Representing the Role of the United States in the Geopolitical Theories of Three Classical, Modern, and Postmodern Periods (1890 to 2020)

پژوهش ‎های جغرافیای سیاسی

Volume 7, Issue 2 - Serial Number 26, July 2022, Pages 25-45   

Document Type: مقالات علمی -پژوهشی

DOI: 10.22067/pg.2021.71254.1060

Authors

Hassan Noorali^{* 1}; Zahra Pishgahifard²

¹PhD student of Political Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

²Professor in Political Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

A large part of the development process of geopolitics has been owed to the theories that have been put forward by world-minded scientists in the last two centuries. Geopolitical theories with the nature of predicting the future of world system have generally been proposed with the centrality of different geographical positions in the field of global power competition. The main goal of this research is to analyze the role of the United States in the geopolitical theories of the three classical, modern and postmodern eras with reference to reliable international sources based on two ranges of American and non-American theorists. Data has been collected in the form of documents and libraries and information has been analyzed in descriptive-analytical method. This article, by examining 30 theories of geopolitical theorists, has been argued that each of these thinkers, according to the strategy and interests of their country, somehow shows the role of the United States in the world order as a threat or opportunity in the global geopolitical system. Therefore, from the beginning of geopolitical theorizing in the late 19th century until 2020, the hegemonic footprint of the United States is always visible. The research question: what is the role of the United States, as a birthplace of geopolitical theories, in the geopolitical theorizing of the three classical, modern, and postmodern periods? And the hypothesis of the research is that most of the geopolitical theories in the intellectual space of the mentioned three periods have paid attention to the hegemonic position of this power in the world order; Also, the domineering approach of American thinkers and practical advice to the statesmen of this country, from Alfred Mahan's theory in 1890 to Francis Sempa's theory in 2020, has continued.

Keywords

USA; Geopolitics; Geopolitical Theories; World Order; Hegemony

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