Geopolitics: A Very Short Introduction - Softcover

Dodds, Klaus

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199206589 ISBN 13: 9780199206582

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2007

Synopsis

In places such as Iraq or Lebanon, moving a few feet on either side of a territorial boundary can be a matter of life or death, dramatically highlighting the connections between geography and politics. This Very Short Introduction illuminates the concept of geopolitics, revealing how a country's location and size as well as its sovereignty and resources all affect how its people understand and interact with the wider world. Using wide-ranging examples, from historical maps to James Bond films and the rhetoric of political leaders like Churchill and George W. Bush, Klaus Dodds describes how people and places are inter-connected with each other, and how our geopolitical outlook molds our understanding of the world. He shows why it is vital that we understand how and why we divide the world into zones and territories--and how these divisions depend on your perspective. The book explains how terrorism, globalization, environmental degradation, and new technologies such as the internet are all challenging the geographical basis of global politics, and it sheds light on the history of terms such as "the iron curtain," "the third world," and "the axis of evil."

About the Series: Oxford's Very Short Introductions offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, and Literary Theory to History. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given topic. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how it has developed and influenced society. Whatever the area of study, whatever the topic that fascinates the reader, the series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.

About this title

Review

Geopolitics: Questions for Consideration and Discussion

How might American foreign policy be described as geopolitical?

What do action heroes like Jack Bauer and Jason Bourne say about popular geopolitical representations of the war on terror?

What role does the United Nations play in sustaining geopolitical stability? Could it be an agent of geopolitical change?

Do you think that the internet and social networking sites like Facebook are transforming the very essence of geopolitics?

Looking ahead, do you think the next generation of wars will be fought over access to resources?

About the Author

Klaus Dodds is Professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London, where he is also Director of the Politics & Environment Research Group.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0199206589
• ISBN 13: 9780199206582
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 200