1. EUS-201 European Geography
Lecture 2
EUS-201 European Geography
James Leigh University of Nicosia
(Tracy Bucco)

2. EUS-201e – European Geography Why Study Geopolitics with IR?
Dr. James Leigh, CGeog. FRGS. University of Nicosia
Merkel/Sarkozy: Putin: Ahmadinejad:

3. With Special Reference to Europe
European Union
N America
Europe
Asia
Africa
S America
Maps:

4. Readings
Friedman, G. (2008) America in the 21st Century [Video], Stratfor Inc:
Chapters 1 and 2, in Leigh, J. (2009) Death of Nations in Civilization Clash, Nicosia, Afi Touch Editions.
Chapter 7, in Ostergren, C. and Rice, J. (2004), The Europeans: A Geography of People, Culture and Environment, NY, The Guildford Press
Wolff, A, (2008) Geography as a Diagnostic Tool in International Relations: A Geographic Analysis of the European Union’s Eastward Enlargement, Paper Presented at the International Studies Association Conference, San Francisco, California, March 28, (see course notes/handouts) also online

5. Geopolitics: a branch of Geography
“The most stable factor upon which the power of a nation depends is obviously geography.” (Morgenthau, 1966, p. 106)
Geopolitics: “The law of history that peoples must expand by ‘conquering space’, or perish, and the relative power of nations is determined by the mutual relation of the conquered spaces.” (Morgenthau, 1966, p. 153)
Morgenthau is critical of the abuse of geopolitics turned into a pseudoscience by the Germans as they justified their actions into and during WWII.
“International Relations is the discussion of how the international system works. Geopolitics is a particular method for analyzing it [through a spatial view]. [Mackinder said] that [t]he single most important factor in how nations behave is geography. It defines their character, economies, politics, and military capabilities. So where International Relations is the arena, Geopolitics is the science that turns to explaining and predicting.” (Friedman, 2008)
Morganthau,

6. Why Geography? 1. Only with Geography can we see what is happening in IR with a full spatial view – this is vital for a full understanding. 2. Geography (Geopolitics) is largely shunned in the world of IR and diplomacy. Diplomats shun geopolitics – it is too real and stark for them. (You can’t always talk up or dialogue a solution.) 4. Two favorite geopoliticians of mine: venerable (94 years old) Bernard Lewis (Princeton) and late Samuel Huntington (Harvard) are world names, macro-historians and geopoliticians. 5. Some very prestigious schools take geopolitics seriously – University of London has a Masters degree in geopolitics. (One of my students is doing it.)

7. Geography and macro-history 1
Geography and macro-history 1. Macro-history is the study of history for major trends and movements, and their effects, to understand by precedent, what current world events portend. (Nothing new under the sun.) 2. Without geography (with macro-history) we don’t know what is happening where, and how it will affect elsewhere, now and in the future. 3. Geopolitics: the influences that geography has on political relations between countries; and also the study of nations with particular reference to borders and the struggle for power and dominion in international relationships.

8. Geographic brain teasers
Jerusalem,
Geographic brain teasers
East Jerusalem in West Bank
West Berlin in East Germany
Berlin,

9. Purpose of Presentation
Emphasize the importance of geography (geopolitics) in international relations
Demonstrate use of geography to analyze international affairs.
How geography influences Europe both:
Internally among the EU nations
Externally (internationally) outside the EU with international relationships

10. Geography’s Relevance
Geography plays a role in international relations.
Shapes attitudes and encourages or constrains actions and policy.
One of the permanent and fundamental causes of a state’s character
Its viability
Its society’s behaviour – both mental and actions
Its internal and external interactions.
Despite power of geography in mankind’s affairs, it is downplayed in academia as a factor in international relations.

