Brian Blouet College of William and Mary Why does Mackinder evolve from the Pivot paper (1904) to the Heartland thesis (1919)? In 1904 Mackinder identified four possible contenders for control of the core of Eurasia. The contenders were: the German empire, the Russian empire, China, and Japan. Mackinder added, should… Read more »
On Sunday, September 27, 2020, 1:30-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (US), Rodger Baker presented a talk on “A New Geopolitics for a New Century, Part I.” Rodger Baker recommended several recently published essays for circulation: The New Geography (China, the U.S., and the Geography of the 21st Century) United States –… Read more »
March 2020 saw the Marine Corps release Force Design 2030 strategic planning document (https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo134593) under the direction of Commandant General David H. Berger. This collaborative effort was influenced by the Trump Administration’s 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS). The NDSredirected the Marine Corps’ focus from countering violent Middle Eastern extremists to countering great power/peer competitors, particularly those… Read more »
On September 13 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time (US), Professor Jack Goldstone presented a talk, “We Predicted Political Upheaval in America in the 2020s: This is why it’s here and what we can do to avoid it.” ABSTRACT: A model designed to explain past revolutions and rebellions in Europe and… Read more »
On Sunday, September 6, 2020 (from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM Eastern Time, US), an anonymous presenter delivered a talk on “A Giraffe in Nanjing: A Cartographic Reimagining of China’s One Belt One Road.” ABSTRACT: Many myths surround China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The results of a spatial analysis of… Read more »
Mr. Gabriel Mitchell addressed the Mackinder Forum Seminar on Sunday, August 30, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, US. He discussed “Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean: Natural Gas Deposits, Pipelines, and Conflict over Maritime Jurisdictions.” Gabriel Mitchell is the Director of External Relations at the Mitvim Institute. He is also… Read more »
On Saturday, August 22, 2020, from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM (Eastern Time, US), Professor Albert Chapman addressed the Mackinder Forum Seminar on “Urban Warfare: An Emerging Geopolitical Conundrum.” Professor Chapman is a librarian at Purdue University. He is the author of several studies, most notably: Global Defence Procurement and… Read more »
On Saturday, August 15, 2020, from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM (Eastern Time, US), Professor Ofira Seliktar presented a broad ranging talk devoted to “Iran’s Proxy Wars: Limits to A Successful Strategy?” Professor Seliktar is Professor Emerita at Gratz College. She has written extensively on predictive failures in intelligence and… Read more »
Members of the seminar recommended the continuation of the conversation initiated by Professor Sally Paine. The following readings were recommended for discussion on Sunday, August 9, 2020, 1:30-3:00 PM (Eastern Time, US.): (1) https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2020/08/04/chinas_rise_is_macarthurs_vindication_115517.html; (2) https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/china-middle-eastern-kingdom; (3) https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/08/china-rising-superpower-crumbling-totalitarian-machine/; and (4) https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/industry-and-energy/2020/08/container-china-arrives-narvik-it-could-pave-way-new-transport-route.
Professor Sally Paine of the Naval War College presented an hour-long talk on “The Geopolitics of Maritime and Continental Powers: China, Russia, and the United States.” A discussion will follow. This seminar was held on Saturday, August 1st, NOON-2 p.m. (Eastern Time, US). According to Professor Paine, readings for this… Read more »
