Dear Editor(s),
I am commenting on Matthew Brunwasser's article about the giant statue of Alexander the Great in Skopje’s central square (June 23, 2011, Macedonia [sic] Plays Up Past Glory). This biased view got published! He quotes various political activists sympathetic to the former Yugoslav nation, even quoting Pasko Kuzman about Alexander's origins - an archaeologist turned charlatan.
The country known officially in the U.N. as the FYROM and not "Macedonia" until a new name is found, tries to create an identity using another's identity. How could Alexander "come home" when he never even stepped there? To rebut another activist, how is Skopje the cornerstone of Western civilization when it has nothing to do with it?
Mr. Brunwasser might get another 371 slaps in the face from world renowned classicists as he did in 2009 when they cosigned a letter to President Obama appealing against pseudohistory stemming from Skopje and its supporters.
Sincerely,
Christos Karatzios MD
Sincerely,
Christos Karatzios MD