# Green Belt Theory

The Green Belt Theory is a geopolitical theory that was proposed during the Cold War era. It explains the Western world's series of efforts in some countries to regenerate religion in their societies and make a strong preventive belt against the Soviet Union at the time. It supposedly starts with establishing religious schools in India and continues with supporting religious governments in Pakistan in the 1940s. It resulted in the arming of religious groups in Afghanistan, in the 1980s.

## Background

From the nineteenth century, Lord Curzon brought with him a strategy of creating "a Moslem nexus of states" in the Middle East as a shield to ward off Russian expansion. He proposed to take advantage of the situation by putting his British-sponsored Moslem nexus of states into place, When the Bolshevik Revolution brought about Russia's withdrawal from her forward positions. That nexus would have been a line across the Middle East from the Ottoman Empire through the Persian Empire to the khanates and emirates of Central Asia and Afghanistan in the nineteenth century.

## 1979 Iranian Revolution

In relation to the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, the "Green Belt Hypothesis" is a geopolitical theory that was proposed during the Cold War era. It suggests that the United States, along with some Western powers, supported the creation of a "Green Belt" composed of Islamic fundamentalist states, in this case, Iran, in the regions surrounding the Soviet Union.
The hypothesis posits that the intention behind this support was to weaken and destabilize the Soviet Union by promoting Islamist movements as a counterforce. The term "Green Belt" refers to the Islamic symbolism associated with the color green, which is often linked to Islam.
According to the theory, by encouraging the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and supporting groups such as the Mujahideen in Afghanistan, the Western powers aimed to divert Soviet attention and resources away from their own territories. The idea was that by promoting Islamic fundamentalist movements, the Soviet Union would face internal challenges and unrest within its Muslim-populated regions, potentially leading to its eventual downfall. Territories such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan that were separated after USSR dissolution, and now have each become an independent country, were parts of the Persian Empire throughout the history and deemed potentially influenceable from the incidents in Iran by Carter administration who were also in close cooperation with France and Britain to empower Khomeini. Similarly, the regions such as Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Kabardino-Balkaria within Russia itself- would have affected by the expected unrest as they had rich cultural and religious identities within the Russian Federation but linked closely to that of many Iranian populations. They predicted that the rest of the Muslim world and even Turkey would further sway towards religion due to the historical links with Iran.
This has been subject to debate and criticism. Some argue that there is evidence to support the idea of Western support for such a revolution during the Cold War as it has mobilized, influenced, or facilitated more and more extremist movements across the world. While others dispute its significance or question the extent to which it was an intentional strategy.