THE BALKANS DOOMED TO DISUNITY? Often treated as a footnote of European history, the future of the Balkans became a hot topic at the end of the Ottoman Empire. Was Europe's 'Little Orient' destined to fall apart?

The article states that the Balkans have long been an area of instability, conflict, and fragmentation. It mentions that for more than 150 years, the notion of a united Balkan state persisted among socialist and communist thinkers in the area. It also mentions that throughout history, the Balkans have experienced cultural fragmentation caused by multiple divisions, the earliest of which was between the ancient Greeks and the perceived barbarian lands outside of Greece.