By the author of The Dark Secrets of Survival and the online course SHTF Survival Boot Camp.
“Balkanization is the fragmentation of a larger region or state into smaller regions or states, which may be hostile or uncooperative with one another.” (Wikipedia)
Again the word “Balkanization” becoming popular. Actually, it has been often referenced for several years, ever since people understood that events that happened in the Balkans might happen in their neighborhood too in some form.
Usually people think about that word in the terms mentioned above, fragmentation into smaller parts that are not necessarily friendly to each other.
And that fragmentation might come in many forms that I described and discuss in a lot of articles. Back then, mostly people did not believe in it.
Rarely is it being discussed from one other angle, which is also very important from a survival point of view, and that is something that we might call the duality of the system.
Duality of the system (in the Balkans)
Yes, we still have laws, systems, government, infrastructure, courts, and everything else that you have there in a democratic and functional country. But nothing works the way that should work, and it never did since the war ended, for 30 years almost.
Let’s say you are living in the Balkans, and for example, your kid gets killed by a drunk driver. You may be sure he will stay out of jail if he has a relative in politics or enough money to bribe the judge. You are eating worse food in a lot of cases, toxic, or under the normal standards because normal standards are not existing here. The EU gets rid of cheap and low-quality food here.
If you are sick seriously, you are dead because the medical system works only on paper, and if you are not rich you are dead. Criminal organization members are infiltrated into the government and ruling parties (and vice versa), and there is no real difference between them.
If you are a journalist who writes about it you will disappear. If you are a common man who talks too loud about it you will lose your job.
If you “plug” yourself into the ruling party and obey, you might have a job with a salary just large enough to keep you fed enough not to die, and to keep you in constant horror, wondering are you gonna lose even that poor job and leave your kids hungry?
Now, that duality of the system means that the regular system is not working for you, so there is a “parallel” system to the existing one where you can “swim” and survive.
That means you will have to become a master of networking.
Everywhere, you will have a connection.
You need to have a man in the hospital who will help you either because you will bribe him or you will owe him a favor so you can get things done there if your kid gets sick. Otherwise, if you go with regular channels in the hospital, chances are less good.
You have a man who will sell you food smuggled “without tax” from Germany, so it is better quality. You go and avoid paying taxes to the state. (FFS, for all your pretending, you actually hate the state and system.) You save money in foreign currencies, or gold, and you do private jobs on the verge or even on the other side of the law because this kind of law in this kind of country you do not take as a law.
You are living in a dual system, where on one side, you are plugged into a normal and crooked system, and on the other side, you are living and functioning in a parallel system, because that is the only way to live here.
Duality of the system-it is another type of Balkanization.
Now, if you recognize any of the above “symptoms” in your society, well…welcome to the start of Balkanization.
The SHTF
I mentioned often that SHTF does not necessarily have to mean one sudden and abrupt event after we can say, “OK, it is SHTF.”
We might already be in some form of SHTF, and some spark might only push us to a larger scale (or more serious) SHTF.
My time and my experience in the war gave me valuable knowledge and views on life, but equally to that, living in this “dual system” for years and decades also gave me precious knowledge and experience.
People will find ways to get things done IF they recognize what is happening around them.
Do not wait for times of chaos. I am sure some form of Balkanisation is there, or some form of need for a parallel system for you.
If you do not agree with all the government decisions and the latest societal rules and changes (and I am sure you would not be here if you agree with all that government push), then you should not raise your voice in all places since you might lose your job, or your business might be canceled.
That is not the way to resist now.
How to resist
Resist by networking and building this dual system. Things can be done if you have a network and people.
And yes, fuck the government!
This form of Balkanization is something that is slowly becoming visible in parts of the world and places where I would have sworn (a couple of years ago) it was impossible.
There is less and less sense for what people need and more and more push for what some political option or power structures want. Even if the majority of folks are against that, it is still being pushed by more and more violent or repressive methods.
The government will push more things in your face, things that you do not like. The agenda will be more and more against your core values, and you will feel more and more like a stranger in your own land, where “old values” are lost.
You will have the choice either to obey or to be “canceled,” everywhere from getting your account in social media networks shut down to the point of taking your kids from you because you are a “terrorist.”
Balkanization does not like free thinkers, so do not appear to be a free thinker who fights the fights that cannot be won. Choose your fights and use a dual system.
The dual system is coming if it’s not already there.
As a result, we are going to see Balkanization – yes, in the terms described in the first sentences of this article. But before that fragmentation and hostility, we are going to see a form of Balkanization consisting of people living in this “dual system.”
And remember – one of the most accurate prepper definitions is “the person who is always a couple of steps ahead of others,” so think about this before most of the other people and prepare. Set up your networks now.
What are your thoughts?
Do you foresee this kind of Balkanization happening where you are? Are you already seeing evidence of a dual system where you live? Do you have some examples you can share of such a system?
Let’s discuss it in the comments.
About Selco:
Selco survived the Balkan war of the 90s in a city under siege, without electricity, running water, or food distribution.
