>>>Which government? How far back to we go? :o)
>>
>>I'd start with whoever financed Columbus :)
>
>Well, then who gets Yugoslavia/Serbia/Croatia/Macedonia/Montenegro/Slovenia/Kosovo... whatever it is name and whatever piece of the pie it is now? King Alexander? the Turks? Germany? Austria? Illyrians or Albanians?

I'd guess that would depend on whether, under these assumptions, the two empires (Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman) come to existence or not, and then whether Russian Empire, Vatican, British Empire, Nazi axis and then the two blocks, and then the NATO abide by these rules. Left alone, I guess the Balkans would coalesce into several countries, with whatever form of government they choose to have.

They may still be ruled by thugs, but those would be locally owned and operated, not in pay of foreign powers.