Geopolitical TheoryGeopolitical Theory

20122012

What is Geopolitics?What is Geopolitics?►GeopoliticsGeopolitics

The study of power relationships past, The study of power relationships past, present, and futurepresent, and future

The study of the relationship among politics The study of the relationship among politics and geography, demography, and and geography, demography, and economics, especially with respect to the economics, especially with respect to the foreign policy of a nation. foreign policy of a nation.

A branch of political geography that A branch of political geography that considers the strategic value of land and considers the strategic value of land and sea area in the context of national economic sea area in the context of national economic and military power and ambitionsand military power and ambitions

What is Geopolitics?What is Geopolitics?►GeopoliticsGeopolitics

The state’s power to control space or territory The state’s power to control space or territory and shape the foreign policy of individual states and shape the foreign policy of individual states and international political relationsand international political relations

Geopolitics is concerned with how geographical Geopolitics is concerned with how geographical factors, including territory, population, strategic factors, including territory, population, strategic location, and natural resource endowments, as location, and natural resource endowments, as modified by economics and technology, affect modified by economics and technology, affect the relations between states and the struggle the relations between states and the struggle for world domination. for world domination.

Geopolitics is defined as a branch of geography Geopolitics is defined as a branch of geography that promises to explain the relationships that promises to explain the relationships between geographical realities and between geographical realities and international affairs.international affairs.

Alfred Thayer Mahan: 1890Alfred Thayer Mahan: 1890

► sea power necessary to facilitate trade and sea power necessary to facilitate trade and peaceful commercepeaceful commerce

► the country that possessed power would be the country that possessed power would be one that could control the seasone that could control the seas

► development of a strong navy was an development of a strong navy was an essential ingredient to a powerful state as essential ingredient to a powerful state as was the country's locationwas the country's location

►most power would be held by a country with most power would be held by a country with accessible relative location and connected accessible relative location and connected with a long coastline and good harborswith a long coastline and good harbors

► power held north of the Suez and Panama power held north of the Suez and Panama Canals. Canals.

MahanMahan

Ratzel: 1897Ratzel: 1897

►"organic theory“"organic theory“►the state is an organism attached to the state is an organism attached to

the earth that competes with other the earth that competes with other states to thrivestates to thrive

►state requires lebensraum - living state requires lebensraum - living spacespace

►must devour other territories to must devour other territories to achieve this goal achieve this goal

Sir Halford Mackinder: 1904Sir Halford Mackinder: 1904► unequal spatial distribution of strategic opportunities in unequal spatial distribution of strategic opportunities in

the world the world ► advent of railroads released countries from dependence advent of railroads released countries from dependence

on Navy to move Armyon Navy to move Army► focus of warfare would be shifted from the sea to the focus of warfare would be shifted from the sea to the

hinterlandhinterland► "pivot area“"pivot area“

northern and interior parts of the Eurasian continent northern and interior parts of the Eurasian continent where the rivers flow to the Arctic or to salt seas and where the rivers flow to the Arctic or to salt seas and lakeslakes

► railroads would make this area easy to defend and hard to railroads would make this area easy to defend and hard to conquer  conquer 

► Heartland Theory: "He who controls the Heartland controls Heartland Theory: "He who controls the Heartland controls the World Island (Eurasia and Africa); He who controls the the World Island (Eurasia and Africa); He who controls the World Island, controls the world."  World Island, controls the world." 

► believed Germany would be a threat to controlling the believed Germany would be a threat to controlling the resources of Eastern Europe and the Heartland. resources of Eastern Europe and the Heartland.

MackinderMackinder

MackinderMackinder

Hauschofer: abt 1914Hauschofer: abt 1914

►proponent of Mackinder's Heartland proponent of Mackinder's Heartland TheoryTheory

► identified three pan regionsidentified three pan regions►pan regions were north/south situated pan regions were north/south situated

blocs of power blocs of power Anglo America/Latin AmericaAnglo America/Latin America Europe (German dominated)/Africa and Europe (German dominated)/Africa and

IndiaIndia Japan/Southeast Asia Japan/Southeast Asia 

Hauschofer: abt 1914Hauschofer: abt 1914

Nicholas Spykman: abt 1942Nicholas Spykman: abt 1942► economically, politically and militarily, the northern half economically, politically and militarily, the northern half

of the world would always be more important than the of the world would always be more important than the southern half, and that the location of a state north or southern half, and that the location of a state north or south of the Equator would play a large part in south of the Equator would play a large part in determining the significance of the statedetermining the significance of the state

► contrary to Mackinder's Heartland Theorycontrary to Mackinder's Heartland Theory► both sea and land power were importantboth sea and land power were important► the real potential of Eurasia was in the “inner crescent”the real potential of Eurasia was in the “inner crescent”► Rimland:Rimland:

Western EuropeWestern Europe Middle EastMiddle East South AsiaSouth Asia Southeast Asia and the Far EastSoutheast Asia and the Far East

► Rimland was accessible to the sea and to interior Rimland was accessible to the sea and to interior regions  regions 

► "Who controls the Rimland rules Eurasia; who rules "Who controls the Rimland rules Eurasia; who rules Eurasia controls the destinies of the world." Eurasia controls the destinies of the world."

SpykmanSpykman

A.P. Seversky: abt 1952A.P. Seversky: abt 1952

►air power made land battles obsoleteair power made land battles obsolete►whoever controls the skies would be whoever controls the skies would be

the world powerthe world power►U.S. and the U.S.S.R. U.S. and the U.S.S.R. ►an area of intersection was the “area an area of intersection was the “area

of decision”of decision”►whoever controlled this area would be whoever controlled this area would be

dominant dominant

Immanuel Wallerstein: Immanuel Wallerstein: 1970’s1970’s► A world system: is a social system, one that has boundaries, A world system: is a social system, one that has boundaries,

structures, member groups, rules of legitimization, and structures, member groups, rules of legitimization, and coherence. coherence.

► three geographic areasthree geographic areas Core: Core:

►advanced areas advanced areas ► strong state structures and a national culturestrong state structures and a national culture►economic powers connected by trade and technologyeconomic powers connected by trade and technology►exploiters of the periphery  exploiters of the periphery 

Periphery:Periphery:►weak statesweak states►dependent on coredependent on core►colonial states or states with a low degree of autonomy  colonial states or states with a low degree of autonomy 

Semi Periphery:Semi Periphery:►act as a buffer between the core and the peripheryact as a buffer between the core and the periphery►emerging somewhat but still dependent on the coreemerging somewhat but still dependent on the core

Immanuel Wallerstein: Immanuel Wallerstein: 1970’s1970’s