Geopolitics Flashcards
What is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments?
Geography
What is the study of the effects of Earth’s geography on politics and international relations.
Geopolitics
What is the study of how projection of power (ideological, cultural, economic, or military) is affected and affected by the geographical and political landscape in which it operates.
Geopolitics
Who said “Whoever rules the waves, rules the world”?
Mahan
Who said “ Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland; who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island; who rules the World-Island commands the world”?
Mackinder
Who said “Who controls the Rimland rules Eurasia; who rules Eurasia controls the destinies of the world”?
Spykman
Who is Alfred Thayer Mahan
(1840-1914)
US Navy Captain (active career); Rear Admiral (post retirement); President, Naval War College (1886 - 1889; 1892-1893)
Who detailed the importance of Naval Power as a factor in the rise of the British empire?
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Who stated Britain’s emergence as the world’s dominant military, political, and economic power was tied to their control of the seas?
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Who argued for restoration of US naval power in order to secure trade interests?
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Who was considered one of the “father’s of geopolitics”?
Sir Halford Mackinder
Who emphasized the Heartland Theory?
Sir Halford Mackinder
What theory posited that controlling the vast Eurasian landmass (the Heartland) would lead to global dominance?
Heartland Theory
Who posited the need to limit Russian expansion into Western Europe?
Sir Halford Mackinder
What theory emphasized coastal areas as pivotal?
Rimland Theory
What concept highlighted territorial expansion driven by geographical imperatives?
Lebensraum (living space)
Who introduced the concept of Lebensraum?
Friedrich Ratzel
Who argued that Britain’s reliance on sea power would become a weakness as land transport (railroads) opened Eurasia up to invasion and/or industrialization?
Sir Halford Mackinder
Who was considered the “godfather of containment theory”
NIcholas Spykman (1893-1943)
What is the Rimland Theory?
Focus on the coastal areas as pivotal. Counter to Heartland Theory.
Who introduced the Rimland Theory?
Nicholas Spykman (1893-1943)
Who argued to leave Germany strong enough to counter Russian power following WWII?
Nicholas Spykman