The impact of geography and natural resources on international resources

Abstract

Geopolitics is the study of the politics of a country as determined by its geographical features, including natural resources, and their effect on international relations. Sometimes this field of study is called political geography. Although inter-state relations are an integral part of my course of studies, the interest in the interactions between politics and geography developed in me during a four-month stay in Italy attending a Socrates program. One of the subjects I studied there was Geografia Politica ed Economica. It struck me so much that I decided to do my dissertation about geopolitics. This dissertation analyses in it the importance of geography in every day life. It emphasises that the power of a State is based on geography, that the economy of a State is influenced by geography, that geography may give rise to conflict or co-operation and that geography directly or indirectly shapes a country's foreign policy. Special importance is given to the Middle East. The Middle East has been the focus of international attention for the only reason that this region is the world's premier geopolitical flash point. First of all, there is the establishment of the State of Israel in a region which is overwhelmingly Arabic (and Islamic) and secondly the existence of a few Middle Eastern states that drew the attention of the powerful and oil-thirsty industrialised states because between them they possess the world's major reserves of petroleum. The dissertation takes a brief look at the world in general. It includes territorial characteristics, such as rivers and mountain ranges, and their implications on politics and international relations. Geography is also sometimes the main reason behind the establishment of certain institutions. International relations one must always give due importance to geography.