Turkey conquered the Balkans five centuries ago. Now Turkish power is making inroads through friendlier means.
Two Turkish-run universities have opened in Bosnia's Ottoman-influenced capital in recent years, bringing an influx of Turkish students and culture to a predominantly Muslim country still reeling from a brutal ethnic war almost two decades ago.
Turkish investment has expanded across the Balkans, even in Croatia and Serbia, where mostly Christian residents remember the sultans from Constantinople as occupiers, not liberators. Turkey has helped broker talks between formerly bitter enemies in the Balkans. And the growing presence has given Turkey an expanding field of influence in Europe at a time when the country's prospects of joining the European Union appear dubious.