Definitions of War, Terrorism, and Torture in the Balkan Peninsula and Russia

Russia and the Balkan Peninsula countries have been at the crossroads between Western European and Eastern Asian cultural traditions since those cultural traditions began. Perhaps because of this long history of confrontations between cultures, there have been many conflicts within this region, and boundaries defining states have changed more than once. The long history of conflicts may account for why many citizens of the countries in this region find it important to transcend nationalism and to create, cite, and attempt to adhere to international standards, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations (1948). On the other hand, the long-standing tensions among perspectives, goals, and lifestyles may also account for the awareness of and loyalty to particular family and ethnic histories, including specific religious beliefs, language dialects, dietary traditions, and codes of social conduct that are common in the countries in this region.