The Return of Geopolitics

  In recent decades the unipolar system of power the world has experienced since the end of the Cold War has been slowly closing and giving rise to at least a bipolar, if not multipolar era.  While the United States remains ahead of the rest of the world in both power and influence, these once large gaps are beginning to narrow.  Specific states such as China are gaining power and influence in spheres of the world where the United States does not have as firm of a reach, and other states such as the Rwanda have experienced conflicts that consequently destabilized much of the surrounding region.  There are multiple ways of viewing these recent geopolitical events, but overall the realist theory Walter Russell Mead advocates is the most practical when examining facts and predicting future trends.

     Geopolitics refers to the influence that natural geography has on international relations and global politics.  It can be argued both that the world has always had constant geopolitical conflict in addition to the thought that it has waxed and waned in influence over time.  Mead proposes that the world experienced a decline in geopolitics after the fall of the Soviet Union and subsequent end of the Cold War, but that in our current global political climate it is beginning to return with the same vigor and polarizing consequences it once had.  States such as China are gaining influence and credibility by utilizing geopolitics while in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is put at a disadvantage due to geographical and political factors beyond their control.  Clearly these recent events back Mead's theory that geopolitics is assuming a prominent role in global affairs once again.

     China has seen a huge boom in economic ability since Deng Xiaoping’s reforms took effect.  Xiaoping developed extensive plans to modernize in four broad areas of Chinese society: agriculture, industry, science and technology, and the military.  These new policies had the distinct aim of allowing China to compete in global markets and reclaim influence in an increasingly interconnected world.  In turn China has increased their sphere of influence and allowed for expanded geopolitical leverage.  Xiaoping’s reforms have since provided a much greater GDP that can then be utilized to encourage neighboring countries to adopt Chinese policy and norms.  China has been able to take on a leadership role in Asia and act as a model of what smaller and weaker eastern states should strive to emulate, undermining the idea that the United States was the model state all countries across the globe should mimic.  This increase in geopolitical influence is not enough to threaten the American grip on world power, but certainly has paved the way for a bipolar system in the future.

  Many modern international conflicts balloon from local conflicts to geopolitical disputes.  The mass genocide of the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda had lasting impacts in the region and led to the an extreme destabilization in the region, specifically within the DRC.  When Rwanda was a Belgian mandate the colonizers favored the Tutsi minority ethnic group by allowing them to prosper at much greater levels than their Hutu counterparts.  Once the state gained independence the Hutu majority rebelled against the Tutsi and began violent mass killings of it’s members.  This in turn created an extensive refugee problem across the region as Rwandan Tutsi’s fled their homes into whatever neighboring state was the most accessible.  The situation rapidly escalated within a matter of weeks and the DRC saw the largest influx of migrants with very little time to prepare.  The conflict spilled over into the DRC when Hutu’s were persecuted in Rwanda post-genocide and led to multiple internal wars that affected the entire African region.  This is only one example of how a local dispute gained enough traction to severely damage surrounding states, thereby escalating into an inevitable conflict for countries who could not help put become entangled based purely on geographical location.

     When examining geopolitical impacts on current events, it is clear to see that there are multiple interpretations regarding viewpoints and practical applications of theory.  However, when examining recent world affairs the realist view of returning geopolitics is an extremely convincing argument.  Mead accurately describes how 

Sources Used:

History.com Staff. “The Rwandan Genocide.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/rwandan-genocide.

Muscato, Christopher. “Deng Xiaoping and the Four Modernizations.” Study.com, Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/deng-xiaoping-and-the-four-modernizations.html.

Shirk, Mark. “Power Politics Lecture.” International Relations. Stonehill College, Easton.