An Overview of the Process of Balkanization

Balkanization is a term used to describe the division or fragmentation of a state or region into smaller, often ethnically similar places. The term can also refer to the disintegration or break-up of other things such as companies, Internet websites or even neighborhoods. For the purposes of this article and from a geographic perspective, balkanization will describe the fragmentation of states and/or regions. In some areas that have experienced balkanization the term describes the collapse of multiethnic states into places that are now ethnically similar dictatorships and have undergone many serious political and social issues such as ethnic cleansing and civil war. As a result, balkanization, especially with regard to states and regions, is typically not a positive term as there is often much political, social and cultural strife that takes place when balkanization occurs. Development of the Term Balkanization Balkanization originally referred to Europe’s Balkan Peninsula and its historic break-up after control by the Ottoman Empire. The term balkanization itself was coined at the end of World War I following this break-up as well as that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire. Since the early 1900s, Europe, as well as other places around the world, have seen both successful and unsuccessful attempts at balkanization and there are still some efforts and discussions of balkanization in some countries today. Attempts at Balkanization In the 1950s and 1960s, balkanization began occurring outside of the Balkans and Europe when several British and French colonial empires began fragmenting and breaking up in Africa. Balkanization was at its height in the early 1990s however when the Soviet Union collapsed and the former Yugoslavia disintegrated. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the countries of Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were created. In the creation of some of these countries, there was often extreme violence and hostility. For example, Armenia and Azerbaijan experience periodic war over their borders and ethnic enclaves. In addition to violence in some, all of these newly created countries have experienced difficult periods of transition in their governments, economies, and societies. Yugoslavia was created out of a combination of over 20 different ethnic groups at the end of World War I. As a result of differences between these groups, there were friction and violence in the country. Following World War II, Yugoslavia began to gain more stability but by 1980 the different factions within the country began fighting for more independence. In the early 1990s, Yugoslavia finally disintegrated after around 250,000 people were killed by war. The countries eventually created out of the former Yugoslavia were Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Kosovo did not declare its independence until 2008 and it is still not recognized as fully independent by the entire world. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia are some of the most successful but also the most violent attempts at balkanization that have taken place. There have also been attempts to balkanize in Kashmir, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Kurdistan, and Iraq. In each of these areas, there are cultural and/or ethnic differences that have caused different factions to want to break away from the main country. In Kashmir, Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir are trying to break away from India, while in Sri Lanka the Tamil Tigers (a separatist organization for the Tamil people) want to break away from that country. People in the southeastern part of Nigeria declared themselves to be the state of Biafra and in Iraq, Sunni and Shiite Muslims fight to break away from Iraq. In addition, Kurdish people in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran have fought to create the State of Kurdistan. Kurdistan is currently not an independent state but it is rather a region with a mostly Kurdish population. Balkanization of America and Europe In recent years there has been talk of the balkanized states of America and of balkanization in Europe. In these cases, the term is not used to describe the violent fragmentation that occurred in places like the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. In these instances, it describes potential divisions based political, economic and social differences. Some political commentators in the United States, for example, claim that balkanized or fragmented because it is special interests with elections in specific areas than with governing the entire country (West, 2012). Because of these differences, there have also been some discussions and separatist movements at the national and local levels. In Europe, there are very large countries with different ideals and opinions and as a result, it has faced balkanization. For example, there have been separatist movements on the Iberian Peninsula and in Spain, particularly in the Basque and Catalan regions (McLean, 2005). Whether in the Balkans or in other parts of the world, violent or not violent, it is clear that balkanization is an important concept that has and will continue to shape the geography of the world.

Transcendentalism The And The Movement - 1027 Words

Transcendentalism Web Quest Directions: Research the answers to these questions online using reputable websites. As you work, copy and paste the website URLs that you use at the bottom of this document (you do not need to create a Works Cited page). Type your answers into this document. Make sure that all of your answers are in your own words. You will be submitting this document via www.turnitin.com and need to be sure that you are not plagiarizing. If you plagiarize from an online source or another student, you will receive a zero. Make sure that your answers to the questions are accurate and in complete sentences. This is a major grade due on Friday at 11:59 pm. There will be a 10 point per day late penalty. Define Transcendentalism Transcendentalism was a philosophical movement that developed in the 1820s and 1830s. The movement was a reaction against the general state of intellectualism. During what years did the movement occur? The Transcendentalist movement occurred during the 1820s, and 1830s. List 5 major authors associated with the movement Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Explain what Transcendentalist believed about each of the following topics: Human Nature They were to live independently, all you need is your mind, knowledge is born with. They also believed that an institution isn t necessary, and it s better to live independently. Truth A system of thought based, on a belief of the essential unity of allShow MoreRelatedThe Transcendentalism Movement Essay658 Words   |  3 PagesI picked the Transcendentalism Movement because I found it to be very interesting. From all the different literary movements we had to choose from Transcendentalism seemed the most revolutionary. It was an entirely new way of thinking for America back in the 1800’s. The Transcendental Movement started around 1835. The movement was all about individualism and spiritualism. 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Ralph Waldo Emerson was a highly influential writer that ledRead MoreThe Literary Movement of Transcendentalism Essay examples872 Words   |  4 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Transcendentalism was a literary movement in the first half of the 19th century. The philosophical theory contained such aspects as self-examination, the celebration of individualism, and the belief that the fundamental truths existed outside of human experience. Fulfillment of this search for knowledge came when one gained an acute awareness of beauty and truth, and communicated with nature to find union with the Over-Soul. When this occurred, one was cleansed ofRead MoreTranscendentalism : An Idealistic Philosophical And Social Movement1120 Words   |  5 PagesTranscendentalism, which according to the dictionary means: â€Å"an idealistic philosophical and social movement that developed in New England around 1836 in reation to rationalism. 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He wrote many influential pieces that follow andRead MoreTranscendentalism, A Powerful Intellectual And Philosophical Movement1781 Words   |  8 PagesTranscendentalism, a powerful intellectual and philosophical movement founded by Ralph Waldo Emerson in the early nineteenth century, was guided by the principle that individuals are inherently good and function at their best when they are independent and self-reliant. Striving to produce a philosophy that would serve a new nation, transcendentalists believed that religious institutions and political parties would eventually corrupt the natural pure goodness of man. Transcendentalist ideology furtherRead MoreTranscendentalism : An American Artistic And Philosophical Movement1823 Words   |  8 Pages Transcendentalism wa s an American artistic and philosophical movement similar to the Romantic movement of Europe. The movement praised the efforts of mankind as individuals instead of depicting humanity as a crowd of like-minded people. Transcendentalists admired the former great thinkers of the world from Aristotle and Jesus to Copernicus and Newton for their confidence and persistence in the face of opposition. The movement encouraged many in the United States to express their creativity andRead MoreRalph Waldo Emersons Connection To Transcendentalism1223 Words   |  5 Pagesto write about a Massachusetts-born American poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson who was part of the Transcendentalist movement which geared philosophical thinking that involved viewing women as equal. Philip F. Gura, Transcendentalism and Social Reform, History Now, assessed May 14, 2017, https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/first-age-reform/essays/transcendentalism-and-social-reform. Emerson s support for women s suffrage prompted him to write A Reasonable Reform to promote anti-suffrage

