The Geo in Geopolitics
Fuckall Mountains
Today we cover some more theory, with the long term goal to be able to goss about what is happening on the BBC, or even better, let’s get ahead of the BBC. You might wonder, James, again? Fear not young padawans, good stuff to come. As I sit and ponder on what are the elements a geopolitical analyst needs to become proficient in, to be able to talk about it and have some form of credibility. The word ‘Geography’ keeps popping up in the actual terminology, so I decided to dive a bit deeper into this, let’s not reinvent the wheel am I right?
Turns out geography affects every element of a country’s geopolitical context. In many ways, the geography of a place will determine the geopolitics that rule it, and not the other way round. It will define it from the economic sectors that prosper, to the alliances and invasions they consider. It will determine the culture and military needs for a country. A coastal nation state will be investing in naval armies to protect itself from invaders or build naval trading routes for example. No geography is without its advantages or disadvantages so we build strategies around our geographies to ensure our people's needs are met.
“Lack of a warm-water port with direct access to the oceans has always been Russia’s Achilles heel, as strategically important to it as the North European Plain. Russia is at a geographical disadvantage, saved from being a much weaker power only because of its oil and gas. No wonder, in his will of 1725, that Peter the Great advised his descendants to ‘approach as near as possible to Constantinople and India. Whoever governs there will be the true sovereign of the world. Consequently, excite continual wars, not only in Turkey, but in Persia . . . Penetrate as far as the Persian Gulf, advance as far as India.”
“Prisoners of Geography” by Tim Marshall
This quote represents well in practice some of the theoretical notions we will put my mushy brain through today. A phenomenal book that not only will explain the history of why some of the major decisions were taken on the geopolitical front but also seeks to explain and determine the struggles that some regions will be facing in the future.
Geographers who study both place and space are very involved in shaping the geopolitics of our world. They study the art of sustaining resources, building well connected cities, issues and benefits of migration, critical infrastructure and much more. Trust me, I thought people who studied geography played with rocks in the fields and that they were all doomed to end up being the cool PE teacher. I am in absolute awe at the work some of your biggest academics have done on the topic and how much it actually dictates many of the other disciplines in politics but also across the spectrum such as immigration, sustainability and much more.
Let’s cover some simple ways in which geography affects people and their livelihood.
Numero uno, it dictates the resources you have access to. Let’s imagine a game of Catan that you are playing with your sweaty cousin Josephina. You turn out to select a piece of land that has a lot of wood, great to create barracks for your soldiers and housing for your villagers. However, potato levels are low (you guys know I love a mean potato). So you need to ensure you are finding ways to harvest food for your people or at least ensure you can have a steady inflow of potatoes by peaceful or non peaceful ways. Actually never played Catan unsure if potatoes are involved but does not matter, make it work!
It will also dictate how you travel and more importantly at times, how your goods travel. For the longest time the people above or below the Sahel, would not trade together until they found the tanks of the desserts aka camels (the animal not the cigarettes). These beautiful creatures could not only carry much of the goods the humans had to carry in the unbearable heat of the desert. But also could sustain kilometer on kilometer without the need to sustain themselves with water.
It affects your culture. Here it is important to make a note of what we mean by culture. We will define it by the characteristic features of everyday existence such as the way of life shared by a set of people within a certain place or time. Hence, everyday, if faced by a set of angry lions, your people will become accustomed to survive the repeated attacks of the lion, coexist with them, retaliate or even develop a set of deities around the lion. Now, view the lion as an aggressive neighbor ramping up public spending on armament and ranting on national television how much they love your beaches and oil fields.
Technically the list goes on and on and so many variables will then derive from the above and this is how geography can form such an important part and actually tangible explanation to the concept of geopolitics.
Whilst I sit here explaining this to myself as if I was 5 years old, let's have a look at what the smart people in the room have to say about the importance of Geography in the concept of Geopolitics. This essay advocates for the resurgence of Geopolitics on the international relations scene. While it stems from a very American focused lens, it dictates that there needs to be emphasis of Geography at the core of this concept (which is often now leveraged as a common term just to describe international relations). It’s a really good read, tying in the underscores of classical Geopolitical studies with the U.S strategic education system and how Geopolitics has endured over the years of international relations. Not replacing the term, but actually influencing it very much from the concept of Geography. And as much as we are moving to an ever globalized world we still need to pay close attention to the relief maps - you know those maps where you can run your fingers and feel the mountains, rivers and other physical features? Those ones - of the world as they will still determine or least affect many of the outcomes still to come over the years. It will always remain helpful in deciphering the complex international relation dynamics and influence strategic policymaking.
