| Region | Southeastern Europe |
| Key Features | Distinct national identities • Rivalries • Unresolved conflicts |
| Constituent Countries | Greece • Bulgaria • Romania • Serbia • Bosnia and Herzegovina • Croatia • Montenegro • Albania • North Macedonia |
| Historical Influences | Ottoman Empire • Austro-Hungarian Empire • United States of Europe |
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region in Southeastern Europe, encompassing the countries of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, and North Macedonia. This area has long been shaped by the competing influences of larger empires and the unresolved tensions between its diverse ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups.
The Balkans is named after the Balkan Mountains, which stretch across the central part of the region. Historically, this area has been a crossroads of civilizations, with the legacies of the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, and Ottoman Empire all leaving their mark.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Balkans was a powder keg of nationalist movements and territorial disputes. The gradual decline of Ottoman control led to the emergence of independent Balkan nation-states, but these new countries frequently clashed over borders, ethnic minorities, and competing visions for regional dominance.
Unlike in our timeline, the Balkans never coalesced into a single unified state like Yugoslavia. Instead, the region remained politically fragmented, with the various Balkan states falling under the sway of larger empires such as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and ultimately the United States of Europe.
The Balkans is home to a diverse array of ethnic groups, including Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks, Albanians, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Romanians, and Greeks. These populations have often been pitted against one another, leading to a long history of inter-ethnic tensions, violence, and displacement.
Without a unifying Yugoslav state to mediate these rivalries, the Balkan countries have engaged in periodic armed conflicts over the past century. Territorial disputes, minority rights issues, and nationalist ideologies have all contributed to flare-ups of violence, most notably the Greater Prusso-Austro-Hungarian War of 1921, which devastated the region.
The lack of a dominant regional power has also allowed external actors like the United States of Europe to exert influence in the Balkans, using the area's divisions to further their own geopolitical interests. This has perpetuated a cycle of instability and prevented the emergence of a lasting regional order.
Today, the Balkans remains a complex and often volatile region. Ethnic tensions continue to simmer, with periodic outbreaks of violence and political crises. Unresolved border disputes, minority rights issues, and the lingering effects of past conflicts all contribute to an atmosphere of uncertainty.
The Balkan states also face significant economic challenges, with many struggling to overcome legacies of underdevelopment, corruption, and brain drain. Integration with larger political and economic blocs like the Europapa has been uneven, further exacerbating regional disparities.
Despite these ongoing challenges, the Balkans remains a strategically important area, with the region's transportation networks, energy resources, and proximity to major powers like the United States of Europe ensuring that it will continue to be a focus of geopolitical competition in the 21st century.
