Case Three: The Balkans – Incubators of European Insecurity

For centuries, the Balkans have been an historical crossroads for transnational and intra-state conflicts that challenged outsiders who would seek to influence locals or to impose wider order. World War I was sparked by an assassination in the Balkans that escalated into a regional crisis with the help of sketchy diplomacy, obdurate military plans, and governments with ingénues or decrepit grandees in charge. At century’s end, the Balkans would also be the scene of political turbulence promoted by political ambitions and nationality issues that would draw in major powers and, if mishandled, could lead away from pacification and toward wider war.