In his online works, he gives an inside view of the reality of survival under the harshest conditions. He reviews what works and what doesn’t, tells you the hard lessons he learned, and shares how he prepares today.
He never stopped learning about survival and preparedness since the war. Regardless of what happens, chances are you will never experience extreme situations as Selco did. But you have the chance to learn from him and how he faced death for months.
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Selco, you are a very wise and street smart man. i appreciate you sharing your knowledge.
Thank you Selco for being forthright and open about the hazards we may soon live in here, and for your own life of perseverance through times that are still hard. You give us hope and you are a gem for being willing to teach us!
A year before the pandemic, we paid cash for a small piece of land in the woods, a house trailer, and a wood heating system. At the same time, I was canning cheap meat that I purchased at the grocery store. After the pandemic hit, I bugged out to our country place and started planting our gardens, our orchard, perennial fruits, and vegetables. I also started buying pantry foods from the local Amish store, like flour, oatmeal, spices, and sugar in bulk. (The Amish have a network already established that anyone can plug into. We also get a lot of our green building lumber from them.) I have a home publishing business (most recently, books on living in the Ozarks) and am building that business without going into debt. And yes, we are keeping just one or two steps ahead of what’s happening.
Ironically, in bureacracies there has been a dual existancefor years, often more efficient and usrful than the “legit” system. Now that is filtering out to the mainstream and Main Street.
If you enter the word ‘Communism’ in every instance ‘Balkanization’ appears, you get a clearer picture of what’s going on.
It’s getting intense here. Between the nutballs on the left and the crazies on the right, the moderates in the middle are being pulled into a war that no one sane wants. And the politicians & various news outlets are profiting by amplifying their preferred narrative! Gray is the best option IMO, at least for me. Get out of debt, cultivate local networks, and discuss politics with no one. IMO it’s ugly and getting uglier! Stay safe, everyone.
GOOD post, as for POLITICS, that is true, gets us in trouble almost every time. And as for RELIGION, that can do it too. Can really step on some toes talking about either one…I am finding more and more PHONY people out there. They are fake and more and more people that just can’t or want tell the truth. Liars abound, cheats and untrustworthy folks…Yikes…They aren’t as neighborly as they used to be either. What ever happen to love thy neighbor as thyself? Ahhhh, What about… We are our brother’s keeper! And then do unto others as you would have them (or want them) to do unto you… Now we need to read that again b/c it’s all good food for thought. Imagine what a difference it would make if we applied to our lives and especially in our own neighborhoods! I foresee nice changes if we could be a little KINDER and more CONCERNED! We’re all in this together are we not? Hummm, Blessings to all who read these articles and write their thoughts here. We will accomplish more together than we will divided…In the end we will ALL find that we did need one another in one way or the other…Hello Daisy!
Good point about the nutballs on the far left and the far right.
I like to think there are more sane moderates in the middle than the two extremes.
Watched a video of 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Kyle Duncan, was invited to speak at Stanford. He was heckled non-stop, accused of being racist, and causing the students pain.
If you watch the video, it is surreal.
Balkanization. I think we may be forced to join a “side” not by choice per say, but by whom are the predominate group we are surrounded by. In my case, that is not really a big deal, as the community is mostly conservative with a very live and let live mentality. None of my business to get into your business.
But if you are a far left liberal in a very Red area or vice versa, might want to think about moving.
Then again in this day and age, it could be not political affiliation, but race, religion, economic class, heck, even football team.
Living in Québec under the Reign of 2 dictators that used the scamdemic to take (much) more power than they had : one at provincial level and the second at country level i can say that i feel the balkanization of both my province and my country. Canada is about to fall. We must prepare.
The bill 28 and 15 introduced in the scamdemic are proof of what i am saying. They now can take our childs if we disagree against one of these 2 said dicktators. They can take everything now if we step out of the line.
Yes, yes, yes. I see it. This slow motion collapse with small punctuation marks of dramatic collapse along the way (like bank collapses) is gradually building momentum. Building a network is very challenging for me, but I do see the need for it. We have friends in the health (disease, drugs and disinformation) industry. But I feel very exposed in most other areas. I tried to connect with small scale urban chicken farmers to set up our own little supply chain, but no success in my bluer than blue state, and I ended up defying the HOA and keep some “stealth” quail. Very few people in my area are aware or even slightly prepared, as far as I can see. Oblivious masses is the phrase that comes to mind. I see people solo in cars or on walks with masks on, and that is actually a helpful “keep far away” sign for me. Also the ones who wear it at work.
I know a couple of people who are capable hunters and fish, but they don’t live close by.
Did my own personal mini bank run this morning (most was out 12+ months ago). Is that something I can discuss with even one single person besides my husband, who will chuckle but not prevent me? Nope. Absolutely not. I’m very concerned about what lies ahead, but I keep my focus on learning skills, preparing what I can, and maintaining a low profile.
What countries currency , and gold, would you save for survival use? Why not American money,
I understand that the examples are a bit exaggerated (No, I freakin’ don’t believe that Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria is that bad). Still very good article. Thank you.
Estimated 10% of the American economy is off the books, and growing