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RESEARCH PRODUCT

The geopolitical importance of the Balkans: A general overview

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The Balkan Peninsula, located in South-Eastern Europe, is the fourth of the large European Peninsulas. The Balkans are considered the least known part of the Old Continent, which has for centuries been the scene of conflicts and wars. This article presents the geographical location of the Balkans and analyzes geopolitical theories that refer to this region. The main aim of the article is to show that the Balkans were subject to complex geopolitical processes and are still a zone of instability in Europe. This region is characterized by an extraordinary dynamic of change, which is a consequence of the interrelationship between geography and history. The post-Cold War enlargement of NATO and the EU shows that the border of geopolitical influence has shifted significantly and that the area of the Balkans has partly lost its former position as a border region.