Geopolitics

1
Geopolitics

• A Model to Understand the Military Conflicts of
  the World

2
Harold Mackinder

• Who rules East Europe commands the heartland
• Who rules the heartland commands the World Island
  (Eurasia and Africa)
• Who rules the World Island commands the World

3
Harold Mackinder
4
Heartland-Rimland

• Heartland
• Generally thought of as an area in Eurasia with
  the Urals as its center
• Rimland
• Many different interpretations of this area
• Generally thought to form a ring around the
  Heartland area

5
Military Implications

• Heartland
• Primarily an army based military power structure
• Rimland
• Primarily a naval based military power structure

6
Autarky

• An economy that limits trade with the outside
  world
• Also referred to as a closed economy
• This type of economy was sought by Nazi Germany
  in the 1930s