> Balkanization

> Definition and Description

>

> If globalization is the increasing interconnectedness of peoples and

> places through converging processes of economic, political, and

> cultural change, then balkanization is a counteraction to the

> integrating and homogenizing effects of globalization.

>

> Whereas globalization acts as connective mechanism, in the form of

> overarching global capitalism, balkanization is sometimes referred to

> as "globalization" from below. That is to say, global interconnections

> have played a role in reviving group identities and thus, have

> ironically contributed to fragmentation and separation. In this way,

> balkanization and national separatist movements are the

> counter-effects or counter-trends of globalization\u2019s promise of

> meta-homogenization.

>

> "Balkanization" is a term that has emerged in response to small-scale

> independence movements and the increasing trend of mini-nationalisms

> (or micronationalisms), as they occur along ethnic, cultural and

> religious fault lines. The term generally describes the process of

> geopolitical fragmentation, and is used to depict any kind of

> political dissolution across the world. The term has also expanded to

> connote a varied tableau of scenarios involving disintegration, such

> as "the balkanization of the Internet".

>
> Taking its name from the divisive and conflict-ridden Balkan region of

> Europe, balkanization has come to refer to any region in the world

> faced with internal turmoil and schisms. Although the 1991 dissolution

> of the Soviet Union into fifteen countries has been referred to as

> "the balkanization of the U.S.S.R.," balkanization finds its roots in

> the Balkan region of the former Yugoslavia, which is often cited as

> the "powder keg" of Europe. Certainly, the very words, Balkanization

> and the Balkans, conjure up images of violence, destruction, genocide

> and dissension. Indeed, this part of the world has produced these

> kinds of unfortunate occurrences, from the period of both World Wars

> to the post-Cold War era.

>

> History

>

> The "Cold War" between the two superpowers, the United States and the

> former Soviet Union, may be an artifact today, but in many sense, the

> aftermath of the Cold War is what has fueled balkanization. With the

> dissolution of the former Soviet Union in 1991 came opportunities for

> self-determination and independence in eastern Europe and central

> Asia.Ethnic, cultural and religious groups galvanized support through

> this spirit of self-determination, resulting in fundamental changes in

> economic, political, as well as cultural alignments and alliances,

> most clearly exemplified by the emergence of new sovereign states. Yet

> as the scenario in the Balkans has continued to unfold, the stories of

> Bosnia, Kosovo and Serbia suggest that although balkanization and
> nationalism has created new nation-states, stability in these places

> can remain precarious.

>

> Causes and Conditions of Balkanization

>

> Civil unrest, ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious tensions,

> terrorism, factionalism and separatism have conjointly created a new

> texture of political friction and anxiety in contemporary

> society. Stated differently, micronationalism -- or ethnic,

> linguistic, cultural and/or religious separatism -- is the major

> source of geopolitical tension on the rise in the world today.

>

> Many analysts have suggested that ethnic, linguistic, cultural,

> religious and national identities may persist within populations that

> were presumed to have been homogenized. These varied identities may

> re-emerge when certain political conditions are favorable (as in the

> case of geopolitical instability across the Balkans), thus inciting

> and catalyzing separatist movements. Other thinkers state that

> religious freedom or increased democratization across the globe has

> stimulated the growth of group identities with agendas of

> self-rule. Still others observe that nationalism in one place spurs

> nationalism elsewhere and certainly, it is true that Haiti, the first

> independent Black state, emerged out of the French Revolution\u2019s

> principles of liberty, fraternity and equality.

>

> Conceived of as "centrifugal" forces, separatist or balkanizing

> pressures act to undermine or divide the state, as they pull outward

> and away from the center. Conversely, "centripetal" forces, such as a

> shared historical legacy or a unitary economic system, function to

> reinforce and augment political unity and the power of the

> state. Balkanization occurs when the centrifugal forces outweigh the

> centripetal forces within a state.

>

> Spotlight:The Former Federated Republic of Yugoslavia

>

> The history of the Balkans has been fraught with ethnic conflict as

> well as wars of conquest. Once thought of as an ill-charted zone

> separating Europe\u2019s civility from the chaotic maelstrom of the

> Orient, in recent centuries, the area became a theater of intrigue for

> the great international powers. Indeed, the region of the Balkans was

> historically contested by the Ottoman and Hapsburg empires, as well as

> the Third Reich and the Allies, all of whom exploited and exacerbated

> existing tensions.

>

> Yet some international relations experts have suggested that the

> collapse of Yugoslavia into nationalist regimes was not solely due to

> ethnic conflict and religious discord, or even a history of animosity

> for that matter. Rather, the disintegration of political and civil

> order, in conjunction with economic problems, together contributed to

> Yugoslavia\u2019s breakdown. Certainly the perspective seems to

> bolster the argument that national movements and their ensuing
> balkanizing influences are not simply identity-based circumstances,

> born out of clashes between historically-polarized majority and

> minority groups, but also are exacerbated by economic and political

> circumstances of the present.

>

> Other analysts suggest that during the rule of Yugoslavia by Tito in

> the communist years, measures taken to decentralize the country\u2019s

> decision making processes (rather than democratize the country)

> ultimately led to the collapse. That is to say, decentralization bred

> ethnic nationalism and fueled identity politics, while the lack of

> real democratization efforts accelerated the increasing climate of

> fragmentation.

>

> Regardless of the actual cause of balkanization in the former

> Yugoslavia, the regions remains one of the most volatile in the world,

> and functions as an ongoing exemplar of identity politics,

> micronationalism and balkanization.

>

> Bibliographic References:

>

> Bogdan Denitch, Ethnic Nationalism: The Tragic Death of Yugoslavia

> Dianna Johnstone,Seeing Yugoslavia Through a Dark Glass: Politics,

> Media and the Ideology of Globalization

> Misha Genny,The Balkans: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers 1809 -

> 1999

> Les Rowntree, Martin Lewis, Marie Price and William Wyckoff,Diversity
> Amid Globalization: World Regions, Environment and Development

> Susan Woodward,Balkan Tragedy: Chaos and Dissolution After the Cold

> War