Week 2: Geopolitics

Wallerstein World System Analysis

Framework that views the economy as a system divided into core, semi-periphery and periphery countries, where core nations dominate and benefit from the labour and resources of poorer nations.

Two Definitions of Geopolitics

1. Power-based view of international politics shaped by geography: Geopolitics is the struggle for power among states in the international system, where geographic conditions shape opportunities and constraints for that power.

2. Academic view: Geopolitics is the study of the spatial organization of political power at the global scale.

Hegemonic cycles and the Kondratieff model 

Suggests that long economic cycles identified by Nikolai Kondratieff are linked to cycles of global political leadership. Economic expansion phases strengthen a leading state, while downturn phases often coincide with geopolitical conflict and the transition to a new leading power. (19th century UK 20th century US)

(picture is very questionable sorry…)

Technology’s new influence on Geopolitics

Volume: Space is now three dimensional; control of vertical space (air power, surveillance) and control of subterranean spaces (tunnels, resource extraction) 

Networks: Cyberwarfare and drone operations that disrupt traditional sovereignty

Feminist geopolitics

Feminist geopolitics asks question about the small p politics (everyday life, bodies, gender relations).

Ex: Iraq war

• Classic Geopolitics focuses on oil resources, regional dominance in the Middle East, control of a geostrategically vital territory etc…

• Feminist Geopolitics focuses on how rape is used as a weapon of war, soldiers returning with PTSD destabilizing family life, overwhelmingly women and children refugees etc…

Anthropocene Geopolitics

Anthropocene argues that human political systems are intertwined with planetary ecological systems. Additionally the traditional state-centric, territory-focused framework of geopolitics is insufficient and even complicit in producing the environmental crisis.

Ex: Climate Change

• Classic Geopolitics focuses on which states win or lose from climate change, who controls newly accessible resources (Arctic shipping routes, melting ice revealing oil deposits) etc..

• Anthropocene Geopolitics focuses on how the planet is a geopolitical actor (rising seas, wildfires, pandemics, soil exhaustion actively reshape political life), there is no "environment" sitting outside geopolitics, they are the same thing

German Geopolitics (Van der Wusten, Herman and Gertjan Dijkink (2002))

Geography: Continental

Scale: European (regional)

Age: Young

State Organisation: Federal

Response to Regionalism: Absorbs (gives in until region feels recognised and “German“)

Core Obsession: Shape

Attitude to territorial loss: Traumatic, organic bond between people and land

Attitude towards supranationalism: They lowkey fuck with it cus they subs (from post ww2)

Attitude towards the US: Cautious, legal minded (think Iraq war)

Historical shock patterns: Up and Down

British Geopolitics

Geography: Maritime

Scale: Global

Age: Old

State Organisation: Centralised, ad hoc (new word for me hehe)

Response to Regionalism: Treated ad hoc and piecemeal, rarely enters geopolitical discourse

Core Obsession: Flows (trade, naval networks)

Attitude to territorial loss: Chill, like it’s fine we move on yk (also we an island like we don’t rly gain land rly just ports and shit mostly)

Attitude towards supranationalism: ABSOLUTLY NOTTT #brexit

Attitude towards the US: It’s all love (suck ups) think war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo

Historical shock patterns: steady downfall

French Geopolitics

Geography: Maritime/Continental

Scale: Global and regional

Age: Old

State Organisation: Centralised, Homogenic

Response to Regionalism: NO (seen as a threat to sovereignty and the idea of France). France is the Hexagon or nothing everyone is French and has to want to be French! except… perhaps… maybe not the Algerians… or the Vietnamese… or any of the other countries yk like u not rly France or were ever gonn be French oups…

Core Obsession: Flows European hegemony + global cultural empire

Attitude to territorial loss: lowkey already said this in the regionalism part. But no when it comes to Europe France. Maybe more lenient when it comes to anything outdside

Attitude towards supranationalism: Yes but also we need to be the guiding part of that supranationalism. Like the EU is France. No way France is listening Bulgaria

Attitude towards the US: fuck em. (for sure)

Historical shock patterns: steady downfall yeah