The Revenge of Geography, by Robert Kaplan, book offers a pessimistic view of what the twenty-first century geopolitical scene will portray. Wrought with realist principles, Kaplan’s thesis suggests that the role of geography will return as formidable a variable as it once was in the shaping of modern societies and through the perpetuation of technology, growing populations and limited natural resources it will continue to define the historical geopolitical friction points around the world. To accurately understand Kaplan’s thesis, one must understand who Robert Kaplan is, his neoconservative disposition and professional experiences that have without a doubt shaped his theoretical constructs.
Kaplan is a world renowned author on international relations and travel, who has published fifteen books which have been translated in multiple languages. During the 1980’s, Kaplan defined his reputation by accurately predicting in writing the impending war in the Balkans. He has wrote extensively on the effects of rising populations, urbanization and resource depletion on governments and how the democratization of the world may not directly result in global stability. He served as a political advisor for former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, as a member of the Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board, and through his conclusions pertaining to the Balkans influenced former President Bill Clinton foreign policies (Kaplan, 2011).
Prior to his large success as an author and political advisor, Kaplan consulted with the U.S. Army’s Special Forces Regiment, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Marines. He has been continuously sought after within academic circles and has lectured at military war colleges, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National ...
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...onflicts and instability, which are fueled by economic crises and weakening social borders, but will always be ultimately restrained by geography.
Kaplan urges that since social and political futures are going to be ultimately restrained by geography, it is imperative that political scientists return to the study of geography as well, with particular study of specific “shatter zones” within Eurasia. In particular, Kaplan argues that political scientists must revisit the theorists who knew the geographical variable the best, who thought the relief map was deterministic, and update those theories to integration into twenty-first century international relations. Such theorists include French historian Fernand Braudel, the naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan, the Dutch-American strategist Nicholas Spykman and the modern father of geopolitics, Sir Halford J. Mackinder.
Stewart R. W. (2005). American Military History (Vol. 1). The United States Army and the
“The Price of Military Folly.” U.S. News Online. 1996. 10 April 2000 . Robinson, Linda.
Harm de Blij and his “The Power of Place: Geography, Destiny, and Globalization’s Rough Landscape” truly describes how geography is displayed in the world today. In particular on of the major themes that he discusses is the idea of globalization. He actually calls these people the “globals.” In the very beginning of his book he describes two different types of peoples: Locals and Globals. The difference between these people is that Locals are the poorer people, not as mobile, and more susceptible to the concept of place. On the other hand the Globals are the fortunate population, and are a small group of people who have experienced globalization firsthand (5). This idea of globalization is a main theme that Blij refers to throughout the book, however he also indirectly references the five themes of cultural geography: culture regions, cultural diffusion, cultural interaction, cultural ecology, and cultural landscapes. Through Blij’s analysis these five themes are revealed in detail and help explain his overall idea of globalization in the world today.
Reflections as a Combatant Commander in a Turbulent World. Performed by General (Retired) James Mattis. 2013.
Viotti, P., & Kauppi, M. (2013). International Relations and World Politics. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.
As Americans we live in isolation, surrounded by advertisements, electronic screens, fast food, the internet, etc. We live these lives while thousands scream out in hunger and thirst begging to nourish their families. Living lives in excess, often unknowingly supporting a system that is not sustainable, breeds capitalism, and unplugs us from the rest of the world. Having been raised in a typical suburban home my ideas of culture were going to Olive Garden or walking by Riverside in Minneapolis. However, Geography 111 has challenged what I believed, truly allowing me to grasp that I am not part of solution I am problem that spreads neocolonialism, capitalism, and western culture wherever a profit can be made. Learning about these topics and combining it with a geographical perspective I know will enable me to break from the molds and forge new paths.
World Geography: Understanding a Changing World - Username. (n.d.). World Geography: Understanding a Changing World - Username. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/Authentication/LogOn?returnUrl=%2FTopics%2FDisplay%2F26%3Fsid%3D1115749%26cid%3D59%26useConcept%3DFalse
- - -, ed. "The Anti-War Movement in the United States." English.Illnois.edu. Ed. Oxford Companion to American Military History. 1st ed. Vers. 1. Rev. 1. Oxford Companion to American Military History, 1999. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. .
War.” Unipolar Politics: Realism and State Strategies after the Cold War. Eds. Ethan B. Kapstein and Michael Mastanduno. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999. 1-27.
Frieden, Jeffry A., David A. Lake, and Kenneth A. Schultz. World Politics. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2013. Print.
Since the beginning of humankind, the study of geography has captured the imagination of the people. In ancient times, geography books extolled tales of distant lands and dreamed of treasures. The ancient Greeks created the word "geography" from the roots "ge" for earth and "grapho" for "to write." These people experienced many adventures and needed a way to explain and communicate the differences between various lands. Today, researchers in the field of geography still focus on people and cultures (cultural geography), and the planet earth (physical geography).
Kegley, Charles W., and Eugene R. Wittkopf. World Politics Trend and Transformation. New York: St. Martin's, 1981. Print.
Whenever world politics is mentioned, the state that appears to be at the apex of affairs is the United States of America, although some will argue that it isn’t. It is paramount we know that the international system is shaped by certain defining events that has lead to some significant changes, particularly those connected with different chapters of violence. Certainly, the world wars of the twentieth century and the more recent war on terror must be included as defining moments. The warning of brute force on a potentially large scale also highlights the vigorousness of the cold war period, which dominated world politics within an interval of four decades. The practice of international relations (IR) was introduced out of a need to discuss the causes of war and the different conditions for calm in the wake of the first world war, and it is relevant we know that this has remained a crucial focus ever since. However, violence is not the only factor capable of causing interruption in the international system. Economic elements also have a remarkable impact. The great depression that happened in the 1920s, and the global financial crises of the contemporary period can be used as examples. Another concurrent problem concerns the environment, with the human climate being one among different number of important concerns for the continuing future of humankind and the planet in general.
...arly lead to the rivalry of superpowers being replaced by the clash of civilizations. Conversely it then makes it evident that in this particular new world global politics then become the politics of civilizations whereas local politics become the politics of ethnicity (Huntington, 1996).
De, Blij Harm J., and Peter O. Muller. Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts. New York: J. Wiley, 1997. 340. Print.