However, his contribution to geopolitical analysis has certainly not been limited. In the future, some maritime powers may employ longrange strike weapons to attack into the depths of china. Since geopolitics has been rediscovered in the west in the 1970s, nicholas j. The rimland is a concept championed by nicholas john spykman, professor of international relations at yale university. The dictum of spykman who controls the rimland rules eurasia world vs. He had been a young journalist in the near east from 19 to 1916, in the middle east from 1916 to 1919, and in the far east from 1919 to 1920. Spykman, professor of yale university, died on 26th june of 1943, 49 years old, and did not live enough to see the end of wwii or the implementation of his theory concerning the containing dimension of rimland by the truman administration and the other naval western 1.
Rimland, a belt of nations stretching from france and germany across the middle east, to india, and finally to china. This theory, called the rimland theory, argued that. The geopolitical frameworks of halford mackinder and nicholas spykman have. Who controls the rimland rules eurasia who rules eurasia controls the destinies of the world.
Reasoned that the best base for global conquest would be the eurasian rimland. When i started the research for this paper during my fully funded trip to pakistan in october 2014, i was confronted with the following statement. Spykman coined the world rimland, which is still used. Finally, the thesis shows that spykmans rimland theory offers a good explanation for the actions of the united states and china, but is less relevant to india. He believed that eurasia was the most important area in the world containing a pivot area extending from eastern europe to eastern siberia.
Spykman has been almost always identified as the author of the rimland thesis. Spykmans formula, who controls the rimland rules eurasia. Rimland theory spykman believed the eurasia rim, not its heart, held the key to global power. Spykman, also a student of geography as well as a scholar of. Mackinder believed that a landbased power, not a seabased power, would ultimately rule the world. Rimland theory professor nicholas spykman 18931943, an american geographer, gave a very different interpretation of the relative importance of the heartland. Nov 18, 2015 china is successful because of land and sea access and being part of the rimland germany vs. Us strategy in the pacific geopolitical positioning for the. Usa is a show of security through islandlandlocked states the cold war the founder of the theory. This theory regards political history as a continuous struggle between land and sea powers with the ultimate. Gwadar will become one of the most strategic spots in the 21 st century and certainly the gem in chinas string. In the future, some maritime powers may employ longrange strike weapons to. Mackinders heartland, spykmans rimland and mahans oceanic paradigms operate for sinoindian relations, despite thompsons dismissal of these figures as redundantly old fashioned.
Spykman coined the world rimland, which is still used today b. In contrast to the former two authors, spykman argued that us security could. The second, which builds on the first, is that spykmans geopolitics as understood layed the foundations for u. See core periphery model in development section centrifugal and centripetal forces a. Finally, the thesis shows that spykman s rimland theory offers a good explanation for the actions of the united states and china, but is less relevant to india. Heartland rimland makinder who rules eastern europe commands the. He saw that the real potential of eurasia was in the inner crescent. Abstract the present study exposes six geopolitical theories belonging to alfred mahamcn, halford mackinder, james fairgrieve, nicolas spykman, alexander seversky and samuel cohen. While significantly different from the heartland theory, the rimland theory does share one major element with it. The rimland is a concept championed by nicholas john spykman, professor of international. Who rules eurasia controls the destinies of the world. This region included western europe, the middle east, south asia, southeast asia and the far east, which he called the rimland. Rimland, the coastal zones was the product of its inner development impetus rather than the result of external pressure coming from the nomads of the land, as mackinder had asserted.
Pdf heartland and rimland doctrines in cpec perspective. Spykman 18931943 published americas strategy in world politics, in which he set forth a theory that combined those of mackinder and leading naval theorist alfred thayer mahan. Nicholas john spykman, born in amsterdam october, 1893, earned a bachelors degree 1921, masters degree 1921, and a doctorate 1923 from the university of california. Again, spykman differs from mackinder, who sees eurasian wars as historically pitting the heartland against the sea powers for control of the rimland, establishing a land powersea power opposition. If one of the primary tasks of strategic analysis is forecasting, then spykmans. Spykman developed his views about future us strategy after an expected victory in ww2 against the background of earlier geopolitical theorists of sea power, namely alfred thayer mahan 18401914, and of land power, namely sir halford mackinder 18611947. To him geopolitics is the planning of the security policy of a country in terms of its. The spykman rimland in this contemporary and dramatic epoch the classical geopolitics of the spykman rimland is one of the most enduring dynamic and fruitful systems of analysis for a. This theory regards political history as a continuous struggle between land and sea powers with the ultimate victory going to the continental power. Political models cold war policy makers used the rimland theory as justification for the policy of containment stopping the spread the communism. Spykman suggested this required that attempts by heartland nations particularly russia to conquer ports in the rimland must be prevented.
