Europe's troubled corner : how to overcome instability and tensions in the Balkans

The Balkans has long been an area of instability in Europe; only during the Cold War was endemic instability constrained.

The demise of communism left an ideological and spiritus vacuum in the Balkans which has been filled with traditional nationalism.

Factors which exacerbate nationalistic tensions are religion, social history, economic distress, military pressures and the political aspirations of individual politicians.

This paper attempts to provide an understanding of these issues, concentrating on events in former Yugoslavia.

It examines the global implications of the conflict and tries to identify possible short and long-term policies to deal with the problems.