Where do the Balkans belong?

Burak Tatar

(Translated from Turkish by Al-Amin Yakubu)

The Balkan lands which is a peninsula in the south-east of Europe are considered as the birthplace of Ancient Greek philosophy, democracy and state understanding. Hence, it is the root of European civilization.  

Post-Ottoman Balkans

After the collapse of Eastern Rome, the leadership vacuum created in the Balkans was occupied by the Ottoman Empire, which somewhat brought stability to the community for a long period. Of course, this development was never tolerated by Western Europe, which would play a major role in the fall of the empire. However, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire did not end the problems in the Balkans. Such that the official start of World War I was due to an assassination carried out on Balkan soil.

In the light of these, despite all efforts, it appears the Balkan states, except Greece might have never fit into Europe after all. This unconformity is connected to some immense geopolitical complexities and historical realities.

The western European states are not only predominately Christians, but they have a long tradition of fighting to maintain the tradition. The Balkans on the other hand, although it has a reasonable Christian population, a 600-year Ottoman rule influenced the growth of Islam across the lands. Today, there are large communities of Turkish and indigenous Muslims in the Balkans. Nevertheless, the anti-muslim sentiments that have always existed in the Eastern Roman culture, continues to steer hostility campaigns towards these groups of Muslims. This becomes more intensive when it meets with the grudge from the inability to rid Anatolia of Islam and Muslims. Although Islam might not have been gotten rid of completely in the Balkans, many of the Balkan Muslims are disinclined towards religion.

The difference in the Christian denomination of the Balkans contributed to the segregation of the Balkans from Europe. Balkan states are generally Orthodox Eastern Europe while the western Europe states are traditionally Catholic West. The discrimination based on religious affiliation becomes more apparent when one considers the special treatment received by the Catholic Slavic nations in the Balkans (Slovenia and Croatia) from the European Union and Germany. In fact, one can say that these states adapted to EU integration more quickly.

Another factor that has made the Balkans segregated from western European counties is their divergent political and economic philosophies. After the Second World War, Western Europe had to face challenges from the communist states of Albania, Bulgaria and especially Yugoslavia.  Thus, a capitalist western Europe which had opposed a Muslim state in the Balkan lands was ruffled by a set of communist and atheist states.  The great atrocities experienced in Bulgaria under the rule of the Soviets are well known.  Enver Hoxha’s Albania, the first atheist state founded in the Balkans and Tito's Yugoslavia, gave the Balkans hard time. These regimes’ stern stance against capitalism remains a force that estranges their countries from mainstream Europe.  

The hustle for the Balkans

The EU, USA and Russia often clash with each other to increase their influence and maximize their economic interests in this small region.  While the small Balkan countries are trying to become economic member of the EU, they also want to keep Turkish investments. Today, even though Balkan states have prioritized the integration into the EU, they are not ready to turn their backs on Turkish and Russian aids and investment. On the other hand, they do not want Russian aid as a counterweight to the EU and the USA. 

In a nutshell, religious, linguistic, ethnic, sociological differences as well as similarities in these cases, have always been an obstacle to the Balkans’ foreign rapprochement.  In the absence of considerable political, military and economic strength, these divided countries have to depend on foreign countries on various matters. Consequently, while they could not break from their Slavic origins, their blended Muslim-Turkish customs still prevent them from getting a European identity.