Changing hegemonies and new external pressures: South East European railway networks in transition

From their creation, nation states in South Eastern Europe have been subjected to international pressures in various forms. This paper seeks to define the way in which these pressures have been manifested and the effect of them on the area's rail network. The term hegemony is used to convey the organised delivery of such pressures. However pressures can be exerted by also the economic repercussions of internationalisation. Both forms of pressure are felt on the rail network. This paper will focus on the period after 1989 and look at the likely pressures and their repercussions in the 21st century.