Macedonia was NATO's essential base for any ground approach into Kosovo and also widened the air corridors available for strikes into Serbia. President Gligorov had to weigh NATO's promises against the reality that Serbia would remain his neighbour long after the alliance's immediate campaign. He therefore tested Allied resolve and calibrated how much support to grant. By refusing attacks launched from Macedonian soil while allowing use of the airspace, he drew a precise political boundary around national cooperation. Host-nation access became bargaining power rather than a passive logistical entitlement.
Notable Point · 2:27:35-2:28:57
Macedonia's leverage over NATO access to Kosovo
Wesley Clark's memoir shows how a small host state could shape a coalition campaign by controlling the ground routes and airspace NATO needed.