Geopolitics : a guide to the issues / Bert Chapman.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

This concise introduction to the growth and evolution of geopolitics as a discipline includes biographical information on its leading historical and contemporary practitioners and detailed analysis of its literature. Geography is more important than ever in an increasingly globalized world, one in which economic, environmental, and international security events can dramatically affect national and international economic performance and personal living standards. What are the hot issues{u2014}and the hotspots{u2014}that make an understanding of geopolitics so important? An important book on a topic that has been neglected for too long, Geopolitics: A Guide to the Issues will provide readers with an enhanced understanding of how geography influences personal, national, and international economics, politics, and security. The work begins with the history of geopolitics from the late 19th century to the present, then discusses the intellectual renaissance the discipline is experiencing today due to the prevalence of international security threats involving territorial, airborne, space-based, and waterborne possession and acquisition. The book emphasizes current and emerging international geopolitical trends, examining how the U.S. and other countries, including Australia, Brazil, China, India, and Russia, are integrating geopolitics into national security planning. It profiles international geopolitical scholars and their work, and it analyzes emerging academic, military, and governmental literature, including "gray" literature and social networking technologies, such as blogs and Twitter. Features Biographies of major current geopolitical scholars and descriptions and listings of their works. Maps of geopolitical crisis areas, such as Afghanistan/Pakistan, the South China Sea, and the Straits of Malacca. Quotations from various government and military primary source documents. A glossary of geopolitical terms. A bibliography of international scholarly resources, including government and military documents Highlights. Examines historical, current, and emerging geopolitical research developments and governmental geopolitical policymaking, as well as emerging geopolitical hotspots and crisis areas around the world. Offers global coverage and interdisciplinary analysis reflecting viewpoints of multiple countries. Conveys the importance of foreign economic, environmental, and international security, and political developments to our personal lives and economic situations and to national economics, environmental policy, politics, and security. Examines the increasing global relevance of geopolitics in interdisciplinary global scholarly literature, foreign policy formulation, and national security and natural resources policymaking. Demonstrates that geopolitical concerns drive the aerospace, land, and maritime policies of countries around the world.