Shatter-belt Countries
They affect the rest of the world, too.
The Shatter-Belt Locations
A Shatterbelt is a region in the world where persistent splintering and fracturing take place and major world powers compete for influence.
Sudan
Sudan was a country that ended up splitting in to Sudan and South Sudan in 2011, after the Heglig Crisis, due to cultural conflicts. The southern part of the country was dominated by people who were Christian or Administs beliefs, while the government of the country was Muslim and Arab. This caused great conflicts between the two sides of the country, making them split into two different countries with different governments.
The United States is an ally to South Sudan. During the Heglig Crisis, the US sent military help to South Sudan. They also recognized them the day they declared their independence. On the other hand, Sudan has a better relation with Russia, China, Morocco, and Belarus, but very limited. Sudan's economic system is poor, so its allies are barely.
Balkans
The Balkan Peninsula is a region consisting of 11 different countries. These countries are Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia. This causes a lot of different problems. From cultural barriers to different ethnic groups as well as nationalities, this region is very diverse.
During WW1, the Balkans really split on who is on which side. This made the allies be different with each country. They do not all share a common ally. Now, not many things are being done because there is not fear of a war starting up in the Balkan region.
Ukraine & Russia
Russia has been trying to get back to countries that were part of the Soviet Union. Ukraine was first invaded by Russia in 2014. Ever since, battles have been happening in Ukraine. The Eastern part wants to be part of Russia again, while the Western part does not. This has caused a lot of rebellion in the country and protests for eastern ukraine to join Russia.
Ukraine has an alliance with the US. The US has been sending military equipment and money to Ukraine for them to defend themselves with the Russian invasions. Russia has been an enemy of the US since WW1. A lot of political conflicts are arousing with this conflicts.
Turkey, Syria, & Iraq
Turkey, Syria, and Iraq all have a conflict they share which is who controls the Euphrates-Tigris River, but they also have conflicts of their own that affect one another. In Turkey, the main conflict is the Syrian refugees that are fleeing from Syria's Civil war. Syria is having a civil war because the regime and Islamic State are fighting over who is going to be dominant. In Iraq, Kurds are fighting for their independence in the country and is having protests about the corruption in their government.
The US invaded Iraq and got rid of their threats of weapons and mass destructions. The US is an ally of Turkey, but the World Bank has been the one helping with the fundings for the 2 million refugees. Iran is helping Syria with its Civil War since they are close allies.
Vietnam
The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, was a war between North and South Vietnam. The cause of the war was the spread of communism to East Asia and the US trying to stop it. During this war, the country was split in two because of their political beliefs. The US was part of South Vietnam while the USSR and China were part of North Vietnam. North Vietnam was pro-communism while South Vietnam was anti-communism. The war broke when USSR was trying to spread the communism to the eastern part of Asia, wanting to take over Vietnam. This created the country to become a shatterbelt, with two different political views on different regions of the country.