11. How Geography Influences Nations
There are physical and human geographic phenomena
Some of the main physical phenomena:
Topography (shape of land surface and what is on it: landforms: mountains, rivers, seas and human environment and constructions)
Size (shape and dimensions)
Location (international relationships: borders, proximity)
Climate (climate effects on human activity and development)
Natural resources (trade and industrial development)

12. 1. Topography Great Northern Plain Largest, funnel shaped
Surrounding natural barriers – mountains and seas
Climate (temperate/moist/soils – rich agriculture
Also internal barriers, forests, rivers
Populations interacting (ethnicity within European culture)
Push/pull factors across pan European culture vs national ethnicity
South somewhat different looking to Mediterranean and less to north to Europe
Danube links areas including SE to Central Europe (Germany) and Black Sea
Mountains
Rivers

13. 2. Size Affects power and strength
Strong states ~ big states: except naval states - Europe’s colonizers; Japan unique; Australia
Big ~ climatic, economic diversity, and large manpower base
Small ~ weak, lack of power, subject to foreign intervention
Shape – Compact (circle) more cohesive and defendable
World,

14. Size: Europe – mostly smallish sovereign states Individually each is diverse and “weak” - can’t sustain world hegemony
Many smallish states, ~no physical barriers, especially in north throughout the great plain
Much international interaction in successive periods of war and peace
German history pursues hegemony
International intervention stalled German hegemony – e.g. UK and USA triumph over Nazis in WWII
EU:

15. 3. Locations Russia Who are the neighbors?
Where are the resources, ports, links etc
What are the natural and physical borders?
German heartland
Borders Russia across great plain
Buffers? Smaller weaker states and conflict zone between big powers
External: Main direct Eurasian threat from Russia most significant
Buffer: Eastern Europe
Internal: Germany is Europe’s “centre” and most powerful nation
German heartland
Buffer states
Centre,
Buffer,

16. Euro-Russian Perennial Problem
Great Plan is shared – easy travel
Freezing winters act as a winter ground-level “border”
No real physical border between Europe and Russia
So borders and sphere of influence often contested through politics and force
Moscow is in
physical Europe
Ural Mountains end physical Europe
Wikimedia

17. Russian main gas pipelines to Europe
CNN

18. EU:Turkey, Central Asia
Nord Stream
Germany:Russia
South Stream
Russia:Bulgaria etc
Nabucco
EU:Turkey, Central Asia
Sidelines Russia

20. Language/Religion Association
Germanic
Slavic
Romance
Language/Religion Association
South and west Germany mainly Catholic (31% Germany)
Germanic
Slavic
Shatter belt
Romance
Religion
Languages
(MacDonald, 1997)
Germanic Languages ~ Protestant
Slavic Languages ~ Orthodox
Romances Language ~ Catholic
(Wikimedia Commons)

21. Orthodox (Eastern) Christianity
Orthodox (Eastern) Christianity
Western Christianity
Islam
Note: Christianity and Islam are neighbors, also Christianity is split in two, Western (Roman) and Eastern (Orthodoxy)

22. Historic Euro Empire(s) & Islam
Islam ~ AD 1000
(Leigh, 2009, pp. 24, 29)

23. Potential
Leigh, 2009, p. 40

24. 4. Climate Affects level of flexible productive activities
Temperate ~ good for agriculture
Sufficient rainfall for agriculture
Not to hot or too cold, so convenient for outdoor activity / farming
Note the south – Mediterranean climate – N:S divide
Europe
Climates:

25. 5. Resources
Without massive levels of imports Europe will die in days or weeks.
Europe import huge amounts of food, fossil fuels, minerals etc
Minerals and fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) are vital for economic development
International self sufficiency  strength independence
International dependence  imports  vulnerable dependence
Europe depends on Islamic Persian Gulf countries for huge 40% of its oil
Vulnerable to chokepoints (sea gates)
Chokepoints:

26. Where is EU in New Tripolar World of Civilization Clash?
Europe
Christian
Asia
Mystical
Non-Arab Iran
PanArabia
Islam
© Leigh, 2009

27. Conclusion
Geopolitics shows us what is happening and where, and the spatial implications for:
Sovereign nations
The vitality of their economies and peoples and human activity
As it influences their borders and international relationships
Geopolitics shows us the spatial specifics in the struggle for power among the nations
We have seen some of the major geographical factors that influence EU internally and externally

28. (Tracy Bucco)