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Geopolitics

Geopolitics. Classic German Geopolitics. Friedrich Ratzel argued a state is like an organism Just like an organism needs food to live, a state needs new territories to be sustained . Like Darwin, Ratzel believed in survival of the fittest: big states can “eat” little states.

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Geopolitics

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  1. Geopolitics

  2. Classic German Geopolitics • Friedrich Ratzel argued a state is like an organism • Just like an organism needs food to live, a state needs new territories to be sustained. • Like Darwin, Ratzel believed in survival of the fittest: big states can “eat” little states. • Ratzel’s term of new territories, lebensraun, was used by Hitler and Nazis

  3. Classic British/American Geopolitics • Sir Halford Mackinder looked at system of world power and created heartland theory: • Control East Europe and a state control heartland • Control heartland, and a state controls world island (Eurasia) • Control World Island (Eurasia) and a state controls the world. • Heartland theory guided Nazi WWII goals and also created concern over the Soviet Union’s new power.

  4. Geopoltical World Order • World order is a temporary period of stability in how international politics work • Ex: During Cold War, the world order was bipolar: Soviet Union (communism) vs. U.S.A. (capitalism). • With collapse of U.S.S.R. in 1991, the world order was in transition. There are many possible new world orders • Gulf War pointed to one of cooperation: many nations worked together. • U.S. War on Terror hints at unilateralism: U.S. dominates world with allies following. World criticism of U.S. wars and new powers of China and India make unilateralism unlikely. • Organizations like Al Qaeda point to a possible world order not based on nation-states.

  5. Summary • Create a double bubble map that compares Ratzel’s theory, the heartland theory.

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