Uluslararası Güvenlik Perspektifinden Yunanistan-Kuzey Makedonya İlişkileri: İsim İhtilafının Neo-Realist Bir Analizi
Greece–North Macedonia Relations from an International Security Perspective: A Neo-Realist Analysis of the Name Dispute

Summary/Abstract: The name dispute between Greece and North Macedonia, which persisted for nearly three decades, was resolved with the signing of the Prespa Agreement in 2018. The dispute constituted a major crisis that directly affected political and security dynamics in the Balkans. The purpose of this study is to analyze the emergence of the dispute, the negotiation process, and its resolution within a neo-realist theoretical framework, and to explain the impact of system-level security dynamics on the process leading to the Prespa Agreement. A qualitative research design is adopted, drawing on official agreement texts, documents of international organizations, public statements by political actors, and relevant academic literature as primary sources. The process is analyzed in terms of power balances, relative gains considerations, and systemic pressures. The findings suggest that the dispute was shaped largely by power relations and structural constraints rather than by symbolism and identity debates alone. In this context, Greece used NATO and European Union membership as effective bargaining tools during negotiations. North Macedonia, in turn, faced limited room for maneuver due to its strategic goal of international integration. The Prespa Agreement emerged as an outcome shaped by structural constraints, asymmetric power relations, and the strategic conditionality of NATO and EU membership. In this respect, the name dispute should be understood as more than a symbolic or historical controversy, as it became a securitycentered issue embedded in the regional security architecture of the Balkans.

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