes using propaganda and other means of obfuscation and control. 

Evidence of this can be found in the process called ‘democratic backsliding’ expressed through increased autocracy, populism, personification of power, the constant growth of the security state, decline of free speech and human rights.

The outgoing coalition Government in Macedonia fits neatly into the new despotism model. It did not win the election in 2017 in the Republic of Macedonia.  It came to power through Machiavellian deals with extremist Albanian parties under the guidance of reckless and unelected US and the EU elites. The current outgoing Prime Minister Kovacevski is not elected as a Member of Parliament but a political appointee.

Due to US and EU interference, the Republic of Macedonia is effectively split between cultures with the vast majority of Macedonians and the 10% of Albanians. Government policy and geo political agendas are set by unelected US, EU and NATO power brokers. The coalition government is committed to denying Macedonia’s identity, history, culture and human rights. The government illegally changed the name of the country to appease denialists in Athens, Washington DC and Brussels without the signature of the President of the Republic Dr. Ivanov. 

The Macedonian diaspora strongly rejected the change of name and all the disasters that came with it.  Macedonians are proud ancestors of the Ancient Macedonian Kingdom that easily conquered the city statelets like Athens that stood in its way to conquer the real superpower at the time, the Persian Empire and to reach as far as Afghanistan and India.

The Prespa Agreement (PA) was illegally signed by the Foreign Ministers of Macedonia and Greece. The PA is not ratified by the Greek Parliament. It was also rejected by the Macedonian electorate in the Referendum in 2018 and by the Macedonian diaspora. The PA has been criticised by international law experts like Dr. Igor Janev and others.  According to President Ivanov the current coalition Government of Macedonia was paid a bribe of 100m Euros for the crime.

The PA has a devastating impact on Macedonians who reject being called North Macedonia. The Macedonian citizens are not prepared to give up on their unique identity, language, culture and human rights to appease denialists anywhere.

Macedonian citizens currently are forced to change their passports, drivers licences and ID cards to appease denialists and new despots in Macedonia and the EU.

The forthcoming Parliamentary and Presidential elections in 2024 in Macedonia offer hope to Macedonian voters and to democracy in Europe where new despots with woke agendas from the EU have undermined democracy and human rights.

It is a time to hold to account the coalition Government of Macedonia both politically and legally. It is a great opportunity to explore new ethical and sustainable options beyond the EU and Atlantic integration quagmire.

Macedonia has positive and significant experience in following a non-aligned agenda especially when it was part of the Yugoslav federation.  In 2024, Macedonia has the option of becoming part of the BRICS+++ which offers and new development and security architecture.  Staying as a third rate member of the unipolar world disorder is not acceptable or sustainable given the growing decline of Ango-American hegemonic empire.