Geopolitics Lecture Notes

This set of flashcards covers key concepts and definitions from the geopolitics lecture notes, designed for exam preparation.

What is geopolitics?

The study of how power is exercised across space and how geography shapes world politics.

How does Megoran (2014) define geopolitics?

As the spatial framing of world politics.

Why is geopolitics important?

It helps explain conflict, alliances, territorial disputes, and global power relations

e.g.,  Europe to deploy troops to Ukraine if ceasefire secured (Russia/ukraine war)

Why is geopolitics traditionally state-centred?

Because states are seen as the main actors exercising power through territory, borders, and military force.

How is geopolitics linked to territoriality?

States use territorial control to protect interests and project power.

What is classical (conventional) geopolitics?

A state-centred, realist approach that sees conflict and competition between states as natural.

What view of the world does classical geopolitics take?

'The world as it is' — competitive, conflict-driven, and shaped by geography.

What assumptions underpin classical geopolitics?

That geography determines political power and that conflict is inevitable.

What is environmental determinism?

The idea that physical geography determines political and social outcomes.

Who was Alfred T. Mahan?

A key classical geopolitician who argued that sea power determines global power.

What was Mahan’s main argument?

Control of the seas enables control of trade and global influence.

How did Mahan’s ideas influence states?

They shaped British, US, and Japanese naval expansion.

Why is classical geopolitics criticised?

It justified imperialism, was Eurocentric, and treated domination as natural.

Why did geopolitics fall out of favour after WWII?

It became associated with Nazism and racial ideologies.

How did geopolitics change during the Cold War?

The term was avoided, but geopolitical thinking continued through ideas like containment and spheres of influence.

Which two states dominated Cold War geopolitics?

The USA and the USSR.

What is critical geopolitics?

An approach that questions how geopolitical ideas are constructed through language, media, and power.

What view of the world does critical geopolitics take?

'The world as it should be' — open to cooperation and alternative futures.

What does critical geopolitics focus on instead of territory alone?

Discourse, narratives, representations, and power relations.

Why does critical geopolitics reject inevitability of conflict?

Because conflict is socially constructed, not natural.

What is formal geopolitics?

Geopolitical ideas produced by academics, strategists, and policy experts.

What is practical geopolitics?

Geopolitical language and strategies used by governments and political leaders.

What is popular geopolitics?

Geopolitical ideas circulated through media, films, news, and popular culture.

Why is popular geopolitics important?

It shapes how ordinary people understand global politics and threats.

Give examples of contemporary geopolitical issues.

Russia–Ukraine war, Arctic territorial claims, Israel–Palestine, technology competition.

Why is technology important in modern geopolitics?

Control over technology can shape economic, military, and political power.

How does geopolitics explain global conflict?

By showing how power struggles are shaped by geography, narratives, and territorial control.

What is the key difference between classical and critical geopolitics?

Classical explains power struggles; critical questions how those struggles are justified.

Summarise geopolitics in one sentence.

Geopolitics examines how power is imagined, justified, and exercised across space by states and other actors.