cours de geostrategy chacko

1. Geostrategy
September-December 2014
Instructor: Chacko Philip
Structure and duration of class: 12 hours: 8 Sessions of 1.5 hours
Course objectives:
 Become familiar with current geopolitical and geo-economic issues and develop a lexicon of
key terminology of 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 and global economy.
Each class will cover a distinct geopolitical region and issues concerning. The professor will introduce
the topic during the first half of the class, followed by a group presentation on a topic relevant to
that region.
Class overview & Presentation Topics:
Session Class Topic for presentation (CC)
1 Introduction
 Maps and its Importance
 Geopolitical and Geo-economic issues
and challenges
 Why conflicts and Wars happen
 Geostrategy in action: The case of
Ukraine
Selecting teams and assigning topics
2 Africa: Curse of Natural Resources
 African Geopolitical Context
 During Cold War
 Post-cold War
 Post-9/11
 Africa and Emerging powers
 Spread of Islamist outfits
Great Man Made River project and Libyan civil
war
3 Middle East: From Arab Spring to Islamic State
 Geopolitical importance of ME
 Major Players: US, Israel, Iran, Saudi,
Russia, China
 Arab Spring and its impact
 Palestinian issue
 Redrawing the Middle East
Qatar and the World Cup football of 2022
4 Latin America: A Geopolitical Backyard?
 Geopolitical Context
 Mexico, Brazil & Argentina
 China Vs the US
 Drugs and its implications
Drugs trafficking in Latin America.

2. 5 Eurasia: Crossroads of Energy Ellipse
 Defining Eurasia and its importance
 Soviet and Post-soviet
 Russian vs. the US influence
 Modern Silk Road- pipelines
 Overlooking the arc of instability
Caspian Sea: Heart of Eurasian Energy?
6 Asia: Pivoting of global power?
 Geopolitical context of Asia
 Major powers: China, US, Japan, India,
South Korea, Pakistan, Vietnam
 Increasing tensions
 Shift of power
The US in Asia: Trouble maker or Balancer?
7 The West: Decline or Stagnation
 Historical role of the West
 The West and the Cold War
 Post 9/11
 Economic crisis and shift in power
 Polarization of Western Society
 Democracy promotion
Islamization and Rise of Extreme Right in
Europe
8 The World in 2050
 Post-American World?
 Source of all conflicts: The quest for
food and water
 Cyber wars vs. Conventional wars
 Private armies vs. National armies
 Perpetual War or Eternal Peace?
Video Review (CC)