Abstract

This course offers an introduction into modern geopolitics, starting from the origins of
classical geopolitics and continuing the discussion with the deep analysis of the
examined country cases, including the United States, Russia, and China. The course
will cover the key concepts and ideas in the study of geopolitics and engage with the
current dynamics of international relations.

Learning Objectives
 To engage with the key concepts and ideas in traditional geopolitical thought and
be able to make a distinction between the study geopolitics and international relations.
 To evaluate the historical background of geopolitical tradition and know the main
geopolitical scholars and their contribution to the evolution of geopolitics as a field of
science.
 To discuss the critical strand in the study of geopolitics and evaluate the
relevance of critical geopolitics the nature of in explaining the nature of contemporary
international relations.
 To identify the major geopolitical actors in the global political arena and analyze
the distribution of power in the contemporary geopolitical system.
 To understand the importance of certain geopolitical characteristics and historical
background in determining geopolitical objectives of a particular state and its perception
of other actors in the global system.
 To analyze the relationship between the traditional geopolitics and newly
emerging trends and ideas in the geopolitical discourse of major geopolitical actors.

Expected Learning Outcomes

 To be able to evaluate the contemporary patterns of global and regional
dynamics by looking at the history of geopolitical thought and employing traditional
geopolitical concepts and ideas
 To develop the factual understanding of the Cold War period, its political
dynamics and and a profound impact on geopolitics and international relations
 To be able to interpret the fundamental developments in the international arena
in the post-Cold War era by invoking the main conclusions of geopolitical scholars of the
Cold War era
 To look at the critical tradition in the geopolitical thought and be able to critically
analyse the main ideas and propositions of traditional geopolitics
 To draw on the contemporary cases of geopolitical powers and develop the
appreciation of the role of geopolitics in the international politics
 To develop the understanding of the stages in the formation of the United Staes
as a geopolitical actors and be able to evaluate its current position in the international
arena
 To engage with the historical transformation of Russia and its unique geographic
conditions in order to assess the main priorities and political orientations of Russia as
one of the key geopolitical actors
 To have profound knowledge about China's current geopolitical developments
and the possible implications of the rise of China for the distribution of power in the
global arena
 To understand the nature of interstate relations from the perspective of
geopolitical analysis and be able to apply in practice acquired factual knowledge about
the classical and modern strand in geopolitics

Course Contents
 The birth of geopolitics
The origins of the geopolitical tradition, the key traditional concepts and definitions
and their relations to international relations studies; the essential formulations and
theories developed by the scholarship working in these traditions
 The beginning of the Cold War geopolitics
Geopolitics of the Cold War, classical geopolitical concepts in the context of the bipolar
confrontation; the nature of historical circumstances, which defined the US-Soviet
relations during the second part of the 20th century; application of classical
geopolitical concepts to analyze the essence of the Cold War political order
 World politics after the Cold War ended
Post-Cold War geopolitical scholarship challenging the traditional considerations in
the field of geopolitical studies; the principal difference between the traditional and
contemporary approaches in geopolitical analysis
 Critical geopolitics
A vast critique of traditional geopolitical studies; development of critical geopolitics
which addressed ever-existing questions and ambiguities in the realm of international
politics
 The key players in contemporary geopolitics
Currently observed developments in the international realm; assessment of an
extended range of new concerns and factors in the global political realm using
traditional and contemporary geopolitical formulations; the nature of the newly
emergent issues and their impact on the relationship between the major political
actors
 History and geography of the United States
Geopolitical motives and objectives of the United Sates as the key international
players; origins and evolution of the geopolitical thought in the United States; current
geopolitical concerns of the United States and the state’s predominance in the global
distribution of power
 History and geography of Russia
Historical developments and transformations of the Russian states through the lens of
geopolitical analysis and by employing classical geopolitical formulations; historical,
geographic and political circumstances which laid the foundation of Russian
geopolitics
 History and geography of China
Emergence of China as the new global power and the logic behind its recent
ascendance in the global arena; geopolitical considerations which contributed to
shaping both the historical background and modern political objectives of the Chinese
state
 Geopolitics and its value
An overview of the key concepts and theories in the geopolitical tradition; engagement
with the prominent geopolitical scholars and the importance of their work to
explaining contemporary international relations

Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
 Aaltola, M., & Käpylä, J. (2016). U.S. and Chinese Silk Road initiatives: towards
a geopolitics of flows in Central Asia and beyond. Germany, Europe: B. Budrich.
Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-
live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.849A1B4A
 Bandeira, M., & Guimarães, S. P. (2017). The Second Cold War : Geopolitics and
the Strategic Dimensions of the USA. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-
live&db=edsebk&AN=1527484
 Black, J. (2016). Geopolitics and the Quest for Dominance. Bloomington: Indiana
University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1092425
 Cohen, S. B. (2015). Geopolitics : The Geography of International Relations (Vol.
Third edition). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-
live&db=edsebk&AN=920009
 Dittmer, J., & Sharp, J. (2014). Geopolitics : An Introductory Reader. Hoboken:
Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=806225
 Editorial article. (2016). International Conference “Shifting Geopolitics & Security
Among Major Powers: China, Russia & The United States.” Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-
live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.EE78FABD
 Guiora, A. N. (2014). Modern Geopolitics and Security : Strategies for
Unwinnable Conflicts. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-
live&db=edsebk&AN=661020
 Ikenberry, G. J. (2014). The Illusion of Geopolitics. Foreign Affairs, 93(3), 80.
Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-
live&db=f5h&AN=95603432
 Jones, B. (2014). Fueling a new order? : The new geopolitical and security
consequences of energy / Bruce Jones, David Steven, and Emily O’Brien.
Washington/D.C: Brookings. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.413071278
 Kappel, R. (DE-588)137762747, (DE-576)161650112. (2015). Global power
shifts and challenges for the global order / Robert Kappel. Lisboa: Instituto Marquês de
Valle Flôr. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-
live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.468206930
 Kurecic, P. (2015). Geoeconomic and Geopolitical Conflicts: Outcomes of the
Geopolitical Economy in a Contemporary World. World Review of Political Economy,
6(4), 522–543. https://doi.org/10.13169/worlrevipoliecon.6.4.0522
 Modern Geostrategy ; Geostrategy and Geopolitics. (2017). Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-
live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.25D67EDD
 Wrobel, R. M. (2019). Chinese geopolitics in Southeast Asia : a new pattern of
economic power within ASEAN? Asiatische Studien : Zeitschrift Der Schweizerischen
Asiengesellschaft / Études Asiatiques : Revue de La Société Suisse-Asie, (1), 149.
https://doi.org/10.5169/seals-823081