-Caveat Lector-
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
--- Begin Message ---
-Caveat Lector-
"After World War II the study of geopolitics fell into disrepute because of=
its association with Nazi Germany.
"Another criticism leveled against geopolitics was the charge that geopolit=
ical theory ascribed a single cause to the success or failure of a country a=
nd that did not take into consideration human choice. This was known as det=
erminism. The Nazi's interpretation of Mackinder transcribed his warning th=
at "He who rules East Europe.....will command the World" into geographic pre=
destiny."
http://www.list.org/~mdoyle/theory.html
GEOPOLITICAL THEORY
Geopolitics attempts to explain why some countries have power and other cou=
ntries do not. The connection between spatial qualities of countries and in=
ternational relations has been observed since the Greeks (Spencer 42). How=
ever, the formal links between geography and political science began about 1=
00 years ago.
In 1890 Alfred Thayer Mahan wrote The Influence of Sea Power Upon History. =
Sea power was necessary to facilitate trade and peaceful commerce, therefore=
Mahan believed that the country that possessed power would be one that coul=
d control the seas. Thus, the development of a strong navy was an essential =
ingredient to a powerful state as was the country's location. He believed th=
at the country with the most power would be one whose relative location was =
accessible and connected with a long coastline and good harbors. Mahan saw=
power as belonging north of the Suez and Panama Canals.
Sir Halford Mackinder proposed what would become the most widely discussed =
concept of geopolitical studies.
Mackinder was interested in political motion and he observed that the spati=
al distribution of strategic opportunities in the world was unequal. Mackin=
der's thesis, developed in his 1904 book Democratic Ideals and Reality, disr=
egarded Mahan's theory. Advances in technology were forcing a reevaluation =
of spatial concepts and military strategies. With the advent of railroads, =
countries no longer depended on the navy to move large armies. Thus, Mackin=
der believed that the focus of warfare would be shifted from the sea to the =
hinterland (interiors). Mackinder developed a "pivot area" which was the no=
rthern and interior parts of the Eurasian continent where the rivers flow to=
the Arctic or to salt seas and lakes. He believed that with the advent of =
railroads, this area would be pivotal as it would be easy to defend and hard=
to conquer. Later, he called the pivot area the "Heartland" and devised hi=
s famous Heartland Theory: "He who controls the Heartland controls the World=
Island (Eurasia and Africa); He who controls the World Island, controls the=
world." Mackinder anticipated that Germany would be a threat to controlli=
ng the resources of Eastern Europe and the Heartland.
The Germans became instrumental in developing the field of Geopolitics (Geo=
politk). In 1897 German natural scientist Friedrich Ratzel developed his "=
organic theory". This theory contend that the state is like an organism att=
ached to the earth that competes with other states to thrive. Like all livi=
ng organisms, the state needs lebensraum - living space.
General Karl Hauschofer was a leading proponent of Mackinder's Heartland Th=
eory and he developed a theory of pan regions. Hauschofer divided the world=
into three pan regions which were blocs of power based on complementarily b=
etween the North and South. The Northern core region was connected to a Sou=
thern periphery. The three pan regions were Anglo America and its periphery=
, Latin America; Europe (controlled by Germany) and its periphery, Africa an=
d India; and Japan and its periphery, Southeast Asia. Hauschofer began teac=
hing in Munich during World War I and it was here that Rudolf Hess heard Hau=
schofer's lectures and later introduced him to Adolph Hitler (Spencer 43) H=
itler, ignoring the subtleties of Hauschofer's teaching, used these theories=
to advance the Nazi cause of world domination. The Nazi's,used quasi-scient=
ific justification based on the works of Hauschofer and Ratzel as justificat=
ion for territorial expansion.
After World War II the study of geopolitics fell into disrepute because of =
its association with Nazi Germany Another criticism leveled against geopoli=
tics was the charge that geopolitical theory ascribed a single cause to the =
success or failure of a country and that did not take into consideration hum=
an choice. This was known as determinism. The Nazi's interpretation of Mac=
kinder transcribed his warning that "He who rules East Europe.....will comma=
nd the World" into geographic predestiny.
Nicholas Spykman was a proponent of environmental determinism. Spykman esch=
ewed the theory that from economic, political and military point of views, t=
he northern half of the world would always be more important than the southe=
rn half, and that the location of a state north or south of the Equator woul=
d play a large part in determining the significance of the state. Spykman d=
isagreed with Mackinder's Heartland Theory. He believed that both sea and l=
and power were important. He saw that the real potential of Eurasia was in =
the" inner crescent." This region included Western Europe, the Middle East,=
South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Far East, Which he called the Rimland. =
The Rimland was important because this region would have access to the sea a=
nd to interior regions. "Who controls the Rimland rules Eurasia; who rules =
Eurasia controls the destinies of the world."
