The international research book “The Balkans in Transition” edited by the Center for the Balkan Studies (Cambridge, San Francico, Niš) covers current social, economic and cultural problems of the Balkan region and its development strategies in the light of globalization and Eurointegration. These problems’ study is undoubtedly important nowadays, in the time when globalization is one of the most important and often discussed issues. The researchers’ qualification leaves no doubt as well because most of them are acknowledged experts in the fields of sociology, politics, and economy.

The word “transition” means a global controversial process of socio-historical transformations with uncertain historical outcomes. It includes such inconsistent phenomena as globalization and regionalization, Europeisation and localization, modernization and retraditionalization. The authors of the articles elucidate in detail different aspects of this contradictory process in respect to the Balkan countries.

The article “Contemporary Balkans in the Network of the Global and Regional Development Megatrends” by Dr. Lubiša Mitrović deals with the problems of influence which the development megatrends, i.e. general historical tendencies, have on the Southeast European countries and on the Balkans particularly. She describes the present-day megatrends as objective powers of the “four riders of globalization”, namely, the technological-information revolution, global economy, global culture and transnational political regimes linking the world into a single and united “global order” (M. Pečulić). Dr. Lubiša Mitrović describes the key megatrends and points of the Balkan region and specific ways the megatrends are manifested. She notices that globalization and Europeization challenges represent a mobilizing force for the Balkan region and can be the key issue of its coming out of the crisis.

The article “Social Development under Precarious Conditions: The Challenge of Accelerated Individualization” by Prof. Nikolaj Genov is devoted to the current political and economic situation in Eastern Europe and individualization of the common good above all others as a global trend. Prof. Genov describes the problems caused by individualization via privatization in Eastern Europe. He considers social integration as a counterbalance to individualization.

In the article “Interests and Development Strategies of Social Actors in the Balkans”, Dr. Vera Vratuša (-Žunjić) proposes the Balkans’ development strategies typologization in accordance with class self-production interests. Dr. Vratuša (-Žunjić) discusses the tendencies of the Balkans’ development strategies toward peripheral neocolonial capitalism and their possible alternatives.

The article “The Balkans between Retraditionalization and Modernization” by Dr. Lubiša Mitrović covers the problem of Balkan regional identity in the face of Europeisation. Dr. Mitrović mentions that contemporary Balkans are torn between the modernization and retraditionalization processes. She gives some recommendations on rendering the goals and the global strategy of the world social development and the United Nations tasks, on the need for further building-up of the regional approach and the necessity to involve in the integration processes in the Balkan region and in Europe and on the role of culture, science and university in the affirmation of multiculturalism, inter-Balkan cooperation and integration. Dr. Mitrović considers the cooperation of the Balkan countries as the only alternative to some of their current conflicts.

The article “Religious-Ethnic Panorama of the Balkans” by Dr. Dragoljub B. Djordjević is devoted to the problem of Balkan peoples’ ethnic identity understood as a more or less full-fledged array of ethnic, religious and cultural characteristics. Dr. Djordjević points that there is neither entirely “pure” identity, nor a religiously “pure” society on the Balkan Peninsula. He describes briefly the ethnic panorama of the Balkans and gives emphasize on its religious-confessional panorama. Dr. Djordjević concludes that “the stability and development of the civic society in the Balkan states are not possible unless something is done to correct the attitude of the religious minorities towards the majority religions” [1, p. 90]. He insists that religious tolerance should become a model of ethnic tolerance and of wider intercultural practice. To sum it up, Dr. Djordjević states that “here we are, all of us, at the Balkans, for our own sake” [1, p. 91] is the optimal way of national survival in the region.

The article “The Balkans and Regionalisation Process” by Dr. Ljubica Kostovska covers the burning problem of the Balkans’ regional cooperation. Dr. Kostovska expresses her opinion that though regionalisation and globalization seem to be the processes with opposite marks, still regionalisation “leads to the world market and globalization of the world trade” [1, p. 102].

The article “The Balkans in the Process of its Technological Development and Adjoining the European Union” by Dr. Milorad Božić covers the present-day technological development conditions and tendencies in the Balkan region. Dr. Božić states that scientific, technical and technological development, especially applied in the economic practice, is important for achieving the strategic goal of all Balkan countries, i.e. the membership in the European Union. He gives guidance on how the technological development should be quickened and draws some conclusions concerning the economic and technological development characteristics of the Balkans in the light of their rapprochement with the European Union.

The article “Economic Integration of the Balkan Countries in Transition” by Dr. Bijana Sekulovska-Gaber is devoted to an important question of the Balkan countries trade collaboration with the European Union. Dr. Sekulovska-Gaber argues that conditions for regional integration of the Balkans have already been created and can be easily transformed into “bridges to cooperation” [1, p. 124]. She concludes that the Balkan countries could “easier (and together) continue the way to the economic integration with the European Union” [1, p. 124].

Ivana Božić-Miljković gives a detail description of the conditions and development of the Balkans’ economy and trade, both inner and international. In the article “Changes in the Scope and Structure of the Balkan Countries Trade in the Function of European Integration”, she argues that both economic and political development of the Balkan countries is the basic condition for overcoming the numerous political, social and economic problems in the region.

Finally, the problems of economic, political, cultural and social dimension in the Balkan region are exposed and observed in the article "Transitional Dynamics and Development Strategies: A Quit for an Integrated Policy-Research Framework" by Dr. Neville S. Arachchige Don in the light of globalization and liberalization. The main idea is that “a comprehensive conceptual and methodological framework is required to diagnose critical issues pertaining to development strategies for the region” [1, p. 161].

The book itself is supplied with a map of the Balkan Peninsula, which illustrates the geopolitical position of the region.