Shatter belt is a

concept Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs. They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...

geopolitics Geopolitics (from Greek γῆ ''gê'' "earth, land" and πολιτική ''politikḗ'' "politics") is the study of the effects of Earth's geography (human and physical) on politics and international relations. While geopolitics usually refers to ...

referring to strategically-positioned and -oriented regions on a political map that are deeply internally divided and encompassed in the competition between the great powers in geostrategic areas and spheres.

Definitions

The conceptual foundation of the shatterbelts in the

stems from the analytical approach of examining the world map of states and empires in terms of their

geopolitical Geopolitics (from Greek γῆ ''gê'' "earth, land" and πολιτική ''politikḗ'' "politics") is the study of the effects of Earth's geography (human and physical) on politics and international relations. While geopolitics usually refers to ...

struggle, military and

political relations Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

seen in relation to those strategically positioned areas that are characterized by a greater inclination of internal division from which they arise

conflicts Conflict may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton * ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne * ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...

and at the same time are strategically important for the

great power A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power inf ...

s. Linking the term fragility ("on glass") is an obvious result of long-standing clashes with a great deal of disruptive influence, light chaos and, in general, a propensity for devastating conflicts in these regions. Hence, the term "shatter belt" itself is generally referring to a

geographical region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

that is endangered by local conflicts within the states or between countries in the region, as well as the involvement of the opposing

great powers A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power in ...

outside the region. The concept of the shatter belt - a fragment of fragility in

is still defined as strategically positioned and oriented

regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

that are both deeply internally divided and captured in the competition between the

s in the

geostrategic Geostrategy, a subfield of geopolitics, is a type of foreign policy guided principally by geographical factors as they inform, constrain, or affect political and military planning. As with all strategies, geostrategy is concerned with matching mea ...

areas and

spheres The Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellite (SPHERES) are a series of miniaturized satellites developed by MIT's Space Systems Laboratory for NASA and US Military, to be used as a low-risk, extensible test bed for the ...

. Regions marked as a fragile belt are often blamed for a large scale of

interstate war This is a list of interstate wars since 1945. Interstate warfare has been defined as military conflict between separate states over a territory. This does not include civil wars and wars of independence, or smaller clashes with limited casualties ...

/ conflict, especially in relation to major power conflicts. Regarding their engagement and close connection with major and global conflicts of power, the regions considered as shatter belts are at the same time the main crisis hot spots or hard-to-reach areas in world politics and

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

. Therefore, both the analogy and the comparison to geology where active

Shatter belt In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectoni ...

s i.e. faults in geology scattered zones are common places of earthquake occurrence. Therefore, unlike most geopolitical regions that have a different degree of cohesion, the regions that are considered as fragile bands are global destabilizers. Throughout the twentieth century the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

were in this position.{{Cite web, last=Humanist, date=2 October 2015, title=Dictionary of Geography: Shatterbelt, url=http://dictionaryofgeography.blogspot.com/2015/10/shatterbelt.html, access-date=17 May 2021, website=Dictionary of Geography Today the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

region would fit the definition.

References

Geopolitics Belt regions