The negative side

In the negative side, we consider as Trends for Destabilization the following:

a. Initially, the revival of ethnic nationalism. After the end of the confrontation between the two worlds, the Balkan countries showed a trend to restore the "bonds" between the "nation" and the "state", trying to create "ethnically clean" states. This pursuit and suspicion for others are the main reasons for the conflicts in the area.

b. Then, the lack of steady democratic institutions. Nearly all the former communist countries have entered a troublesome transition period, trying to change the old structures, both in the political as well as in the economic field, and to create new ones. However, the lack of strong democratic institutions usually lead either to the creation of "personal" totalitarian regimes, or to permanent political unrest.

c. Moreover, the Organized crime. One of the characteristics of the economies that are at the phase of transition to a free market economy is the emergence of the organized crime. The organized crime finds an ideal ground to develop and strengthen in the former communist countries of the Balkans, due to the lack of strong institutions and control mechanisms. Thus, the organized crime takes advantage of the weak institutions, infiltrates the state and undermines every effort for modernization of the economy. We think that in the case of the Balkans, the organized crime is mostly behind ethnic nationalism.

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