Everything about Geopolitics totally explained
Geopolitics is the study that analyzes
geography,
history and
social science with reference to
spatial politics and patterns at various scales (ranging from the level of the state to international). It examines the political, economic (see
geoeconomics) and strategic significance of geography, where geography is defined in terms of the location, size, function, and relationships of places and resources.
The term was coined by
Rudolf Kjellén, a Swedish political scientist, at the beginning of the
20th century. Kjellén was inspired by the German geographer
Friedrich Ratzel, who published his book
Politische Geographie (
political geography) in 1897, popularized in English by American diplomat
Robert Strausz-Hupé, a faculty member of the
University of Pennsylvania.
Halford Mackinder
The doctrine of Geopolitics gained attention largely through the work of
Sir Halford Mackinder in England and his formulation of the
Heartland Theory in 1904. The doctrine involved concepts diametrically opposed to the notion of
Alfred Thayer Mahan about the significance of navies (he coined the term
sea power) in world conflict. The Heartland theory hypothesized the possibility for a huge empire being brought into existence in the
Heartland, which wouldn't need to use coastal or transoceanic transport to supply its military industrial complex but would instead use railways, and that this empire couldn't be defeated by all the rest of the world against it.
The basic notions of Mackinder's doctrine involve considering the geography of the
Earth as being divided into two sections, the
World Island, comprising
Eurasia and
Africa; and the
Periphery, including the
Americas, the
British Isles, and
Oceania. Not only was the Periphery noticeably smaller than the World Island, it necessarily required much sea transport to function at the technological level of the World Island, which contained sufficient natural resources for a developed economy. Also, the industrial centers of the Periphery were necessarily located in widely-separated locations. The World Island could send its navy to destroy each one of them in turn. It could locate its own industries in a region further inland than the Periphery could,so they'd have a longer struggle reaching them, and would be facing a well-stocked industrial bastion. This region Mackinder termed the
Heartland. It essentially comprised
Ukraine, Western
Russia, and
Mitteleuropa. The Heartland contained the grain reserves of
Ukraine, and many other natural resources. Mackinder's notion of geopolitics can be summed up in his saying "Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland. Who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island. Who rules the World-Island commands the world." His doctrine was influential during the
World Wars and the
Cold War, for
Germany and later
Russia each made territorial strides toward the Heartland.
Mackinder's geopolitical theory has been criticised as being too sweeping, his interpretation of human history and geography too simple and mechanistic. In his analysis of the importance of mobility, and the move from sea to rail transport, he failed to predict the revolutionary impact of air power. Critically also he underestimated the importance of social organization in the development of power.
Other theories
After
World War I, Kjellen's thoughts and the term were picked up and extended by a number of scientists: in Germany by
Karl Haushofer,
Erich Obst,
Hermann Lautensach and
Otto Maull; in England, Mackinder and
James Fairgrieve; in France
Vidal de la Blache and
Vallaux. In
1923 Karl Haushofer founded the "Zeitschrift für Geopolitik" (Journal for Geopolitics), which developed as a propaganda organ for
Nazi Germany. However, more recently Haushofer's influence within the
Nazi Party has been questioned (O'Tuathail, 1996) since Haushofer failed to incorporate the Nazis' racial ideology into his work.
Anton Zischka published
Afrika, Europas Gemeinschaftsaufgabe Nr. 1 (Africa, Complement of Europe) in
1952, where he proposed a kind of North–South Empire, from
Stockholm to
Johannesburg.
Since then, the word
geopolitics has been applied to other theories, most notably the notion of the
Clash of Civilizations by
Samuel Huntington. In a peaceable world, neither sea lanes nor surface transport are threatened; hence all countries are effectively close enough to one another physically. It is in the realm of the political ideas, workings, and cultures that there are differences, and the term has shifted more towards this arena, especially in its popular usage. Traditionally, it strictly applies to geography's effect on politics.
Definitions
Institutions on geopolitics
An increasing number of (inter)national institutions exist that work on (aspects of) Geopolitics:
- International Centre for Geopolitical Studies (I.C.G.S.) located in Geneva (Switzerland):
Founded in June 2001, I.C.G.S. has the objective of reinforcing international stability and security through the promotion of a better understanding of the causes of conflicts and tensions. As such, I.C.G.S. engages in analysis and studies of world geopolitical issues in order to facilitate a more complex reading of the evolutions taking place in contemporary international relations. It organises a successful annual Summer University Course Geopolitical Analysis of International Relations (two weeks in July each year).
- Institut Français de Géopolitique (I.F.G.) located in Paris (France):
Created in 1989 out of the journal 'Hérodote. Revue de Géographie et de Géopolitique', the I.F.G. is embedded within the University Paris VIII. It offers a Diplôme de Géopolitique (DEA).
- Instytut Geopolityki (Institute of Geopolitics) located in Czestochowa (Poland)
Iranian Association of Geopolitics 
(IAG) located in Tehran (Iran)Further Information
Get more info on 'Geopolitics'.
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