The "Powder keg of Europe", sometimes alternately known as the "Balkan Powder Keg", refers to the Balkans in the early part of the 20th century. In this time period there were a number of overlapping claims to territories and spheres of influence between the major European powers such as Russia and Austria-Hungary and, to a lesser degree, Imperial Germany, Great Britain, and Italy. In addition to the imperialistic ambitions and interests in this region, there was a growth in nationalism with the indigenous peoples of this region leading to the formation of the independent states of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Romania.

Within these nations there were movements to create "greater" nations, that is to enlarge the boundaries of the state beyond those areas where the national ethnic group was in the majority. This led to conflict between the newly independent nations and the empire from which they split, Ottoman Turkey. Additionally, it led to differences between the Balkan nations who wished to gain territory at the expense of their neighbors. Both the conflict with Ottoman Turkey and between the Balkan nations led to the Balkan Wars in 1912-1913.

A powder keg is a barrel of gunpowder. The powder keg was the primary method for storing and transporting large quantities of black powder up until the 1870s and the adoption of the modern cased bullet. However, the barrels had to be handled with care, since a spark or other source of heat could cause the contents to deflagrate.

Powder keg is also a metaphorical term sometimes political, socio-economic, historical or other circumstances have made the subject prone to outbursts. The analogy is drawn from a perception that certain territories may seem peaceful and dormant until another event triggers a large outburst of violence. The term is most often used to simplify and help the understanding of what many times is a complex set of circumstances that lead to conflicts (see diagram of World War I Powder Keg).

While the term is used sometimes to refer to the entire region of Europe it is almost always used to specifically describe countries on the Balkan peninsula and particularly the ex-Yugoslavian countries. The most cited event attributed to the use of the term was the assassination of Franz Ferdinand that took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1914 which triggered World War I.

Bashar Hafez al-Assad (Arabic: بشار حافظ الأسد‎, Baššār al-ʾAsad, ‎‎‎Arabic pronunciation: [bæʃˈʃɑːɾɪlˈʔæsæd])‎; born 11 September 1965) is the current President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Syrian-led branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000.

Al-Assad graduated from the medical school of the University of Damascus in 1988, and started to work as a doctor in the army. Four years later, he attended postgraduate studies at the Western Eye Hospital, in London, specializing in ophthalmology. In 1994, Al-Assad entered the military academy and in 1998, Al-Assad took charge of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. In December 2000, Assad married Asma Assad, née Akhras. Al-Assad was elected as President of Syria in 2000 and 2007, unopposed each time. During the Syrian uprising, activists and protesters have called for President al-Assad's resignation.

Bashar Hafez al-Assad was born in Damascus on 11 September 1965, the son of Aniseh (née Makhluf) and Hafez al-Assad. His father, Hafez al-Assad, born to a poor family of Alawite background, had risen through the Party ranks, to take control of the Syrian-led branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in the 1970 Corrective Revolution, thus installing himself as president. Hafez al-Assad purged the Party, and introduced effective Alawite rule of Syria.