The word "balkans" is correct and usable in written English.
It is a noun used to refer to the Balkan region, a geographical region in Southeastern Europe. Example sentence: The Balkan region is known for its diverse and complex history.
In circles interested in the Balkans the question has been discussed for many years.
Will the men with guns on either side really pay heed to the fine words of the delegates in far-off Helsinki, locals wondered?Related items Indonesia: Finnishing the warJan 27th 2005 Indonesia: No early victoryMay 22nd 2003 Indonesia: Ready to talk in Aceh Apr 13th 2000 Indonesia: An Asian Balkans?Nov 11th 1999There are certainly reasons for pessimism.
These questions will intensify as Central and Eastern European countries prepare to join both the EU and the euro.Related topics The Balkans Inflation Maastricht Financial markets Foreign exchangeEven before then, the ECB faces several daunting challenges over its next two years.
But in his attempt to disunite Europe, I believe that Putin can very well instrumentalise the lack of political stability and economic prosperity... they see the Balkans as a place where they can use their power to disrupt".
Ukraine's problems are compounded by the fact that many men under arms are ethnic Russians, though analysts have thus far played down the prospect of mutinies or defections, arguing that ethnicity in the Ukrainian army is not as powerful an idea as it was in the Balkans for example.
Alone among western leaders, Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, has warned recently that in his drive to divide and weaken the EU from within, Putin is also targeting aspiring EU members in the Balkans.
The Orbán government recently announced it is pushing forward with a Russian joint venture to build part of the Southstream gas pipeline, the key project pushed by the Russian gas monopoly, Gazprom, to pump gas supplies under the Black Sea and up into Europe via the Balkans, bypassing Ukraine.
"The multi-ethnic dream that was Brčko District fell apart more or less from the first elections in 2004," says Parish, author of A Free City in the Balkans.
From Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and points further east, Turkey is one option, a conduit either to Greece across the Aegean sea or to the Balkans over land.
But the will to create a new ethnic modus vivendi is as hard to find in Cyprus as it is in the Balkans.
That is, that in general, and with the exception of Kosovars and Albanians who are generally younger and hence more optimistic, most people in the Balkans feel pretty miserable.