To give a bit more meat to the above substance we are going to address very briefly the 3 founding fathers of modern Geopolitics (From my thorough 5 minutes read these are the big boys) and simplify in a way that is actually insulting to what they discussed and proposed, I will get there one day boys.
Halford Mackinder: Mackinder is best known for his concept of the “Heartland Theory,” which posited that the control of the Eurasian “Heartland” (Eastern Europe and Central Asia) would lead to world dominance. Amigo was from the UK, Respekt.
He emphasised the geographical significance of landmasses and argued that controlling the Heartland was crucial for controlling the world.
His perspective highlighted the importance of land power and the geographical constraints of continents in shaping geopolitical dynamics.
Alfred Mahan: Mahan focused on maritime power and the significance of naval dominance in shaping geopolitics. USA baby!
He argued that control of sea routes and naval supremacy were essential for global power projection and economic dominance.
Mahan’s ideas emphasised the importance of naval strength in securing trade routes, controlling colonies, and projecting power internationally.
Nicholas Spykman: Spykman built upon Mackinder’s and Mahan’s ideas by emphasizing the importance of both land and sea power. Kartuffels from the Netherlands innit.
He introduced the concept of the “Rimland,” the coastal areas of Eurasia, as a pivotal geopolitical zone.
Spykman argued that controlling the Rimland was essential for containing the Heartland and securing global power.
His perspective integrated both land and maritime elements, recognising the interconnectedness of geopolitics across different geographical domains.
Three bromigos here, actually were all born in the 19th century and would all happen to see one of the great world wars and actually die suspiciously close to these dates with Mayan in 1914, Spykeman in 43’ and Mackinder in 47’. They could not even fathom how developed the world would become and the access to the technologies such as the really cool [Insert badass jet fighter name here] we currently have, but their theories were right on the money.
There is no right or wrong here, as Spykeman proved by copping out and pitching his predecessor's ideas. But I must say I agree with this. Whilst the US remains quite isolated by two seas at each side and a single border on either side, it makes sense Mahan would be hell bent on naval power. Whereas Mackinder, just a swim away from baguette land kept a wary eye on the Heartland. The US and the UK have both invested hugely on these two fronts of their armies and remain quite amphibious in the need of both naval and land support in case of military action requirements. Do not even get me started on Air force, they were too early for this. If only there was an intellectual writing on the importance of developing Geopolitical understanding in the modern day… Wait a minute! (Important to disclaim there are multiple acamedics on the topic of the role of air superiority in Geopolitics and I am by no means in the top 3).
Should we now dissect what exactly represents geography in geopolitics? Yep, I can keep this going forever and ever. For the sake of the argument we will only stick to 3 to ensure I don’t go too loco on you. We will focus on Location, Resources and Physical features.
Location
A nation's location, its space or proximity to a friend or a foe, is the first concept we will focus on in the sense of Geography. As we were dealt the cards and selected plots of land on the Catan board or were distributed land by supposed birthright in late 17th century Europe following multiple wars and hand designed by a drunk Englishman in most of Africa. The location and definition of your country is a key factor to how all matters relating to geopolitics will affect your nation.
Flint’s Introduction to Geopolitics (3rd edition) splits location up in the following subdivisions and considerations.
Places: Places are the fundamental geographical entities that form the stage for geopolitics. They are sites of experiences, interactions, and identities that shape how people and groups relate to a location. Man made (like the massive mansion I will buy after you all start reading this blog actively) or created by Mother Nature (Rivers and Mountain ranges).
Regions: They group together multiple places based on shared characteristics, such as cultural, economic, or political factors. The boundaries of regions can be formal (e.g., the European Union) or functional (e.g., the Middle East).
Territory: Territory refers to the bounded, physical space that a state or other political entity claims sovereignty over.
Scale: Scale refers to the extent of something in relation to something. When considering scale, a quarrel between my sister and I is insignificant, but in my world, baby, that can be world war III.
Networks: Not physical but connections and flows of people, goods, ideas, and information that transcend traditional geographical boundaries.
