noun: (historical, chiefly political science) The fragmentation of a geopolitical region into several small states that are often hostile or non-cooperative with each other.
noun: (by extension, informal) Any disintegration or fragmentation process.
noun: Alternative letter-case form of Balkanization [(historical, chiefly political science) The fragmentation of a geopolitical region into several small states that are often hostile or non-cooperative with each other.]