Results for Balkanize
On this page:
 
Dictionary:

Balkanize

  (bôl'kə-nīz') pronunciation
or bal·kan·ize tr.v., -ized or -ized, -iz·ing or -iz·ing, -iz·es or -iz·es.

To divide (a region or territory) into small, often hostile units.

[From the political division of the Balkans in the early 20th century.]

Balkanization Bal'kan·i·za'tion n.
 
 
Political Dictionary: Balkanization

The division of a state into smaller territorial units. The term tends to imply a policy of ‘divide and rule’, whereby the strength of a united country is diluted by the creation of internal division. The term came to prominance in the aftermath of the First World War, but has contemporary resonance in the light of recent Balkan politics.

— Alistair McMillan

 
Politics: balkanization
(bawl-kuh-nuh-zay-shuhn)

Division of a place or country into several small political units, often unfriendly to one another. The term balkanization comes from the name of the Balkan Peninsula, which was divided into several small nations in the early twentieth century.

 
Wikipedia: balkanization
Partitions of the Balkans after the Balkan Wars.  Current borders are in thin red.
Partitions of the Balkans after the Balkan Wars. Current borders are in thin red.
Breakup of Yugoslavia
Enlarge
Breakup of Yugoslavia

Balkanization is a geopolitical term originally used to describe the process of fragmentation or division of a region or state into smaller regions or states that are often hostile or non-cooperative with each other[1][2]. 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).

The term has been used in American urban planning to describe the process of creating gated communities. There are also attempts to use the term balkanization in a positive way equating it with the need for sustenance of a group or society.

In January 2007, regarding a rise in support for Scottish independence, Gordon Brown talked of a "Balkanisation of Britain".[3]

Balkanization is a term used to describe the process in the late 20th Century of dividing a culture into separate "identities".


References

  1. ^ Merriam-Webster Online dictionary
  2. ^ "Officers Look Back For Clues To Future", Sudarsan Raghavan, Washington Post, Monday, January 15, 2007; Page A01.
  3. ^ "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6258089.stm BBC News | Politics | UK's existence is at risk - Brown]", 13 January, 2007. 

 
Translations: Translations for: Balkanize

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - balkanisere

Français (French)
v. tr. - (Pol) balkaniser

Deutsch (German)
v. - balkanisieren, (in kleine verfeindete Staaten aufteilen)

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - βαλκανοποιώ

Italiano (Italian)
balcanizzare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - balcanizar

Русский (Russian)
балканизировать, разделить на враждебные части

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - dividir en estados pequeños y hostiles

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - balkanisera

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
分割成小国, 使割据

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 分割成小國, 使割據

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - ~을 분열시켜 다투게 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 小国に分割する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) بلقن, قسم الى دويلات متعاديه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮פיצל למדינות קטנות, חילק למדינות עוינות‬


 
 

Join the WikiAnswers Q&A community. Post a question or answer questions about "Balkanize" at WikiAnswers.

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Political Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics. Copyright © 1996, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Politics. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Balkanization" Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

Search for answers directly from your browser with the FREE Answers.com Toolbar!  
Click here to download now. 

Get Answers your way! Check out all our free tools and products.

On this page:   E-mail   print Print  Link  

 

Keep Reading

Mentioned In: