Geopolitics= Geographical factors+ Politics
Geographical factors refer to state’s location, climate, natural resources, populations and physical terrain. All these
factors can help or hinder a country’s social, political or economic development.
Politics means struggle to promote one’s interest
Geopolitics is the study of the influence of geographical factors on state behavior. It studies how location, climate,
natural resources, population and physical terrain determine a state’s foreign policy options and its position in the
hierarchy of the states.
Geopolitics VS Political Geography
▪ Geopolitics studies how geography shapes politics
▪ geopolitics, analysis of the geographic influences on power relationships in international relations..
▪ Geopolitics is the study how geography affects international power dynamics.
▪ Geopolitics looks at the use of space to achieve power and influence.
▪ Geopolitics studies how nations and states use geography to gain advantages in international politics.
Political geopraphy
▪ Geopolitics studies how geography shapes politics
▪ geopolitics, analysis of the geographic influences on power relationships in international relations.
▪ Geopolitics is the study how geography affects international power dynamics.
▪ Geopolitics looks at the use of space to achieve power and influence.
▪ Geopolitics studies how nations and states use geography to gain advantages in international politics.
Evolution of the concept of Geopolitics
The term geopolitics is generally regarded as being first used by Swedish political scientist Rudolf Kjellen
(1864–1922) in an 1899 article in the Swedish geographical journal Ymer, and Kjellen used the German term
Geopolitik in a 1905 article in the German journal Geographische Zeitschrift.
Friedrich Ratzel (1844–1904)
⮚ Ratzel was a major German geographer and is regarded as a founder of modern human and political
geography. He became a professor of geography at the University of Munich in 1876.
⮚ “Laws of the Spatial Growth of States,” published in 1896, described the state’s expansion through war as a
natural and progressive tendency.
⮚ Political Geography (1897), lebensraum to German political discourse and present what he considered
seven laws on state growth:
1. State space increases with cultural growth.
2. Territorial growth follows other developmental aspects.
3. A state grows by absorbing other, smaller units.
4. Frontiers are peripheral state organs reflecting a state’s strength and growth and are not permanent.
5. States seek to absorb politically valuable territory as they grow.
6. A primitive states’s incentive to grow comes from a more highly developed state.
7. Tendencies toward territorial growth increase as they pass from state to state.
Rudolf Kjellén (1864–1922)
⮚ His geopolitical thought was influenced by German idealist philosophy, social Darwinism, and prevailing
imperialist views.
⮚ He defined geopolitics as the study of the state as a geographical organism or spatial phenomenon with
particular emphasis on a state’s location in relation to other states, its territorial form, and its size.
⮚ Staaten som Lifsform (1916 & 1924)
⮚ Following steps in analysis of state- geopolitik, demopolitik, oekopolitik, sociopolitik, kratopolitik
Karl Haushofer (1869–1946)
He increasingly began seeing sea power as an important element in his geopolitical Weltanschauung, and his
thought and writings would divide the earth into three north-south regions with a core and periphery and Arctic,
temperate, and tropical environments. These regions, which had the potential for economic self-sufficiency, were-
• Pan-America, with the United States as the core
• Eurafrica, with Germany as the core
• East Asia, with Japan as the core and Australia as the periphery
⮚ Haushofer’s geopolitical ideology had clear imperialist proclivities by the 1920s as he sought to increase
German territory.
Heartland Theory
Sir Halford John Mackinder (1861-1947) was an English geographer, academic and politician who is regarded
as one of the founding fathers of both geopolitics and geography.
▪ In 1904, Mackinder gave a paper on The Geopolitical Pivot of History at the Royal Geographical Society, in
which he formulated the Heartland Theory.
▪ His next major work, Democratic Ideals and Reality: A Study in the Politics of Reconstruction, appeared in
1919.
Main Preposition
The books most famous quote was:
“Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland;
Who rules the Heartland commands the World Island;
Who rules the World Island commands the World.’’
Mackinder’s last major work was the 1943 article, “The Round World and the Winning of the Peace,” in which he
envisioned a post-war world.
World Island: World Island is comprised of Eurasia and Africa which are 2/3rd of the world area.
The Heartland or Pivot Area: Heartland landmass is comprised of the central part of Eurasia and surrounding by
mountainous fortresses by three sides and the Arctic Ocean by North. It is not accessible by sea power as mountain
works like a fortress. Russia (Western china, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Iraq)
Inner or marginal crescent: The heartland is surrounded by inner or marginal crescent. It includes Western Europe,
West Asia, Indian subcontinents, Southeast Asia, Eastern China.
Offshore Islands: UK and Japan
Outer Crescent: North America, South America, Australia
Modified in 1919 included Black & Baltic Sea Basins
Concept of Midland basin, 1943
Midland Basin included the countries that surrounded the Midland Ocean i.e. Western Europe (France, Belgium,
Britain, etc.) and North America
According to this theory, any power which controlled the World-Island would control well over 50% of the world’s
resources. The Heartland’s size and central position made it the key to controlling the World-Island.
