Modern geopolitics views geography as a set of opportunities and limitations that affect the decision-makers range of options rather than as an unchangeable destiny.

This geographical factor, together with the political options chosen, can lead to very different outcomes from region to region.

For instance, Cohen (1991) distinguished between “gateways” and “shatter belts.”

Gateways are regions where various societies and nations foster international cooperation and economic growth. The European Union and the nations taking part in China’s Belt and Road Initiative are two well-known examples of gateways.

Shatter belts are regions where there are frequent interregional conflicts and competition among foreign powers for sway, as we see in the Middle East.

Cohen, S. 1991. “Geopolitical Change in the Post-Cold War Era.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 81 (4): 551–80.