Welcome to ExploringGeopolitics, an independent, non-profit website that seeks to cover the ground between academic journals and the mass media.
The major aim of the website is to bridge the gap between the academic world and policy makers, business community and journalists. The key focus is on geopolitical schools of thought and related timely topics such as geography, politics and security.
In that light, ExploringGeopolitics offers free and direct access to the knowledge and views of academic specialists. So far, over 90 contributions of more than 50 experts in the field have been published, providing valuable insights into key geopolitical questions.
Below, you find a brief introduction to all sections of ExploringGeopolitics, including the Education section which provides information about courses and pieces of advice for self study.
The Geopolitical Passport series aims to humanise geopolitics by offering geopolitical specialists an opportunity to give their views on this discipline. The interviews address issues such as the rationale behind their decision to conduct geopolitical research, their favourite books and their expectations regarding the geopolitical future.
The section looks into key geopolitical theories and concepts. The contributions elaborate on the diversity in definitions of geopolitics, the main features of critical geopolitics and the ideas of classical scholars such as Mackinder and Spykman.
The Geography, Politics and Security section addresses topics such as international relations, geographical imaginations and sovereignty. Moreover, this section discusses ethnic conflicts, border disputes amd civil wars and ways to resolve these problems (e.g. federalism and and territorial leasing).
Geography, Politics and Security
The Africa-Middle East, Asia and Europe sections were created in June 2010 to ease navigating across the website. All contributions that focus on a country or region have been moved to these sections. Conceptual contributions from the former Politics and Geography and Conflicts and Security sections have since been located in the Geography, Politics and Security section.
This section serves to address requests of visitors for information on geopolitical courses. The Education section further advises on literature for courses and self study.
One re-entry this month, for Frédéric Lasserre (geopolitics of water). Furthermore, minor changes in the ranking of the most popular contributions of this website. Last month's position in brackets.
The International Centre for Geopolitical Studies organises the course "Geopolitical Analysis of International Relations" from 12 until 17 July 2010 in Geneva. The course will adopt a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates strategic, geographic, historic, cultural and economic dimensions. For more information:
Geopolitical Analysis of International Relations
Course information at ICGS website
Virginie Mamadouh (Associate Professor at University of Amsterdam) takes a fresh look at her 1998 article "Geopolitics in the nineties: one flag, many meanings." She further writes about the research agenda of contemporary geopolitics:
Geopolitics in the 2000s - Virginie Mamadouh
Two parts of interview with Mahdi Ahouie (on Iran's relationship with US and China-India-Russia) and article by Jonathan Armstrong (State terrorism).
Publication about Russia's gas strategy.
Mahdi Ahouie (Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue in Geneva) explains what role economic, political and security considerations play in the relationship between Iran and China, India and Russia, and discusses the their mutual interests.
Iran: its relationship with China, India and Russia - Mahdi Ahouie
Jonathon Armstrong is currently studying for an MA in Geopolitics, Territory and Security at Kings College London after obtaining a BA in Government at the London School of Economics.
In his contribution, he argues that States can and frequently do commit terrorism, thereby discussing the roles of personal, social and geographic spaces.
State terrorism: definition, geographic spaces and place destruction - Jonathan Armstrong
Jason Dittmer is Lecturer in Human Geography at UCL. He speaks of popular geopolitics and related concepts such as representations, postcolonialism and social constructivism:
Popualr Geopolitics, Culture and Representations - Jason Dittmer