The analytical discipline of geopolitics is the Kate Moss of international relations: an old idea that continues to be en vogue, never quite loses its strange, roguish beauty, can be applied to anything, has a whiff of the excitingly illicit and dangerous, and enjoys instant name recognition around the globe. People either love it or hate it. But everybody likes to watch and then watch some more. Critics see the geopolitical view of the world as deterministic and ignorant of man as the prime shaper of society and history. Aficionados explain that the long-term behavioral patterns of peoples, societies, and nations cannot be understood without a look at the map and a proper understanding of the physical surroundings that shape human interaction. The intellectual concept of geopolitics originated in Europe, yet it is here that it is most unpopular today. It smacks of the ugly realism that many Europeans find so difficult to embrace. And it is too disquieting a reminder that history has not ended, and that the current peaceful state of the continent may not last forever. Jan Techau - Techau is the director of Carnegie Europe, the European center of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Techau works on EU integration and foreign policy, transatlantic affairs, and German foreign and security policy.
Posted on: Sun, 08 Jun 2014 13:14:13 +0000
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