Geopolitics

Geopolitics is concerned with the interface of geography and international relations. This book traces the history of geopolitics from its origins in the late-19th century to its rediscovery in the 1970s by a new generation of geographers and political scientists, who became aware of the importance of the geopolitical perspective to a fuller understanding of contemporary issues. Such issues include the persistence of ethnic, national and religious conflicts, environmental problems, inequalities in the apportionment of the world's physical and human resources, and the impact of globalization. The text highlights the inadequacy of existing geopolitical structures and the need to devise new ones more relevant to the needs of the contemporary world, paying particular attention to ideas of world order (ranging from the classical "balance of power" to general systems theory, and the relevance of these to the better understanding of the contemporary world), and contemporary western approaches to the subject.