balkanization

Cultural  

1. Division of a place or country into several small political units, often unfriendly to one another. The term balkanization comes from the name of the Balkan Peninsula, which was divided into several small nations in the early twentieth century.

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Example Sentences

“Smugglers are recognizing the Balkanization of border policy and trying to exploit it as much as possible,” he said.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 6, 2021

But in podcasting, it has led to fears of corporate Balkanization of what has long been a platform-neutral medium, in which anything but the most high-profile shows could effectively be suppressed.

From New York Times • Feb. 25, 2021

“There are some legitimate concerns in term of Balkanization of the Internet, but I don’t think Kaspersky is the tipping point.”

From Washington Post • Dec. 7, 2018

Because we are seeing a move, unfortunately, toward the Balkanization of the internet.

From Slate • Oct. 17, 2018

The separateness of the states, which has been bitterly called Balkanization, creates many problems.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck