What is a shatterbelt in geography?
‘Shatterbelt’, a traditional geopolitical term not often appear- ing in the literature of geography or political science, refers to a distinct type of world region from which local turmoil escalates to serious conflict among outside major powers.
Why were Shatterbelts so important in classical geopolitics?
The conceptual foundation of the shatterbelts in the geopolitics stems from the analytical approach of examining the world map of states and empires in terms of their geopolitical struggle, military and political relations seen in relation to those strategically positioned areas that are characterized by a greater …
What is the concept of critical geopolitics?
Critical geopolitics is concerned with the geographical assumptions and designations that underlie the making of world politics. The goal of critical geopolitics is to elucidate and explain how political actors spatialize international politics and represent it as a “world” characterized by particular types of places.
What are Shatterbelts in AP Human Geography?
shatterbelt. a region caught between stronger colliding external cultural-political forces, under persistent stress, and often fragmented by aggressive rivals.
What is the significance of Shatterbelts?
According to the extant literature, shatterbelts seem to be strategically important regions of small and weak states which are experiencing substantial inter- and intrastate cleavage and which have become immediately important to the interests of rival major powers.
Is critical geopolitics a theory?
Critical geopolitics ‘theory’ is not fixed or homogeneous, but core features – especially a concern for discourse analysis – are fundamental. In a 2006 article in the journal Geopolitics (vol. 11/1), Phil Kelly of Emporia State University argues that it is possible.
Who invented critical geopolitics?
Simon Dalby
The term critical geopolitics was first coined by Simon Dalby (1990) in his analysis of the representational strategies of the Committee on Present Danger (a conservative foreign policy interest group) in the 1970s and 1980s.
What’s the difference between the eastern European and Caucasus Shatterbelts?
In general, the Eastern European Shatterbelt applies to ex-Communist nations. When compared to other countries, the region is culturally very homogeneous, but it has a long history of disputes. On the other side, the Shatterbelt of the Caucasus has a range of very wide variations.
What is an example of a multicore state?
Nigeria is a good example of a multi-core state because Nigeria’s areas are ethnically diverse. Nigeria’s Northern core is primarily Muslim and Nigeria’s Southern core is Christian. This can be controversial because each area can pull the country in different directions causing the country to eventually split apart.
What is the role of a shatterbelt in geography?
Shatterbelts sometimes serve as buffer zones between hostile states or empires, and historically have played an important role in geopolitics.
What does the shatter belt mean in geopolitics?
Shatter belt is a concept in geopolitics according to which on the political map are recognized and analyzed strategically positioned and oriented regions that are deeply internally divided and encompassed in the competition between the great powers in the geostrategic areas and spheres .
Where are the shatterbelts of South America located?
For instance, during the colonial and immediate republican periods, two shatterbelts appeared in eastern South America at the estuaries of the Amazon and the la Plata Rivers, the latter being the more important to continental geopolitics because it resulted in creating the Uruguayan state and it re-enforced the continental “checkerboard” structure.
Why did shatterbelts occur in the Middle East?
Shatterbelts in the Middle East and Africa emerged in the latter 20th century due to the collapse of imperialism, and the subsequent devolution of structures of governance to multiple independent states, most of which had never existed prior to the collapse of colonial authority.