Geopolitics

1904

advents of railroads released countries from dependence on Navy to move Army.

thought Germany would be a threat to control the resources of Eastern Europe and the Heartland.

Heartland Theory

geopolitical hypothesis stating that any political power based in the heart of Eurasia could gain sufficient strength to eventually dominate the world.

1897

state requires lebensraum: living space.

must devour other territories to achieve this goal.

Organic Theory

state is like an organsim attached to earth that competes with other states to thrive.

1952

RIMLAND: Western Europe. Middle East. South Asia. Southeast Asia and the Far East.

opposed Mackinders 'Heartland' Theory

northern half of world will always be better than the southern half.

Rimland Theory

a buffer zone between the land powers and sea powers, it must defend itself from both sides, and therein lies its fundamental security problems.

1970

3 GEOGRAPHIC AREAS:

Semi Periphery

-act as a buffer between the core and the periphery
-emerging somewhat but still dependent on the core.

Periphery

-weak states
-dependent on core
colonial states or states with a low degree of autonomy

Core

-advanced areas
-strong state structures and national culture
-economoic powers connected by trade and technology
-exploiters of the periphery

World System Theory

a social system, one that has boundaries, structures, member groups, rules of legitimization, and coherence.