Seventy-six years ago, the editors of Foreign Affairs invited Sir Halford Mackinder (1861-1947), the British geographer, educator, geopolitical theorist, and statesman, to revisit his “Heartland” theory of world politics. Mackinder, then age 82, acceded to the request and wrote “The Round World and the Winning of the Peace,” which was published in the July 1943 issue of the journal. It was Mackinder's “last word” on his influential global worldview and, unfortunately, it is his least remembered article on geopolitics.
It is an article worth revisiting today because Mackinder and his geopolitical concepts are being cited by many observers as relevant to our 21st century world, particularly China's rise to world power. Mackinder's ideas are indeed relevant to 21st century geopolitics, but those ideas evolved over his lifetime and were rooted in a lifelong study of the relationship between geography and history. More attention should be paid to both the intellectual roots of his geopolitical worldview and his “last word” on the subject.
Read Full Article »