verb
- to break up (a region or organization) into smaller, often hostile or competing units
Usage: chiefly British spelling (American: balkanize); often used in political or geopolitical contexts
Examples
- The empire began to balkanise after the central government lost control.
- Critics warned that the policy would balkanise the country into competing factions.
- The company's decision to split into separate divisions threatened to balkanise its operations.
- Regional tensions could balkanise the union if not addressed carefully.
- Historians studied how the region was balkanised following the collapse of the federation.