Geopolitics of the World System

Written by one of the world's leading political geographers, this textbook examines the dramatic changes wrought by ideological and economic forces unleashed by the end of the Cold War. Saul B. Cohen considers these forces in the context of their human and physical settings and explores their geographical influence on foreign policy and international relations. Beginning with a survey of geopolitics and its practitioners, Saul Cohen explains geopolitical terms, structure, and theory. He traces the geopolitical restructuring of the world's different regions, its major powers, and the global networks that link them, thus creating a map of dynamic equilibrium. Cohen illustrates why those regions---the convergence of what he terms the Maritime, Heartlandic Russian, and East Asian realms ---have become 'Gateways,' while the Middle East remains a 'Shatterbelt' and much of South America and Sub-Saharan Africa have grown marginalized. The author argues that whether certain areas become Gateways or Shatterbelts is the key question influencing global stability. For example, the future of peripheral parts of the Eurasian Heartland---Eastern Europe, the Trans-Caucasus, and Central Asia---depends on whether the major powers adopt policies of accommodation or competition. Cohen analyzes especially the current forces favoring accommodation, including the economic benefits of globalization and the common battle against terrorism. Presenting a global spatial scope, the book considers the entire hierarchy of geopolitical units---subnational, national states, and quasi-states; geopolitical regions; and geostrategic realms. By emphasizing the interaction between geographical settings and changing ideological and economic forces, Cohen has succeeded in creating a new global geopolitical map.

ISBN 0847699072   Pages 480 ISBN13 9780847699070 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Rowman & Littlefield   Weight (grammes) 894 Imprint Rowman & Littlefield   Published in Lanham, MD Format Paperback   Series title Regional Geographies for a New Era Publication date 01 Sep 2002   Height (mm) 257 Library of Congress 2002000615   Width (mm) 180 DEWEY 320.12   Spine width (mm) 26 DEWEY edition DC21   Academic level Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Professional / Scholarly

		List of Figures
		List of Tables
		List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
1		Introduction		1
2		Survey of Geopolitics		11
3		Geopolitical Structure and Theory		33
4		The Cold War and Geopolitical Restructuring		63
5		North and Middle America		95
6		Maritime Europe and the Maghreb		149
7		Russia and the Heartlandic Periphery		185
8		The East Asia Geostrategic Realm		233
9		The Asia-Pacific Rim		273
10		The Arc of Geostrategic Instability, Part I: South Asia		303
11		The Arc of Geostrategic Instability, Part II: The Middle East Shatterbelt		327
12		The Southern Continents: The Quarter-Sphere of Marginality		359
13		Epilogue		397
		Bibliography		405
		Index		411
		About the Author		435

This is the most ambitious and comprehensive survey of the field of geopolitics and current geostrategical issues available anywhere. Highly recommended. Choice Cohen's magnum opus, and a brilliant work it is indeed. This text is monumental, profound, analytical, and grounded in sound theory and the real world. This is a book that must be read by students as well as all scholars, politicians, and others concerned with international relations. -- George J. Demko

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