Geopolitics

This lecture intends to grasp the key questions of geopolitics today through the lens of certain themes. It will strive to understand world power relations in their spatial dimension and how power can shape territories. Political geography is focused on power practices, on how spatial issues are defined and on the geopolitical concepts that can be applied to various places/areas.

The CS will first examine the emergence of geopolitics and its controversial origins due to its link with totalitarian regimes. It will assess how the ?neutral? posture adopted by geopoliticians de-politicized the discipline and undermined its credibility. Then we will have a look at different institutions and stakeholders, like the state, borders, private companies and criminal organizations that have a changing weight on the relationship between power and territory. A geographical understanding of political issues is therefore at the heart of this lecture. Two case studies, a state (Lebanon) and an international terrorist organization (ISIS) will be examined to highlight key spatial dimensions and their geopolitics.

Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA awards credits based on the ECTS system. Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course. CEA CAPA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA (2 ECTS credits equals 1 U.S. credit therefore, 5 ECTS credits is equivalent to 2.5 U.S. credits).