introto geopoliticsoct2012

GEOSTRATEGY & INTERNATIONAL

RELATIONS Niki Papadopoulou

Session 1:Introduction

Agenda

INTRODUCTION TO GEOSTRATEGY & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS •  Course overview •  Geopolitical issues of our times

Agenda

Agenda

EMAIL: [email protected] Office: Tolozan

Contact Info

INTRODUCTION TO GEOSTRATEGY & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Course overview Geopolitical issues and challenges of our times

Agenda

-  No talking or side conversations. -  No open computers -  Turn off your cell phones -  Listen, learn & participate

Rules

Agenda

Learning objectives: •  Become familiar with current geopolitical thinking

and develop a lexicon of key terminology of geopolitics and international affairs.

•  Gain a basic understanding of the key geopolitical issues of our time and the challenges to international cooperation among key players (states, corporations, legal and illegal international organizations).

•  Develop tools to analyze current events, trace their origins and understand their implications on current affairs.

Course Objectives

Agenda

(1) Each class will begin with a brief press review of the MOST current topics in geopolitics.

(2) The professor will introduce a distinct geopolitical topic during the first half of the class,

(3) followed by an in-class debate.

Course Structure

Agenda Course Overview

Agenda Course Overview Cont’d

Agenda Grades

Agenda Grades: Debate

Each student will participate in a 15 minute debate about one of the class topics. In groups you will be expected to do your own research and prepare a PPT presentation. Your presentation must include two different medias (images, music, video). You will be evaluated on your ability to convince your audience (who will vote on your abilities) as well as your preparation and analytical abilities. Each group would preapre the PRO (for) and CON (against)arguments. The topics will be chosen by a draw.

Agenda Grades: Debate

Research Techniques “Your own research”: your objective is to learn not to use something someone else said. Do: -  Search in legitimate sources (International Herald Tribune, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Le Monde, El Pais, CNN, MSNBC, France 24, NPR, RFI, etc) -  Cite your sources

Don’t: -  Copy and paste from your sources -  Use Wikipedia as a source, it’s only a reference. The real information and analysis should come from legitimate sources.

Agenda Grades: Position Paper

The simulation will be on the tensions with Iran and the possible escalation of the conflict. There will be 7 groups that will take on the following roles: 1) IRAN 2) ISRAEL 3) UNITED STATES 4) UNITED NATIONS 5) TURKEY 6) FRANCE 7) CHINA In the groups established on the first day of class, you will prepare a position paper and be ready to act and react according to your positions. Due Date: Nov. 21 for Univers B,C, D, E Nov. 26 for Univers A Nov. 28 for Univers F

Agenda Grades: Position Paper

One page position paper outlining your point of view for the simulation. The simulation will put us in a “real life” geopolitical situation in which you will have to react to the news and challenges of the day according to your assigned position. In order to establish your position you will have to do your own research based on current pres coverage of the subject matter. Some articles will be provided by the professor on the intranet site.

Agenda Dates of Debates by Group

Debate A B C D E F

Practice Debate-US

Oct. 31 Oct. 31 Nov. 12 Oct. 30 Oct. 31 Oct. 31

Terrorism Nov. 13 Nov. 13 Nov. 19 Nov. 12 Nov. 12 Nov. 12

Drug threat Nov. 19 Nov. 20 Nov. 20 Nov. 19 Nov. 19 Nov. 28

Simulation Nov. 26 Nov. 21 Nov. 21 Nov. 21 Nov. 21 Nov. 28

Water Nov. 28 Nov. 27 Nov. 26 Nov. 26 Nov. 26 Dec. 3

Europe vs. Asia

Dec. 3 Dec. 3 Dec. 3 Nov. 28 Nov. 27 Dec. 10

Geopolitics Dec. 4 Dec. 10 Dec. 10 Dec. 10 Dec. 4 Dec. 11

INTRODUCTION TO GEOSTRATEGY & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Course overview

Geopolitical issues and challenges of our times

GEOSTRATEGY & INTERNATIONAL

RELATIONS Niki Papadopoulou

Session 1:Introduction

Key Geopolitical Issues of our Time

A new map of Europe?

Wars: For Worthy Causes?

La Guerra del Fútbol, Qualifying round for the World Cup, 1970

A war for worthy causes?


A war for worthy causes?


The Threat of Violence is Not Always Necessary

Ping Pong Diplomacy, April 6-17, 1971


The legacy of the Cold War

The Cuban Revolution, 1959



Vietnam War 1955-1975



Augusto Pinochet, Ruler of Chile, 1973-89



Russian invasion of Afghanistan 1979-1986



The Korean War and the 38th Parallel


Terrorism is not a (Middle) Eastern Practice

Aldo Moro, Italian statesman

Kidnapped and killed by the Red Brigades in 1978.


Current Geopolitical Challenges


Current Geopolitical Challenges

Xi Jinping

Agenda The Davos Forum’s List of

Risks for 2012

Agenda So what is geopolitics?

GEOPOLITICS has come to mean the struggle among nations for limited resources and how they cooperate or compete to maximize their power and resources.


GEO POLITICS

Space

Power

- An approach to politics originating in late nineteenth century Germany that stressed the constraints imposed on foreign policy for location and environment, geopolitics contributed to the emphasis on continuity in modern political realism.

Source: Oxford Concise Dictionary of Politics, 2009.


GEOPOLITICS has come to mean the struggle among nations for limited resources and how they cooperate or compete to maximize their power and resources.


GÉOPOLITIQUE: La démarche géopolitique vise essentiellement à élucider les interactions entre les configurations spatiales et ce qui relève du politique. (1) Analyser la complexité de l’état du monde (suite à la guerre de Vietnam, les chocs pétroliers de 1973 et 1979, les guerres israélo-arabes, les guerres afghanes, l’islamisme radical…).

Source: Le dictionnaire historique et géopolitique du 20eme siècle, sous la direction de Serge Cordellier, Edition la Découverte, 2007).


2) Pensées de la contention et le refoulement: une autre forme de récurrence de représentation géopolitiques à travers le siècle a trait à une lecture d’un monde structuré en puissances soit « maritimes » soit « continentales » à la suite de Halford Mackinder, Nicholas Spykman, George Kennan et de Zbignew Bzrezinski. Dans ce schéma on trouve aussi la contention/endiguement (containment) qui justifie la guerre de Vietnam. 3) Le simplisme des thèses civilisationnistes (l’Occident, le monde musulman, hindouiste, confucéen)-vision de Samuel Huntington. Source: Le dictionnaire historique et géopolitique du 20eme siècle, sous la direction de Serge Cordellier, Edition la Découverte, 2007).


4) Discours à la méthode et aide à la décision: La tache civique des spécialistes de l’analyse géopolitique est alors d’en éclairer les termes aux yeux des opinions et de diffuser les données objectives des débats, préalables aux décision collectives (eg. L’Union Européenne, son élargissement, la gestion de la crise, sa place dans le monde).

Source: Lz dictionnaire historique et géopolitique du 20eme siècle, sous la direction de Serge Cordellier, Edition la Découverte, 2007).


The best illustration…

Tiken Jah Fakoly


Just like….


But now…

Agenda Next Time

+ Remember the press review!!

introto geopoliticsoct2012

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