Mackinder held that effective political domination of the Heartland by a single power had been unattainable in the
past because:
. The Heartland was protected from sea power by ice to the north and mountains and deserts to the south.
. Previous land invasions from east to west and vice versa were unsuccessful because lack of efficient transportation
made it impossible to assure a continual stream of men and supplies.
MACKINDER
He outlined the following ways in which the heartland might become a springboard for global domination in the
twentieth century
1. Successful invasion of Russia by a west European nation (most probably Germany). Mackinder believed that
the introduction of the railroad had removed the Heartland’s invulnerability to land invasion.
2. A Russo-German alliance.
3. Conquest of Russia by a Sino-Japanese empire
One of Mackinder’s personal objectives was to warn Britain that its traditional reliance on sea power would become
a weakness as improved land transport opened up the Heartland for invasion and/or industrialization.
Rim land Theory
NICHOLAS JOHN SPYKMAN (13 October 1893 – 26 June 1943) was an American political scientist who was one of the
founders of the classical realist school in American foreign policy, transmitting Eastern European political thought to
the United States.
According to Spykman,
Geography is the most fundamental factor in foreign policy because it is the most permanent.
Even more important than the size of a state, is location, both in the world and in a particular region.
“States, cannot escape their geography. However skilled that Foreign Office, and however resourceful the General
Staff.
A state’s foreign policy must reckon with geographic facts. It can deal with them skillfully or ineptly;
It can modify them; but it cannot ignore them. For geography does not argue. It simply is.”
Spykman published two books on foreign policy.
1. America’s Strategy in World Politics was published in 1942, soon after the entry of the United States into World
War ll.
Concerned with the balance of power, he argued that isolationism, which relied on the oceans to protect the United
States (“hemispheric” or “quarter defense”), was bound to fail.
2. The Geography of the Peace (1944) was published the year after Spykman’s death. He explained his geostrategy
and argued that the balance of power in Eurasia directly affected US security.
In 1944, Spykman as the point of critic or antithetic to the Heartland Theory presented his work titled “The
Rimland Theory” in his book- “The Geography of Peace”
He gave a different interpretation of the relative importance of Heartland (Land Power) vis-a-vis the surrounding
Inner and Outer Crescent.
His theory has been based on the 2 basic postulates of Mackinder:
1. Geographical Causation of History
2. The conflict between Land Power and Sea power
2 Tier System
A. Inner Core
It is similar to the Heartland
He said that Heartland is a region of Physiographic difficulties with barriers and climatic such as Siberia
The resources are dormant
Human Population is absent
It is neither a nature fortress nor the protected Land
It is allowing access to others such as the central Asian deserts, Steppes, Low mountains, River Valleys are several
gateways
Moreover, this region is inhabited by Tribal and primitive civilization and by no means it can affect the geopolitics of
the world. It is a Land of Miseries with no prosperity.
B. Rim land
Similar to the Inner Crescent and has all the majestic sea powers, which scripted the history of modern civilization
All the area of Rim land is connected to water i.e. The seas or oceans e.g. China, India, ASEAN Countries, Gulf
Countries, etc.
To Spykman – “Heartland appeared less important than the Rim land” and his famous dictum was
“Who controls the Rim land rules Eurasia, who rules Eurasia controls the destinies of the World”
WHY RIMLAND IS IMPORTANT THAN HEARTLAND?
. At least 40 % of the world resources are in the Rim land area such a Oil, Continental Shelf resources, etc
. Rim land countries have huge population e.g. India, China, etc
. Rim land countries are undergoing war against terror, the war against weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs)
. Rim land consists mostly of developing Nations such as India, CLMV countries, Indonesia, etc.
After 1950, all major wars were Fought in Rim land-
. North-South Korea
. Sino India
. Arab Israel War
. Indo Pak war
. Gulf crisis
. Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq war
Rim land Theory on US Foreign Policy
Geostrategic importance of Rim land to US, needs to ally with UK
Counter Socialism in Rim land
Maintain supply of natural resources and Expand its market (Goods & Arms)
Maintain socio-economic, military tie with Rim land countries through NATO, SEATO, ASEAN, ANZUS
Establishing military bases in rimland countries
CRITICISM
Criticized on the ground of Advancement of war technology and Nuclear deterrence
. Spykman underestimated the role of the world community & UNO in promoting world peace
. World today is a global village and international law doesn’t permit territorial expansion i.e. Ratezel’s
Lebensraum was no longer applicable which considered State as a living organism and motivated Hitler for
a Greater German Reich(Realm)
. It is the time of Economic imperialism and not that of colonization e.g. Indian Markets by Chines Goods.
Understanding Critical Geopolitics
▪ Geopolitics first coined in 1899.
▪ It is a problem solving theory for the conceptualization and practice of statecraft.
▪ Geopolitics sees itself as an instrumental form of knowledge and rationality. It takes the existing
power structures for granted and works within these to provide conceptualization and advice to
foreign policy decision-makers.
▪ It dominant modes of narrative are
declarative (‘this is how the world is’) and
imperative (‘this is what we must do’).
▪ Is’ and ‘we’ mark its commitment to, on the one hand, to a particular geographically bounded
community and its cultural/political version of the truth of that world.