Deep Ecololgy Essay Example For Students

Deep Ecololgy Essay Deep Ecology/EcosophyThe ideas behind deep ecology have major implications today. They allow people to think more profoundly about the environment and possibly come to a better understanding of their own meaning. People are intensely concerned about the worlds technological adolescence, massive consumerism, and overpopulation. A man named Arne Naess, former head of the philosophy department at the University of Oslo founded an idea that can direct peoples anxiety away from their shallow notion of the problem to one that is much deeper. Deep ecology goes beyond the limited piecemeal shallow approach to environmental problems and attempts to articulate a comprehensive religious and philosophical worldview. (EE p.145) In its most basic form, deep ecology is a wisdom, an ecosophy, which requires humans to see themselves as part of the bigger picture. Naess, Devall, and Sessions outline basic principles of deep ecology in their writing. Furthermore, they address the roles that scientific ecology plays as well as the concept of self-realization. Aside from these ideas, ecosabotage needs to be discussed in terms of how it fits with the practice of deep ecology. The basic principles of deep ecology as characterized by the authors mentioned, show us what is supposedly wrong with the world and also give us a framework by which we can make a change. In fact, Naess and Sessions went camping in Death Valley, California in order to gain a different perspective. They condensed fifteen years their thought on the topic of deep ecology in an effort to make it appeal to people from all kinds of backgrounds. They also emphasize that these principles must all be considered together. The first principle states that the value of life, human or non-human, is intrinsic. This means that everything about it is valuable, including individuals, species, populations, habitat, and culture. When considering non-human life, it important to remember that deep ecology likes to include that which can be classified as non-living such as bodies of water and landscapes. Essentially, the presence of inherent value in a natural object is independent of any awareness, interest, or appreciation of it by a conscious being. (EE p.147) Another principle states that the diversity of life forms contributes to our appreciation of their value, but again, they also have values in and of themselves. The ecological field worker (persons with first hand experience with life forms) is highly aware of this. To the ecological field worker, the equal right to live and blossom is an intuitively clear and obvious value axiom. Unfortunately, most humans limit this care for humans only, which is a terr ible ?anthropocentrism. Modern society has done much to prevent us from relationships with non-human life and thus contributed to our own loss. Diversity improves chances of survival by means of creating new ways to live in many different forms. Deep ecology likes to reevaluate the concept of survival of the fittest to one that preaches harmonious coexistence instead killing and domination. Again, this idea is included in the context of human culture and economy. ?Live and let live is a more powerful ecological principle than ?Either you or me (EE p.135)Sessions and Naess make it another principle that humans have no right to reduce richness and diversity of life, except to fulfill vital needs. First-world nations are not going to reduce their negative effects on the non-human world in record breaking time. Strategies need to be adopted to bring about change to get rid of human delusion and laziness on these issues. Time is of great importance, considering the longer we wait the gre ater the problem will become. Richness and diversity face major losses given the extinction rate in our time is exponentially greater than in the past. Organizational Behavior and Concepts EssayEcosabotage is the most controversial issue surrounding deep ecology. Whether or not the philosophy behind deep ecology justifies these actions, is another question. Ecologists are indispensable tools in all societies because they can use their knowledge for political benefit. They can choose what companies they want to work for depending on their policies. Excitingly, the more ecologists there are, the more ignorant companies will suffer. Ecosabotage is when these kinds of principles go ?on steroids. Ecosaboteurs have been known to put spikes on forest trees, vandalize fur clothing, organize violent protests, and even burn down fancy resorts like the recent attack on Vail. They often feel that the only way to make a difference is too become extreme. These stunts do gain plenty of publicity and most probably influence the way many people think. The downside however, is that these attack can anger companies and make them less respectful of t he ecologists, resulting in little progress. Furthermore, the philosophy of deep ecology is peaceful and meditative. In order for things to happen quickly however, action needs to be taken. This century promises all kinds of environmental disasters. Maybe ecosabotage and revolutionary measures are the only way to get a good start on prevention. Deep ecology makes a good deal of sense. Before learning about this, shallow ecology seemed legitimate. Clearly, the principles behind deep ecology could be far more productive than anything practiced today. Some will argue that complete acceptance of deep ecology is absurd. Completely neglecting our anthropocentric perspective means that we have forgotten where we stand in the whole picture. We have been around a short while in comparison with life of the earth. It could easily go through another dramatic climatic shift and we would be history, and probably succeeded by a new form of life. The point is that humans share something valuable. Of course it is anthropocentric and it is worth saving. The other issue that seems debatable is the current state of economics and the market. These writing by Naess and company are somewhat dated and much has changed since then with the advent of the Internet. Is global village really such a bad thing if we use it properly? Deep ecology wants to preserve cultures and independent economies. I do not know which side to join at this point in time. I want to believe in most of what deep ecology holds true, however some issues make me uncertain. Ethics and Morals