Western europe, the middle east, south asia, and east asia. Pdf this research evaluates the emerging patterns of geoeconomics and. Spykman viewed the rimland as the crucial zone of conflict between sea power and land power. According to this theory, the continental power was represented by the world island which consisted. Nicholas spykman fused mahan and mackinder in his analysis of great power competition for regional and global influence. Finally, during the heyday of the cold war years, spykmans rimland the. Mackinders dictum of who controls heartland central asia, controls the world do seem to be oldfashioned. Spykman, the godfather of containment was both a disciple and critic of mackinder. Unit 4 political organization of space n watson terms 20. Spykman developed his views about future us strategy after an expected victory in ww2 against the background of earlier geopolitical theorists of sea power, namely alfred thayer mahan 18401914.
Rimland theory rimland all of eurasias periphery had to keep a balance of power to prevent this area from becoming a global power. Spykman modified mackinders formula on the relationship between the heartland and the rimland or the inner crescent, claiming that who controls the rimland rules eurasia. Both mackinder and spykman divided eurasia into three strategic realms. The first assumption sees spykman as only modifying mackinders basic framework, while remaining compatible with its basic logic. Chinas a2ad and its geographic perspective 87 open oceanarea defense is an essential shield for longterm national interests. Spykman disagreed with mackinders heartland theory. During the second world war, nicholas spykman, a professor of international relations at yale university, wrote two books that explored the fundamental global geopolitical factors underlying u. The heartland and rimland theories sir halford mackinder 18611947, an english geographer, is a founder of the. Rimland the second geopolitical theory, another important lodestar for us foreign policy, was developed in the 1930s by the american nicholas j. Murat bakir abstract there are various factors may affect the leadership position of hegemonic powers in the everlasting great power struggles. Under either theory, the successful nazi conquest of the soviet union. Us strategy in the pacific geopolitical positioning for. But taken together, it was these rimland powers and not mackinders heartland, as such that. Spykman makes a clear sense about lands role in military power development.
The role of the us and power challenges in the new. Mackinder 1904, 1919 and rimland theory of nicolas spykman occupy. Stay connected to your students with prezi video, now in microsoft teams. The vast, unobstructed character of the naval battlefield is favorable for military. Unit 4 political organization of space n watson terms 20 1. An overview of concepts and empirical examples from. The rise of the geopolitical thinking in asia cejsh. Spykman thought that the rimland, the strip of coastal land that encircles eurasia, is more important than the central asian zone the socalled heartland for the control of the eurasian continent. Spykman s vision is at the base of the containment politics put into effect by the united states in its relationposition to the soviet union. Spykman, also a student of geography as well as a scholar of mackinders theory. The role of the us and power challenges in the new geopolitical order assist. Spykman, professor of yale university, died on 26th june of 1943, 49 years old, and did not live enough to see the end of wwii or the implementation of his. If youve ever wanted to see mackinder and spykman dual, the u. By supporting weaker powers resisting domination by a continental power or bloc in the heartland, rimland.
Rimland theorynicholas spykman, a critic of mackinder, argued that the eurasian rim, not its heart, held the key to global power rimland theory 4. Spykman published americas strategy in world politics, in which he set forth a theory that combined those of mackinder and leading naval theorist alfred thayer mahan. What distinguished rimland powers, for spykman, was their amphibious nature. Nicholas spykman and the struggle for the asiatic mediterranean. Place utility when used in relation to migration the perception of a place economic the value of a good or service determined by transportation to a specific location where needed. He believed that both sea and land power were important. Spykman asserts that rimland states like j apan, great britain and china would likely become. Murat bakir abstract there are various factors may affect the leadership position of hegemonic. Heartland and rimland theories pdf definition a theory which countered mackinders heartland theory. The heartland theory and the presentday geopolitical. The book came out at an auspicious time, as many are. Spykman, thanks to advancing naval technology, added to the definition of the heartland theory the rimland theory. Separate one page or a whole set for easy conversion into independent pdf files. Spykman s conception of the rimland bears greater resemblance to alfred thayer mahan s debated and debatable zone than to mackinders inner or marginal crescent.
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