Geopolitics as an Element of Strategic Environment ( - SESS - )

Geopolitics is about politics! PROVE IT !

05/04/11

Competing visions of the new geopolitics.

1. Classical geopolitics 2. Historical geopolitics of the early twentieth century 3. The old and the new geopolitics, 4. the multidimensional new geopolitics of the late twentieth century.
the imperialist origins of geopolitical thought Cold War geopolitics -Post Cold War geopolitics new world order geopolitics
05/04/11 2

Discourse Imperialist geopolitics

Key intelectuals A.T . Mahan

Dominant lexicon Sea power

Mckinder
Ratzel Cold War Geopolitics George Kennan

Land power
Lebensraum Containment

New World Order Geopolitics

Gorbachev Bush leaders of G7, IMF ect

New thinking US led World Order Transnational Lib

Environmetal Geopolitics

05/04/11

Geopolitics, geopower, geostrategy, geoeconomic

Geopolitics
The region of knowledge Knowledge of what ?

Who are the the thinkers ? Intellectuals like : 1.Alfred Mahan and Nicholas Spykman in the United States, 2.Friedrich Ratzel and Karl Haushofer in Germany, 3.Rudolf Kjellen in Sweden, and 4.Halford Mackinder in Great Britain

geopolitical tradition.
05/04/11 4

Coined in 1899 dynamics of the world political map.

Coined originally in 1899 by a Swedish political scientist named Rudolf Kjellen, the word geopolitics has had a long and varied history in the twentieth century, moving well beyond its original meaning in Kjellens work to signify a general concern with geography and politics (geo-politics). Kjellen and other imperialist thinkers understood geopolitics as that part of Western imperial knowledge that dealt with the relationship between the physical earth and politics. Cold War, geopolitics was used to describe the global contest between the Soviet Union and the United States for influence and control over the states and strategic resources of the world
superpower game of balance-of-power politics played out across the global political map

05/04/11

New visions of Geopolitics

Perspective 1: the end of the Cold War has allowed the emergence of a new geopolitical order dominated by geo-economic questions and issues, . Perspective 2:

The new geopolitics describes a world dominated no longer by territorial struggles between competing blocs but by emerging transnational problems like terrorism, nuclear proliferation and clashing civilizations.

05/04/11

Geography History Social Science

Geopolitics is the art and practice of using political power over a

given territory. Traditionally, the term has applied primarily to the impact of geography on politics, but its usage has evolved over the past century to encompass a wider connotation. In academic circles, the study of geopolitics involves the analysis of geogrpahy, history and social science with reference to spatial politics and patterns at various scales (ranging from the level of the state to international). The term was coined by Rudolf Kjellen a Swedish political scientist, at the beginning of the 20th century.

Kjelln was inspired by the German geographer F. Ratzel , who published his book Politische Geographie (Politial geography ) in 1897.
05/04/11 7

political geography
Geopolitics is studying geopolitical systems. The ecopolitical system is, the ensemble of relations etween the interests of international political actors, interests focused to an area, space, geographical element Geopolitics as a branch of political geography is the study of reciprocal relations between: 1.geography, politics and power and 2. also the interactions arising from combination of them with each other.

According to this definition, geopolitics is a scientific discipline and has a basic science nature.
05/04/11 8

Ratzel
Ratzel
The geopolitical theory of Frederich Ratzel (1844-1904) . 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. Mackinder's fall into the category of geo-strategy, which is a sub-component within the broader study of contemporary geopolitics and geopolitical change
05/04/11 9

After WW 1, the thoughts of Kjellen (1864-1922), a Swedish political scientist, and the term "geopolitics", which he coined, were picked up and extended by a number of scientists: in Germany by Karl Haushfer Erich Obst, Hermann Lautensach and Otto Maull ; in England, Mackinder and Jame Faigrieve In France Vidal Dela Blache and Camille Vallaux.
The concept of geopolitics initially gained attention through the work
of Sir

Harold Mackinder

in England and his formulation of

the in 1904. Mackinder's doctrine of geopolitics involved concepts diametrically opposed to the notion of

Heartland theory

Alfred Mayhan

about the significance coined the term sea power) in world conflict 05/04/11

of navies (he
10

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 remain coherent. The basic notions of Mackinder's doctrine involve considering the geography of the Earth as being divided into two sections: 1.the World Island or Core, comprising Eurasia and Africa and 2.the Periphery, including the American, the Biritsh Isles and Oceania

05/04/11

11

Periphery noticeably smaller than the World Island

the World Island, which contained sufficient natural resources for a developed economy
the industrial centers of the Periphery were necessarily located in widely separated locations.

It could locate its own industries in a region further inland than the Periphery could, so they would have a longer struggle reaching them, and would face a well-stocked industrial bastion.

Your conclusion ?

05/04/11

12

Inti tesis Mackinder Who rules East Europe, commands the Heartland Who rules the Heartland, commands the World-Island. Who rules the World-Island, commands the World

Mackinder called this region the Heartland. It essentially comprised Ukraine, Western Russia and Central Europe .

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 WW 1 and the Cold War , for Germany and later Russia each made territorial strides toward the Heartland
05/04/11 13

Clash of Civilization new vision of geopolitics

The word geopolitics has been applied to other theories, most notably the notion of the Clash of Civilization by Samuel Hutington . 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.

05/04/11

14

YOUR TASK

1. Search other contemporary visions of geopolitics

2. Analyse the implication of your contemporary vision of geopolitics on the future development of world security

05/04/11

15

Referensi
1. Gearid Tuathail, Simon Dalby and

Paul Routledge, The geopolitics Reader, 1999

2. Gearoid O Tuathal , Critical Geopolitics . The Politics of Writing Global Space, 1997 3. Colin Flint, Introduction to Geopolitics, 2006

05/04/11

16