Final answer:
The break-up of the USSR is viewed as Balkanization because it involved the fragmentation of a large union into smaller, often hostile states, echoing the divisions along ethnic and national lines seen in the Balkans after the fall of Yugoslavia.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term Balkanization is often used to describe the fragmentation of a larger region into smaller, hostile states, typically along ethnic or national lines. This concept applies to the break-up of the USSR in that after the fall of communism, similar to the earlier disintegration of Yugoslavia, various republics and nations within what was the Soviet Union declared independence. This dissolution led to new, smaller nation-states with shifting allegiances and often fraught relations, echoing the historical patterns of division seen in the Balkan region of Europe after the collapse of Yugoslavia.
The break-up was driven by rising nationalism and ethnic tensions, which were held in check during the Cold War by the unifying threat of the Soviet Union and strong communist policies. Once these centripetal forces were removed, the cohesion keeping the diverse groups together weakened, resulting in a surge of independence movements and formation of new national boundaries, similar to those seen during the Yugoslav Wars.
The term Balkanization reflects the complex and often volatile nature of national identity and the struggle for self-determination within the Balkans, which serves as a parallel to the fragmentation experienced by the USSR.