Nationalism, Democracy and Security in the Balkans

The collapse of communism in 1989, the end of Soviet domination and the virtual end of the Cold War, effectively removed the constraints on ethnic divisiveness and national tensions in the Balkans. This book describes and analyses, in historical perspective, the re-emergence of ethnic and national rivalries in the region, both national and transnational. Its main theme is the predominance of nationalism in all six countries concerned (Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, the former Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey) and the relative weakness of democratic institutions and the liberal tradition after the end of Soviet domination. The first part of the book deals with the nationalist-liberal interaction and the dominance of nationalism, in each of the six countries concerned. The second part deals with the actual and potential interregional conflicts. Nationalism, Democracy and Security in the Balkans also examines the Greek-Turkish confrontation and discussions of the numerous most potential sources of conflict in the 1990s. The final chapter compares the relevance of the Balkan situation to the major world powers and contains policy suggestions.