During the 1990s, for different reasons, both the Yugoslav federation and Albania suffered the collapse of the state. The former disappeared from geographical maps after a violent dissolution process which, in truth, does not seem to have ended yet. The second has twice suffered a profound institutional crisis which was resolved only following repeated international interventions.
The result is a regional geopolitical balance whose stability, however, rests on fragile foundations and risks being constantly called into question due to internal polarizations and conflicting international interests. From this point of view, indeed, the situation as a whole does not seem to substantially differ from the simultaneous interweaving of multiple dynamics, both local and international, as it appeared at the time of the "Eastern question". Already then, in fact, the Balkan peninsula - against the backdrop of the gradual disintegration of the Ottoman Empire - had become a battleground both between opposing nationalisms and between the divergent interests deriving from the penetration of the great Powers in search of their own, and mutually conflicting, spheres of influence. This chapter investigates the role of the Italian Army during the collapse of both Yugoslavia and Albania.