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Erwin Langewis obtained a Masters Degree in Economics from the University of Amsterdam and works as a macroeconomist with NIBC Bank in the Netherlands. In this review, he talks about his experiences during the ICGS Summer School.
The International Centre for Geopolitical Studies (ICGS) organises this annual Summer University "Geopolitical Analysis of International Relations" in Geneva.
For more information about the next edition of the Summer University:
ICGS Summer University 2012 - Overview (174 kB)
ICGS Summer University 2012 - Registration form (31 kB, Word document)
In July 2011 I attended the Geopolitics Summer Course organized by the International Centre for Geopolitical Studies (ICGS). Being educated in economics and working as a macroeconomist in a bank for 10 years, I had never studied geopolitical theories. That largely explains why I took this course: I wanted to learn new ways to look at political-economic events that would provide a broader perspective than the generally rather short-sighted views of economists and economics.
The course did not disappoint at all in that regard. It was an enlightening experience to meet people with different backgrounds in terms of education and profession, albeit quite a few of the other participants were students in International Relations. This advantage was further enhanced by the strikingly multidisciplinary nature of geopolitics.
The course lasted six days, from Monday until Saturday, and encompassed a variety of subjects. It started with a stimulating lecture about the specific geopolitical aspects and history of Switzerland. The lecturer, Anselm Zurfluh, was available during the entire week for further questions. Then David Criekemans taught the foundations of geopolitics in his lecture about ‘geopolitical schools of thought.’
Subsequently, Gyula Csurgai, the director of ICGS, gave a lecture about ‘constant and variable factors of geopolitical analysis’. These lectures and the taught model formed the basis for a case study we prepared on the fourth day of the course. The students had to examine a particular geopolitical situation and then negotiate about possible outcomes with each other. In a way it reminded me of the country risk assessments I write as an economist. My impression is that the model we studied and applied during the course could be very useful for such assessments.
In the afternoons, several guest speakers gave talks on related topics such as water conflicts, military strategy and long cycles in the rise and decline of world powers. In addition, David Criekemans (geopolitics of energy) and Gyula Csurgai (economic and psychological warfare) also lectured on timely geopolitical issues.
One of the key insights I acquired during this course was that many factors need attention in a thorough analysis of any geopolitical problem. Correspondingly, one needs to think at different levels. Moreover, what I really appreciated about Dr Csurgai and Dr Criekemans was that they encouraged looking at geopolitical problems from basically every angle. In other words, ‘out of the box’ thinking was continually stimulated.
In fact, one of the afternoon sessions – about long cycles, taught by Bernard Wicht- was a telling example of an ‘out of the box’ approach. He argued that there exist long cycles in the rise and fall of great powers and made a remarkable claim about the rise of a future great power. This was a kind of module that is never part of an economics course, despite its relevance.
In all, the intellectual environment was rather stimulating and encouraged me to keep on expanding my knowledge about the topics that were taught in the summer course. Therefore, I would recommend this course to all people who are interested in international politics or are faced in their working environment with developments that possibly have geopolitical dimensions. Ideally, to make the most out of the lectures, participants have a comparatively good knowledge of the background of several past and current conflicts.
Next to International Relations students, the target audience includes a wide variety of students, scholars and professionals. For me as a macroeconomist working in a financial markets environment, the course has definitely added value for me!
