Balkanize

 
Pronunciation: /ˈbɔːlkənʌɪz, ˈbɒl-/
(also Balkanise)

verb

[with object]
  • divide (a region or body) into smaller mutually hostile states or groups: ambitious neighbours would snatch pieces of territory, Balkanizing the country (as adjective Balkanized) the balkanized world of the Senate Banking Committee

Derivatives

Balkanization

Pronunciation: /-ˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
noun

Origin:

1920s: from Balkan Peninsula (where this was done in the late 19th and early 20th century) + -ize