Balkanization
Balkanization is a
geopolitical term originally used to describe the process of fragmentation or division of a region into smaller regions that are often hostile or non-cooperative with each other. The term has arisen from the conflicts in the
20th century Balkans. The first Balkanization was embodied in the
Balkan Wars, and the term was reaffirmed in the
Yugoslav wars.
The term is also used to describe other forms of disintegration, including, for instance, the subdivision of the
Internet being divided into separate enclaves, and the breakdown of cooperative arrangements due to the rise of independent competitive entities engaged in "beggar-thy-neighbor" bidding wars.
Balkanization is sometimes used to refer to the divergence over time of
human languages,
programming languages and
data file formats (particularly
XML).
Recently the term has been used in American urban planning to describe the process of how
gated communities are created. There are also attempts to use the term Balkanization in a positive way equating Balkanization with the need for sustenance of a group or society. It used to be hostile, but recent usages of the term show the potential of Balkanization vis-à-vis democratic processes.
Dr. Bernard Lewis developed a Balkanization concept where Western governments would help to spread Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East, and how this would trigger a surge of Islamic nationalism among Soviet Muslims and lead to a collapse of the Soviet Union. This theory was put into action in Afghanistan, where massive US aid to the Taliban and other Muslim fundamentalists in Pakistan helped lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union. This balkanization plan also helped to trigger the
Chechnyan separatist movement in which Russians and Chechnyans are currently embroiled.
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Prometheism*
Finlandization*
History of the Balkans*
History of Europe*
Divide and Conquer