▪ Its enduring ‘plot’ is the global balance of power and the future of strategic advantage in an
anarchic world.
▪ Geopolitics is of the same ilk as political realism, distinguishing itself by its proclivity to find
‘geography’ as a singularly important element in foreign policy conceptualization and practice.
Critical Geopolitics
▪ Critical geopolitics is a problematizing theoretical enterprise that places the existing structures of
power and knowledge in question.
▪ Robert Cox ‘theory is always for someone and some purposes.’
▪ It seeks to recover the complexities of global political life and expose the power relationships that
characterize knowledge about geopolitics concealed by orthodox geopolitics.
▪ It also criticized the superficial and self-interested ways in which orthodox geopolitics ‘reads the
world political map’ by projecting its own cultural and political assumptions upon it while
concealing these assumptions.
Critical theorists reject three basic postulates of positivism:
1. An objective external reality.
2. The subject/object distinction.
3. Value-free social science.
Theoretical debate is purely a political debate.
Critical geopolitics challenges the Eurocentrism (Samir Amin- 1989)
During cold war the debate: Orthodox and the critical geopolitics
East and West division.
Challenges the notion US/Them, inside/outside, domestic/foreign, near/ far, heartland/rimland,
sea power/ land power.
▪ Critical Geopolitics has long taken the dynamics of globalization, informationalizaiton and risk
society very seriously.
Type of Object of Problematic Research Example
Geopolitics Investigation
Formal Geopolitical Intellectuals, Halford Mackinder, his
Geopolitics thought and the institutions and their geopolitical theories and
geopolitical political and cultural imperialist context
tradition context
Practical The everyday Practical geopolitics ‘Balkanism’ and its influence
Geopolitics practice of reasoning in foreign over US foreign policy
statecraft policy and towards Bosnia
conceptualization
Popular Popular culture, National identity and The role of the mass media
Geopolitics mass media and the construction of in projecting images of
geographical images of other Bosnia into western living
understandings peoples and places room
Structural The Global processes, How globalization,
Geopolitics contemporary tendencies and informationalization and risk
geopolitical contradictions society condition/transform
condition geopolitical practices
Formal Geopolitics
▪ Friedrich Ratzel (1844-1909):
State is an individual organism. (German)
Influenced by- Hegel, Charles Darwin (The origin of species-1859)
Contribution: Lebensraum or living space, The law of the territorial Growth of states- 1869.
▪ Rudolf Kjellen (1864-1922):
Founder of modern geopolitics (German Swedish)
State is a conscious entity.
He supported the Ratzel’s ideas.
Book: ‘The great powers’
▪ Alfred T. Mahan (1840-1914):
Book: The influence of sea power upon History- (1660-1783) (USA)
▪ Sir Halford J. Mackinder (1861-1947):(Britain)
Famous speech- The Geographical Pivot of History (1904)
Heartland Theory- East Europe
Criticism- 1. Eurocentric
2. No specification of geopolitics
3. Applicability
Practical Geopolitics
Practical geopolitics reasoning in foreign policy and conceptualization.
Bosnia war (Ancient Origin)
◦ Formation of Yugoslavia- 1917 kingdom of Serbs, Croats , Slovenese
◦ 1946 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
◦ 6 Republics- Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro & 2
autonomy- Vojvodiva, Kosovo
◦ Ethnic Groups-Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Macedonians, Montenegrans and Bosnian Muslim
◦ Socialist Economy
Breakup of Yugoslavia 1990s
Bosnia War (1992-1995)
as Balkanism Vs Southeastern Europe
Popular geopolitics
Popular geopolitics refers to how media portrays an events.
Halford Mackinder have not focused on the popular geopolitics.
Post-1945 mass television ownership to a contemporary era characterized by multi-media environment,
smart technologies and greater capacity of citizens, especially in west.
Media Mogul: CNN international, Time-Warner, News International and the BBC.
Government always have sought to regulate, monitor, disrupt and ban broadcasting. Commonwealth
Heads of state meeting in Sri Lanka in 2013 and the issues of the Channel 4 broadcasting of the story of
‘Tamil issues’. A series of programs name mainly Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields .
▪ UN ordered to make a probe body for investigation and criticized the UK for attending the summit.
▪ Channel 4 reporters complained of Sri Lankan Government Harassment.
▪ In 2013 a British soldier was caught for murdering a Afghan combatant in the war field.
▪ The geopolitical power of the media, therefore, lies not only in the nature of the broadcasting itself
but also the manner in which events, people, and places are ‘framed’.
▪ Civil war in Syria, the Arab Spring and the Israeli-Iran tension. These issues have been seen in the
west through the prism of the War on terror.
▪ There is hardly any serious events that missed to broadcast
Structural Geopolitics
▪ Critical Geopolitics has long taken the dynamics of globalization, informationalization and risk
society very seriously.
▪ National Security is global in nature.
▪ Western institutions are in Victory crisis. Clash of Civilization or third wave of Democracy.
▪ The danger of counter-modernity. (Religious fundamentalism, violence
