Macedonian Content Farmers Podcast

The Goce Delcev gathering in Skopje did not turn into a violent incident but it still managed to deteriorate relations between Macedonia and Bulgaria even further. It became a show of force, with smaller incidents on the border and in Blagoevgrad, and the veto all but assured - even as diplomats continue to advise Macedonia to "hold its nose and swallow" the Bulgarian demands. Concurrently, a poli...

With a nod and slight paraphrase of the famous book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Cvetin and Jason meet up virtually to talk about near future events and possibly incidents – in this case the 151st birthday of Macedonian patriot and hero Goce Delcev – and all of the rhetoric and actions swirling around and between Macedonia and Bulgaria these days. They also touch on the machinations of Macedonia’s e...

And you thought it was quiet in Macedonia! Cvetin and Jason get together to discuss US Ambassador to Macedonia Angela Aggeler’s recent announcement – via Elon Musk’s Twitter – that, not Santa, but Team Sanctions (or is it Sanctions Team?) is coming to town! According to the Tweet, they are going to “take a more aggressive look at past and current corrupt actors” (and we think they’ll probably be l...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit macedoniancontentfarmers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit macedoniancontentfarmers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit macedoniancontentfarmers.substack.com

We got into this unprepared but by design. There are news coming from Macedonia, but nothing too dramatic or fully formed, so in this episode Jason and Cvetin try to do a review of where the country stands and where it's going. Especially with the return of the old canard, that one side, the left, is pro-European, and the other, the right, is anti-European, especially since it refuses to accept ev...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit macedoniancontentfarmers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit macedoniancontentfarmers.substack.com

It’s been a while since they last podcasted about Macedonia but events in Macedonia do not take a break, so Cvetin and Jason gather again to talk about what has transpired in the past month. That includes watching the remnants of the colorful revolution continue to devour itself, this time at the level of the public prosecutor and the financial police. Lots of finger pointing going around! Macedon...

Cvetin and Jason spend the entire episode discussing the French-Bulgarian diktat that Macedonians are being “asked” to accept. What demands does it make? What does Macedonia get in return? Why are the internationals in the West so hot to trot in demanding that Macedonians accept this? What does this mean for the EU longer-term? Why is the US State Department ruining US credibility among Macedonian...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit macedoniancontentfarmers.substack.com

In this long-ish episode, Cvetin and Jason discuss events of the past few weeks surrounding the recognition of the independence of the Macedonian Orthodox Church by the Serbian Orthodox Church and the declaration to be in communion with other Orthodox churches by the patriarch in Constantinople – What does it all mean? Is it all good news? What is the history involved? They then pivot to Bulgaria...

In this first podcast of May, Cvetin and Jason reconvene to discuss a potpourri of issues including continued Bulgarian demands that Macedonians commit identity suicide, gangster/politician Ali Ahmeti’s contention that his new 20 meter tall monument to dead NLA fighters from his 2001 war will “bring Macedonians and Albanians together,” the latest moves by VMRO-DPMNE to push for new elections, iden...

It’s the middle of April, more or less, and Cvetin and Jason gather again to discuss a bit of everything going in in Macedonia, including Bulgaria’s latest (and constant) demands on and of Macedonia, as well as the Macedonian government’s obscure response. They touch on the arrest of SDSM party official and secretary general of the government, Mohammed Zekiri, and pause to reflect on the issue of...

Macedonia’s long-awaited census numbers are released and…nobody is happy. With the exception of the ruling parties and their corrupt elite, of course. Cvetin and Jason gather once again to suss out some of those numbers and try to make sense of it all. And what it means, longer term (hint: think of a certain Hemmingway quote). They also delve into the madness of Bulgaria, the teacher’s strike (not...

It is springtime, at least in the northern hemisphere, which should be a precursor to happier times, so Cvetin and Jason get together to talk about the latest events in Macedonia, including the upcoming census results, due out March 30, the start (or rather not) of EU accession talks for Macedonia and Bulgaria’s incessant demands, and of course, Ukraine, among other subjects. It’s not all happy ta...

Cvetin and Jason dive into the war in Ukraine and engage in a lively discussion about why this happened, what it means for Ukraine, Russia, Europe, and the world. Since this is a podcast about Macedonia and Macedonians, they also talk about the Macedonian reaction, including the government, opposition, and social media response to what is going on; there’s not much good news in all of this and the...

The Macedonian government is trying to introduce legislation which will allow citizens to sue each other for “negative opinions” or “disparaging remarks” or some other form of so-called “hate speech” because it wants citizens to be nice to each other – and that’s an order! Actually, the reason likely has much to do with Bulgaria and Bulgaria’s attempt to erase Macedonian language and history but n...

Come on, man! This is a conservative podcast so we can title it just that – which is the way this podcast ends with that call. But before that Cvetin and Jason get into a lot of news about what is going on, politically and otherwise, in Macedonia in this, their first podcast of 2022. They chat about the “new” government about to take over in Macedonia, outgoing minister Nikola Dimitrov who seems t...

Zoltan Koskovics, analyst for the Center for Fundamental Rights from Budapest, and Cvetin Chilimanov, journalist from Macedonia, get together for a podcast to discuss the state of the Balkans. The region was betrayed by the European Union, with its long standing, never fulfilled promises of integration and economic development. A new initiative, the Open Balkans project, is being raised, but it ha...

With Zaev finally out, his successor Dimitar Kovacevski goes down the same path - starting what he hopes will be a term in office by asking for an audience with US Ambassador and the real ruler of Macedonia - Kate Byrnes. The meeting apparently went well, and the next day Kovacevski, who few people have heard of just a few weeks ago, was given the mandate to form the next Government. We still have...

There are changes afoot in Macedonia – SDSM has “elected” a “new” leader as outgoing prime minister Zoran Zaev prepares to step down. Smaller political parties that are a part of his government complain about what his new best friends forever – the BESA party – got in governmental positions in return for their votes. Will they now demand more or leave? How will this all work out? And will Macedoni...

As Macedonia buries the 45 victims of the Besa Tours bus disaster in Bulgaria in late November, the Zaev Government even messes up what should be a mournful and dignified event as the bodies are returned home. Cvetin and Jason discuss issues around this sad event in Macedonia’s history before moving on to ever-present political events as Macedonians wait on Zoran Zaev to finally leave, at least po...

Things in Macedonia were moving rapidly over the past week since Zoran Zaev and his regime were nearly overthrown save for one kidnapped MP but now have slowed down as the hot mess that is Macedonian politics devolves into an absurd theatre. Cvetin and Jason get together to try to make sense of it all as Zaev does not have a working majority, the opposition, led by VMRO, doesn’t quite have enough...