Shatter belt, shatter zone[1] or crush zone[2] is a concept in geopolitics 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.
[3] The term was first applied in geopolitics in 1961 by Gordon East, an American scholar from Indiana University Bloomington.
Shatter belts are defined as strategically positioned areas which are characterized by a greater inclination towards internal division, which gives rise to a high number of conflicts, and at the same time are strategically important for the great powers.
Regarding their engagement and close connection with major and global conflicts of power, shatter belts are at the same time the main crisis hot spots or hard-to-reach areas in world politics and international relations.
[3] The Balkans,[7] Eastern Europe,[2][4] Caucasus,[8] Roof of the World and the Middle East[9] have been associated with this concept.