Resources
The need for leaders - and cooler younger siblings around the world - to understand the occurrence and securing strategically important resources is vital to develop and achieve sufficiency from domestic or international resources, as described by Ken Hugues(I added the sibling thing hehehe). One of the central factors of successful statecraft is to be able to maintain your people.
Seasons come and go, and so do crops. Technologies rise and fail, giving both abundance and fall in provision and distribution of stated resources. Trade routes, open and close securing steady inflows of goods or limit you from getting a hold of your favorite Japanese Whiskey.
From the basics of keeping your people nourished, to acquiring the resources required to build a nation leading space fleet, and discovering even more resources - the ever evolving race never stops - resources will always be a focal point of geopolitics. In an arguably decaying world the need to develop the next reliable source of inflow of resources is what keeps nations afloat. The behavior of nations states is partially explained by its resource situation.
There are so many subdivisions you can create depending on the lease with chich you look at it, but fear not here is a gross oversimplification:
Natural Resources: Materials or substances that occur naturally on Earth
Renewable Resources: These resources can be replenished naturally on a human timescale.
Forestry, FreshWater and Sunlight.
Non-renewable Resources: These bad boys take a while to cook up and cannot be easily replaced after they are used up.
Fossil Fuels:Coal, oil, and natural gas.
Minerals:Metals, such as iron, copper, and gold, as well as non-metallic minerals, such as sand, gravel,and limestone.
Human Resources: These are the skills, knowledge, and experience that people develop and bring to society and workforce.
Labor: The physical and mental exertion used in the production of goods and services.
Education and skills: The knowledge and abilities that people acquire through education and training.
Manpower: In a military context, you can think of this as boots on the grounds
Physical Features
This one eats into the two above mentioned, so we will spend a bit more time focusing on Topography and Access. A big one here is that Physical Features is an ever changing concept, as we also develop technologies to mitigate the various elements of Topography. What can be useful for the sake of future arguments is provide a quick snapshot into these elements that we see being discussed in military writing and geopolitics.
1. Elevation and Relief:
Mountains: High mountain ranges can act as natural barriers, making them ideal for defense. They can also channel movement and limit access to specific regions. Used in military writing: “These fuckall mountains are blocking our invasion into chocolate land (Switzerland)”
Plateaus: Elevated plains can offer strategic advantages for observation and control of surrounding areas. However,they can also be challenging to traverse and defend. They can also not be elevated and fall under the Plains category Used in military writing: “Get naked and act dead, these fuckers will steamroll through the plateau”
Valleys: Low areas of land surrounded by mountains and hills on either side. Valleys can serve as natural transportation routes but also become funnels for invading forces. Used in military writing: “Let’s move the troops through that one Valley that leads to Chocolate land, they will never see us coming!”
2. Landforms:
Deserts: Vast deserts can hinder movement and logistics, creating natural barriers but also offering opportunities for unconventional warfare. Used in military writing: “Lisan al Gaib mastered the Worm dance before attempting the desert cross”
Forests: Dense forests can provide cover and concealment for guerilla warfare but also impede communication and movement of large armies. Used in military writing: “They are in the trees! OMG I knew this forest was like the worst idea ever!”
Islands: Islands offer strategic advantages for naval bases and control of maritime chokepoints but are also vulnerable to isolation and blockade. Used in military writing: “Ibiza! Literally the most influential island in Geopolitical history”
3. Water Features:
Rivers: Rivers can serve as natural borders and transportation routes but also present logistical challenges for crossing and defense. Used in military writing: “Giacomo! No skinny dipping in the river, we are on a mission”
Lakes: Large lakes can act as barriers or provide internal waterways for transportation and control of resources. Used in military writing: “Giacomo, what’s up with you! Same goes here, no naked swimming in the lake”
Coasts: Coastlines offer access to trade routes and naval power but also make them vulnerable to amphibious attacks. Used in military writing: “No Giacomo… I don’t think there are any nude beaches on this coast”
All the above could represent in some way shape or form a Strategic chokepoint: Narrow passages like straits, bridges over a river or valleys offer immense control over military or civil traffic and can become geopolitical flashpoints. Being aware of the topography surrounding you or ahead of some invading tourism, let’s check the maps!
Ultimately, Geography matters. This was very insightful at least for myself! Watch out Josephina, I am coming for you potatoes or worst case scenario Giacomo and myself will lead an expedition towards chocolate land.
James-Alexander