ABSTRACT
Following our examination of Bulgaria and Macedonia’s experiences with democratisation and inter-communal relations in the 1990s, this chapter aims to deepen the analysis by looking at the commonalities as well as points of divergence found in the two case studies. This includes an examination of why Bulgaria’s ‘democratic peace’ at home stabilised, whilst Macedonia suffered a six-monthlong armed confrontation between the National Liberation Army and Macedonian security forces; a conflict which severely challenged the viability of the country’s inexperienced democratic system, though never quite defeating it. The main objective of the chapter is to use the insight gained from the experiences of Bulgaria and Macedonia to build a theoretical understanding of how democratisation can help mitigate or exacerbate inter-ethnic tension.
