Explores factors at work in the cycles of conflict and outside control that mark the region. Considers the competing narratives that shape the identities and “historyâ€ù of the Balkan peoples. Also looks at the problems of shifting borders and populations as well as the definition of the Balkans as a region—including exploration of why an area marginal to greater powers repeatedly draws them into dangerous involvements. The former Yugoslavia’s formation and collapse is a central focus, along with the growing Albanian universe and the roles of Greece, Romania and Bulgaria.