The post-Cold War developments in South-eastern Europe have made a great impact on Greece, contributing to the re-establishment of the country's historical economic and trade relationships with all the countries of the area. On the other hand, Athens, after almost forty years of relative stability on its northern borders, had to refocus its attention on crises very close to home. The Cold War and the repressive regimes across its northern borders had maintained a relative peace. In the 1990s, the collapse of the old communist order in the Balkans presented Greece with both opportunities and risks, ranging from the opening of an economic hinterland to the explosion of old ethnic rivalries