Balkanization is a geopolitical term used to describe the process of fragmentation or division of a region into many smaller regions that are often hostile or non-cooperative with each other.
The term has arisen from the conflicts in the 20th century Balkans. The first Balkanization was embodied in the Balkan Wars, and the term was further reaffirmed in the Yugoslav wars.
The term has begun to be used in other contexts when describing a disintegration process, such as the of Internet being divided into separate enclaves.