The Republic of Macedonia (ROM) remained peaceful during the violent breakup
of Yugoslavia. The 1999 Kosovo refugee crisis, however, combined with a large,
disgruntled ethnic Albanian minority, triggered an ethnic conflict between the
Macedonian security forces and Albanian rebels in February 2001. Hostilities ended with
the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement in August 2001. It proposed a powersharing
system between the Macedonians and the minorities, along with greater cultural
and educational rights. Since Ohrid, the republic has worked to implement the
Framework Agreement and reform its institutions, all in hopes of joining the European
Union. This thesis examines the factors that led to the 2001 conflict, the status of the
Framework Agreement implementation, and the political, economic and security reforms
the ROM promised to the EU. Factors supporting success in executing the reforms will
be examined, as well as factors impeding progress. Finally, this thesis discusses what
roles the international community plays in the development of the ROM.