Fascist Italy locked down its neighborhood from 1926 to 1930 using targeted pacts. Treaties covered everything from the Italo-Rumanian pact fueling a Danubian vision to the Treaty of Defensive Alliance with Albania, setting up the Adriatic front against Yugoslavia. Furthermore, the 1928 Greco-Italian treaty allegedly allowed Greece to secure its position by appealing to Britain and France while making financial overtures to Rome.

Commenters are split on the core motive. Some argue Mussolini simply pursued naked imperialist ambition, obsessed with Mediterranean dominance. Others, like the analysis of the Greco-Italian deal, suggest local players, such as Venizelos, were running complex survival balancing acts, not just Italian dictates. The concrete evidence cited points to economic leverage: the Turkish agreement secured Italian influence via naval contracts, while the Hungarian pact promised preferential trade status.

The consensus points to a calculated, multi-front resource grab. Italy didn't just annex; it signed deals—with economic teeth in them—to guarantee resource flow and geopolitical positioning across the entire Balkan theater, with the specific monetary and trade benefits always underpinning the 'national glory' narrative.