Is Geopolitics Still Relevant? Halford Mackinder and the War in Ukraine

Krzysztof Sliwinski*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This paper starts with an assumption that Geopolitics, understood as one of the great schools of International Relations, is not only still relevant but, indeed, should be one of the essential items in the toolkit of any student or policymaker who peruses the challenging and ever eluding realm of international security.

It draws chiefly on the Heartland theory of Halford Mackinder to explain the dynamics of contemporary European Security in general and the ongoing war in Ukraine in particular.

The analysis, which relies on historical examination of the geopolitical realities of Central and Eastern Europe, leads the author to a pair of conclusions: firstly, that the conflict in Ukraine is unlikely to end anytime soon and, perhaps more importantly, that the outcome of the conflict will only be one of many steps leading to the emergence of the new, possibly a multipolar, international system and consequently, and more obviously, a new security system in Europe, which will be strongly influenced by Germany rather than by the United States as before.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationGeography, Identity, and Politics: Concepts, Theories, and Cases in Geopolitical Analysis
EditorsNuno Morgado, Mihajlo Kopanja
Place of PublicationBelgrade, Serbia
PublisherUniversity of Belgrade
Chapter9
Pages175-191
Number of pages17
ISBN (Electronic)9788680144672
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Dec 2024
EventIPSA RC 41 & 15 Seventh International Workshop on "Political Geography and Geopolitics as Scientific Approaches: Concepts, Theories, Methods" - Budapest, Hungary
Duration: 11 Oct 202413 Oct 2024
https://www.ipsa.org/na/event/ipsa-rc-41-15-seventh-international-workshop-political-geography-and-geopolitics

Publication series

NameInternational Workshop on Geopolitics and Political Geography
Volume7

Workshop

WorkshopIPSA RC 41 & 15 Seventh International Workshop on "Political Geography and Geopolitics as Scientific Approaches: Concepts, Theories, Methods"
Country/TerritoryHungary
CityBudapest
Period11/10/2413/10/24
Internet address

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Political Science and International Relations

User-Defined Keywords

  • Geopolitics
  • Heartland
  • Europe
  • Security
  • Ukraine

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