The crises in the Balkan region- grounds for European armed forces?

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The crises in the Balkan region- grounds for European armed forces?

Almost unanimously, analysts identify the Balkans as the most conflict-prone zone in Europe. Historical facts eloquently support this opinion. Differences and conflicts arise from various factors, such as territorial claims by neighboring countries, ethnic and religious heterogeneity (presence of different ethnic and religious minorities), significant disparities in socio-economic development, and socio-political life. Many of the problems are inherited from the long period of Ottoman rule in these countries. It is also a fact that one of the bloodiest conflicts in Europe after World War II occurred again in the Balkans, specifically after the dissolution of former Yugoslavia. Despite the presence of NATO member countries in the military-political organization, issues in the region have never completely subsided, which still defines this part of the continent as the “most unstable” and “most restless.”

Alongside the unresolved historical issues, the Balkans currently face new serious security challenges, such as the refugee wave, terrorist acts, organized crime, and so on. Some risks are individual to specific countries, while others are common to groups of countries or the entire region. Security risks are accompanied by factors such as weak economies, low incomes, high levels of unemployment, especially among the youth, high levels of corruption, weaknesses in the judicial and law enforcement systems, low levels of trust in state institutions, political instability in several countries, and others.

Authors
Stefan Hadzhitodorov, Nikolay Pavlov, Georgi Krastev and Atanas Radev
Summary
In fact, the Balkans are the geopolitical space where the Common European Security and Defense Policy (CESDP) is first realized. It was in the Balkans, in 2003, that the first two missions within the framework of CESDP were implemented.
Year
2017
Edition
"Geopolitika" magazine, no. 4, September 2017