Balkanization

Balkanization or Balkanisation is the process involving the fragmentation of an area, country, or region into multiple smaller, and often hostile, independent states. It is usually caused by differences in ethnicity, culture, religion, and geopolitical interests.

The term was coined in the early 20th century, and found its roots in the depiction of events during the Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and World War I (1914–1918), specifically referring to incidents that transpired earlier in the Balkan Peninsula.

The term is pejorative; when sponsored or encouraged by a sovereign third party, it has been used as an accusation against such third-party nations. Controversially, the term is often used by opponents of secessionism to highlight potential dangers. The Balkan peninsula is seen as an example of shatter belts in geopolitics.

Origins of the term

Coined in the early 20th century, the term "Balkanisation" traces its origins to the depiction of events during the Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and the First World War (1914–1918). It did not emerge during the gradual secession of Balkan nations from the Ottoman Empire over the 19th century, but was coined at the end of the First World War. Albania was the only addition to the existing Balkan map at that time, as other nations had already formed in the nineteenth century. The term was initially employed by journalists and politicians, who used it as a conceptual tool to interpret the evolving global order resulting from the collapse of the Habsburg and Romanov Empires and the subsequent secession of Balkan nations following the Ottoman Empire's disintegration in the nineteenth century.