Letter from Lhasa, number 206. (Dodds 2007): Geopolitics
by Roberto Abraham Scaruffi
Dodds, K., Geopolitics. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2007.
(Dodds 2007).
Klaus Dodds
This about 172-page [182 with references and index] pocket book tries to introduce the magmatic field geopolitics is.
Tightly speaking, one jumps into geopolitics each time politics deal with spaces. Since that generally happens in international relations [wherever one would like more or less space, or even, sometimes, a different use of one’s own space, there are inevitable quarrelling/problems and/or conflicts with other State entities], the international set is a privileged theatre for geopolitics. Although, actually, it would be possible to classify as geopolitics also spatial political disputes inside States. Secessions, as well as different administrative organisations inside States or regions or provinces, etc might be pertinently classifies as geopolitics.
For someone, or for many, geopolitics is synonym of or combined with strategic matters. If “geopolitics” becomes the “science” of map[-based] “strategic” evaluations, it perfectly combines with strategy as the “science” of conveniences or supposed such. A nonsense becomes complement to another nonsense. The point of view of (Dodds 2007) is probably different, although he inevitably and involuntarily shows that “geopolitics” is generally synonym of politicking, alias of myopically opportunistic conveniences.
The last chapter, Chapter 6, perhaps involuntarily shows as “geopolitics” be matter of people’s brainwashing. Mass-media of the “free” world are tightly controlled in what the average brainwashed “brain” would call totalitarian- or Nazi- or Soviet-style. Geopolitics simply becomes, or already is, part of the choreography for deceiving people and for justifying whatever State/government craziness to which people have to submit.
Dodds, K., Geopolitics. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2007.
