Too good to let it pass peacefully:
SIR — The problem of Greece’s refusal to agree to the name of ”Macedonia” for its northern neighbour is easily solved (”The game of the name”, December 8th). Let Macedonia be admitted to various international bodies under the title of ”The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, as Greece demands, but on condition that Greece itself be reseated under the name ”The Former Turkish Province of Greece”. An additional advantage of this solution would be that the two countries would sit side-by-side in the United Nations, thereby facilitating constructive private discussions, or fisticuffs according to the mood of the day.
David Brewer
Puslinch, Canada [On urban populations, secularism, international law, cocaine, Macedonia, computers, Alaska. The Economist. January 3 2008]
Witty.