Junho de 2007
A geografia dos Balcãs é uma das suas maldições, talvez mesmo a maldição primeva, aquela que mais contribuiu para o epíteto Europa Selvagem (H. De Windt, Trough the Savage Europe). Mark Mazower não esquece este factor crucial no recomendável The Balkans – From the End of the Byzantium to the Present Days.
Unlike the mountain chains guarding the necks of the Iberian and Italian peninsulas, the Balkan ranges offer no barrier against invasion, leaving the region open to easy access and attack from north and east. On the other hand, their irregular formation hinders movement between one valley and the next. Communication is often easier with areas outside the peninsula than between its component parts do that Dubrovnik, for instance, has had closer ties for much of its history with Venice than with Belgrade. In this way, mountains have made commerce within the region more expensive and complicated the process of political unification.
No livro A Ponte Sobre o Drina, Ivo Andrić recorda um antigo mito, no qual Satanás, despeitado, arranha a superfície da terra com as suas unhas, para dessa forma destruir a obra de Deus e impedir os homens de se deslocarem e reunirem. Não há melhor alegoria para os Balcãs. When the angels saw how unfortunate men could not pass those abysses and ravines to finish the work they had to do, but tormented themselves and looked in vain and shouted from one side to the other, they spread their wings above those places and men were able to cross. Os homens, mais tarde, preferiram destruir as pontes.
Carlos M. Fernandes, Mostar, 2003
No Mundo (2) 