Introduction to Geopolitics

This clear and concise introductory textbook guides students through their first engagement with geopolitics. It offers a clear framework for understanding contemporary conflicts by showing how geography provides opportunities and limits upon the actions of countries, national groups, and terrorist organizations, and the overarching theme of geopolitical structures and agents requires no previous knowledge of theory or current affairs.

Throughout the book, case studies, including the rise of al Qaeda, the Korean conflict, Israel-Palestine, Chechnya and Kashmir, emphasize the multi-faceted nature of conflict. These, along with guided exercises, help explain contemporary global power struggles, the global military actions of the United States, the persistence of nationalist conflicts, the changing role of borders, and the new geopolitics of terrorism. Throughout, the readers are introduced to different theoretical perspectives, including feminist contributions, as both the practice and representation of geopolitics are discussed.

Introduction to Geopolitics is extensively illustrated with diagrams, maps, and photographs. Reading this book will provide a deeper and critical understanding of current affairs and facilitate access to higher level course work and essays on geopolitics. Both students and general readers alike will find this book an essential stepping-stone to understanding contemporary conflicts.

Prologue  1. A Framework for Understanding Geopolitics  2. Setting the Global Geopolitical Context  3. Geopolitical Codes: Agents Define their Geopolitical Options  4. Representations of Geopolitical Codes  5. Embedding Geopolitics within National Identity  6. Boundary Geopolitics: Shaky Foundations of the World Political Map?  7. Geopolitical Metageographies: Terrorist Networks and the United States’ War on Terrorism  8. Messy Geopolitics: Agency and Multiple Structures