Geopolitics

Geopolitics

Geopolitics is a method of foreign policy analysis that aims or seeks to understand, predict and explain international political behaviour primarily in terms of geographical variables (Kearns, 2009). This is to say that it studies the effects of both human and physical geography on international relations and politics. Geographical variables include natural resources, physical location, size, demography, topography, climate and technological advancement of a given state that is under evaluation (Evans & Newnham, 1998). This paper delineates on geopolitical issues using Mackinder’s approach to geopolitics in Eurasian.

Mackinder developed the Heartland theory, which influenced on the foreign policies of world powers. This theory was formulated and set out in his article titled ‘the geographical pivot of history’ that was published in England in 1904 (Sloan, 2006). The theory was opposed to doctrines advanced by Alfred Hayer Mahan on the significance of navies in world conflicts. In his view, navies were characterized by Colombian era 1492 to 19^th century and therefore he predicted that 20^th century was to be domain of land power. This therefore led to his hypothesis of heartland that was to use both transoceanic and coastal transport to connect. He divided this into World Island that consisted of Africa and Eurasia and peripherals island that consisted Japan, Australia, British Isles, America and Oceanica. Peripheral was small compared to World Island and therefore it required sea transport to be able to function appropriately at technological level that the world island operated (Lucian, 2010). World Island had sufficient natural resources that were essential to develop the economy. The world island comprised of Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Mitteleuropa and Russia which he called Heartland (Ingram, 2012). The rulers of the east Europe had the power to command the heartland, any heartland ruler commanded the world island, and the ruler of World Island commanded the world.

This theory and perspective has since then affected the relationship between these two countries. The international relations and politics have been advanced on the basis of the location and the ideologies of countries in various locations. A good example of a current geopolitical issue is the Iraq crisis. Iraq has for quite some time involved in conflicts with the western world for its position of weapons of mass destruction and takes on terror groups. For instance, in 2003, US and UK invaded the country under false pretence claiming that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction that were ready to be deployed (Klinke, 2011) .The weapons posed a great threat to the world and therefore they invaded Iraq without the support of international community. The US and UK expected democracy and peace to be attained. This however was not the case as instead it escalated the issue causing major ethnic and religious factions’ fights among each other and against the US/UK occupation forces. These fights led to civilian deaths, which saw 100 people die every day in 2006 (Brands, 2011). This war is closely related to differences in the political ideologies of these countries that are involved in the conflicts. The western countries such as USA and Britain are against the ideologies of the Arab countries, which fall under the world Island.

Mackinder Heartland theory is application to this geopolitical issue (Iraq crisis). The continuing crisis in Iraq is based on the perceptions and ideologies that these countries have. The US is a superpower and this position has enabled it to get involved in various aspects that happen or face other countries. It has been committed to ensuring that countries that manufacture weapons of mass destruction do so in accordance with the laws and regulations that are in force (Cockburn, 2013). Therefore, it has influenced many countries way of doing things. Its intervention in Iraq and its commitment to ending dictatorship in Iraq bored fruit when Sadam Hussein was arrested and hanged. The initiatives to ensure that the country does not manufacture these weapons were also aimed at ensuring that security was enhanced across the globe. The US and Britain according to the Mackinder perspective are categorized under the periphery countries which were perceived to be lacking in natural resources and powers.

This theory currently does not function as once planned. The events have changed and now the countries, which once were perceived to be less powerful, have risen into power. Such countries that are in the Periphery sections such as USA and Britain have taken over the Heartland and they are the once that command the world. Therefore, this theory has changed overtime as those countries that were under Heartland and perceived to have better economy have been left behind.

In conclusion, there are different geopolitical issues that affect countries around the globe. These issues include wars, natural resources, climate among many others. In this case, the conflicts and Iraq crisis is a geopolitical issue that involves different countries in different locations. The crisis relates to issues of international political and ideologies. The Mackinder theory best explains the situation which has changed over time however. The periphery countries have overpowered the world island countries and now they are the commanders of the whole world.

References list

Brands, H 2011, ‘Saddam and Israel: What Do the New Iraqi Records Reveal?’ Diplomacy & Statecraft, Vol. 22 no.3, pp. 500-520.

Cockburn, P 2013, Iraq’s Permanent Crisis’, Nation, Vol. 296 no. 14, pp. 17-19.

Evans, G & Newnham, J 1998, ‘The Penguin Dictionary of International relations’, Penguin Books, London, UK.

Ingram, A 2012, ‘Experimental geopolitics: Wafaa Bilal’s Domestic tension’, Geographical Journal, Vol. 178 no. 2, p. 123-133.

Kearns, G 2009, Geopolitics and Empire, Oxford: Oxford University Press,

Klinke, I 2011, ‘Geopolitics in Germany – the Return of the Living Dead? ‘Geopolitics, Vol. 16 No.3, pp. 707-726

Lucian, M 2010, ‘Realism and the spirit of 1919; Halford Mackinder, geopolitics and the reality of the League of Nations’, European journal of international relations onlinefirst, 1-23

Sloan, G 2006, ‘Sir Halford Mackinder: the heartland theory then and now’, in Gray C S and Sloan G.R., Geopolitics, geography and strategy. London: Frank Cass, pp. 15–38.