From Balkanization To European Integration. The Management Of International Conflicts In South-East Europe

The present article aims to approach and clarify the importance of the Balkanization phenomenon from a conceptual point of view in order to understand the geopolitical evolution of the South-Eastern European space during the last 30 years. Although surrounded by states belonging to the Euro-Atlantic structures, the Western Balkans region continues to be perceived as a space of conflict, in which inter-ethnic tensions continue to exist and to generate a state of regional insecurity. In this context, the European Union is the main geopolitical actor interested in the management of intra- and international conflicts in this region. Thus, the importance of the European Union becomes even greater as in the last years we have been witnessing a return of the Russian Federation and Turkey to the international arena through an increasingly active political, economic and social involvement in the Western Balkans. On the other hand, keeping the Western Balkans on the outskirts of Europe may have the effect of reactivating some ethnic and religious lines that had been temporarily blurred and which, now, amidst territorial fragmentation in smaller and less functional states, are likely to endanger the security of the whole region. The research helps to understand the role of Balkanization phenomenon in shaping the recent geopolitical trends in the region, in the context of the European Union's expansion process.