Imagine for a moment that the province of Quebec secedes from Canada, becomes an independent nation, and chooses to call itself "Vermont." Or that the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon breaks from Mexico and becomes the independent nation of "Texas." How would the United States respond to these developments? Would these names imply that the new countries have a claim on American territory? Does the name of the state of New Mexico create a claim on Mexico's territory? These are exactly the types of questions facing Greece and Macedonia right now, as a long-simmering dispute comes to a head. NATO is heading into a summit in Bucharest, Romania, next week and must make a decision on whether to invite Macedonia into the Atlantic Alliance.
What’s in a Name? For Greece and Macedonia, Perhaps the Future of NATO