Cold War policy makers used the Rimland theory as justification for the pol=
icy of containment -stopping the spread the communism. In America, geopolit=
ics was simplified and distorted to serve political ends. Geopoliticans cam=
e from international relations and history or from the military but not from=
the field of geography. For these geopoliticans geography meant distance, =
size, shape, and physical features that were all static. The idea of geogra=
phy as spatial patterns and relations that reflect dynamic physical and huma=
n processes was absent. The world was seen as being composed of two blocs w=
ith no overlapping areas.
A.P de Seversky saw that the development of air power made land battles obs=
olete. Thus, he concluded that whoever controls the skies would be the worl=
d power. At the time of his writing, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were the two=
most important air powers. He used an azimuthal equidistant projection cen=
tered on the North Pole to show the air dominance of the U.S. and the U.S.S.=
R. On this map there was an area of intersection he called the "area of dec=
ision". He believed that whoever controlled this area would be dominant.
Immanuel Wallerstein writing in the 1970s, developed his World System theor=
y. A world system is a social system, one that has boundaries, structures, =
member groups, rules of legitimization, and coherence. According to Wallerst=
ein, there are two varieties of World-system: World empires in which there =
is a single political system over most of the area; and those systems in whi=
ch such a single political system does not exist over all of the space. The=
term used to describe this type of world system is "World-economy." Waller=
stein believes that the World-economy was developed in Europe during the 16t=
h century and was made possible by a division of labor that was not merely f=
unctional, but also geographical. Within this world-system are three geogra=
phic areas. Core states are advanced areas of the World-economy. They have=
strong state structures and a national culture, and its peoples are integra=
ted. Core states are economic powers connected by trade and technology, an=
d they are exploiters of the periphery. Peripheral areas are weak states; e=
ither colonial states or states with a low degree of autonomy. The third re=
gion is comprised of the semipheriperal areas; those that act as a buffer be=
tween the core and the periphery. Wallerstein's World System also reflects =
determinism as he believed that since the World-system had been fully develo=
ped by the 1950's, no country would be able to enter the system and be able =
to successfully compete and that those countries in the periphery would prob=
ably never be able to catch up economically to the core countries.
Today geographers now view the world in terms of spatial patterns that are =
not containable within national boundaries. They see the world as an interd=
ependent system and the nation-state as part of a world that is a shared are=
a. A proponent of this theory is Saul Cohen, who wrote Geography and Politi=
cs in a World Divided. Cohen divides the world into geostrategic regions. T=
he two main regions are the Maritime, which is dependent on trade, and in th=
e Eurasian Continental Realm, which is interior in direction. Within each r=
ealm are first -order states (the ones that are the most powerful within the=
region). His model shows Japan, the U.S. and the European Community as the=
current first -order states for the maritime realm and China and the Soviet=
Union as the first -order countries for the continental realm (Demko and W=
ood 40). In his model shatterbelt states separate the realms or regions with=
the the realms. There are also independent states such as Pakistan, India, =
Thailand, and Vietnam. Gateway states lie between realms and regions and ac=
t as linkages. Asymmetrical states are in a region but they behave differen=
tly than the others. Cohen, unlike Wallerstein, believes that power is in=
a lot of different places and is continually changing in an integrated syst=
em.
Throughout the study of geopolitics, the Middle East has always been a regi=
on of strategic importance as it connects Eurasia and Africa. Whether part =
of Mackinder's World Island or Spykman's Rimland, the Middle East has alwa=
ys been seen as a region of strategic importance. In Cohen's model, the Mid=
dle East is a shatterbelt where the maritime realm meets the continental rea=
lm. Once a powerful region of great empires and an important trade region,=
the Middle East found itself susceptible to foreign influence in the form o=
f colonial domination and as a pawn in an international chess game between t=
he Soviet Union and the United States. The tricontinental position of the M=
iddle East will always be important geographically . It is unclear if the M=
iddle East will be able to overcome its economic and social difficulties to =
be able to reestablish itself as an important region of trade and culture or=
if it will continue to be a shatterbelt caught between colliding external c=
ultural and political forces.
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
<FONT COLOR="#000099">Plan to Sell a Home?
</FONT><A HREF="http://us.click.yahoo.com/J2SnNA/y.lEAA/MVfIAA/xYTolB/TM";><B>Click
Here!</B></A>
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Please let us stay on topic and be civil.
To unsubscribe please go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cia-drugs
-Home Page- www.cia-drugs.org
OM
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
--- End Message ---
