(Please reference the entire Law of Hybrid War series in order to get acquainted with the strategic themes of this article)
Reconceptualizing The Balkan Peninsula
The Balkans are the most geostrategically important region in Europe today, and truth be told, they’ve held this role for centuries before, despite whether or not various Great Powers acknowledged this at the time. The purpose of the current study isn’t to meticulously analyze the past, but to define the present and forecast the future. The cusp of their contemporary importance is in serving as a geographic facilitator for two Russian and Chinese megaprojects that aim to penetrate the ‘unipolar continent’ with unshakable multipolar influence, and herein lays the reason why they’re the second most likely to fall victim to Hybrid War. All of this will be thoroughly described in the proceeding sections and parts, but prior to that point, it’s absolutely necessary for the reader to reconceptualize their understanding of the Balkans in order to better comprehend the strategic logic behind Moscow and Beijing’s ambitious geo-economic plans.
