The world is both coming together and falling apart. The forces behind disintegration are cultural, religious, and political. Differences make states break away or break apart because of oppression from governments or other groups. The forces that foster integration and disintegration are different yet there is a link between both phenomena. The forces behind integration are economic and political, growth, stability, and security. Regimes like the EU provide security in the form of treaties and alliances, economic stability in the form of trade agreements and common currencies, and political stability by promoting democratic ideals.
After the fall of the Soviet Union the World began to disintegrate. Many of the former soviet bloc countries began to disintegrate along cultural, religious, and political lines. The former Yugoslavia broke apart as did Czechoslovakia. With the overbearing parent (Soviet Union/Communism) gone, Yugoslavia saw tensions rise along three lines. As in past debates, Serbia advocated a strong central government while Croatia and Slovenia advocated federalism, if not outright autonomy (American Public University n.d.). The disintegration of Yugoslavia was rife with tensions, that later turned to genocide.
Czechoslovakia also saw disintegration that was much smoother. “In retrospect, it seems almost disturbing that two people lived in a common state for nearly seventy-five years could differ to such an extent that it required the disintegration of a county into two separate political entities. But the ease with which Czechoslovakia dissolved showed that the Slovaks and Czechs were indeed strangers with no shared historical experience and whose separation was necessary” (American Public University n.d.).
While the rate of disintegration has decreased, there are still some states that are seeking to break apart. The territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are trying to gain autonomy from their parent state of Georgia. After...