"Lessons from Geography" Robert D. Kaplan "The Atlantic" Author, "The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts" Delivered September 9, 2013 at Hillsdale College
I am most Intrigued by the Knowledge and speech of Mr. Robert Kaplan, a real person that I knew nothing about up until now. I find him genius and honest with deep knowledge of cultural geography of the planet and its people. I am also excited to know now that there is such an individual with deep understanding of the people and their culture of antiquities that makes up the real and true geography of the human community. His speech that springs from true understanding of who we are as humans and what binds us togrther, invalidates all the fake and fictional boundaries drowned and forced and dictated upon us by Britis that created nothing but animosity across the planet. I hope he finds a high seat among the managing people of the planet where they can take advantage of his knowledge with wisdom to lead and to bring back nations together by creating friendship, no matter how small, among the people. This might be a wishful thinking but I desire it to translates to reality. Well done Mr. Kaplan. Two thumbs 👍 👍up. It's a pleasure to know that true person like you exist.
00:00 (تونس و بهار عربی) 11:34 (مصر) 13:10 (لیبی) 15:55 (سوریه) 17:00 (عراق) 18:20 (یمن) 19:00 (آمریکا) 20:30 (تآثیر جغرافیا بر اخلاق، ذهنیت و عقیده) 21:10 (اروپا) 22:45 (یونان) 23:18 (پول واحد اروپا یورو) 22:50 (شرایط کشورهای اروپایی بعد از فرو ریختن دیوار برلین) 25:00 (روسیه) 26:05 (اثر سرما بر اجتماع، دین و عقاید... استالین، کمونیسم) 27:00 (روسیه به عنوان امپراطوری زمین پایه) 27:30 (ولادیمیر پوتین) 29:45 (چین) 31:58 (چین و رسیه به عنوان زندان ملیت ها) 32:20 (ایران) 34:10 (کمی درباره عربستان سعودی مصنوعی!) 36:20 (نیمکره غربی و دوباره درباره چین ) 37:30 (کشورهای منطقه از جمله ویتنام نیاز به حضور نظامی آمریکا دارند تا در برابر چین خود را حفظ کنند) 38:05 (جهان جدید) 38:25 (اهمیت دریای کاریبی و خلیج مکزیک برای کنترل دنیای جدید توسط آمریکا) 40:58 (نیاز چین برای کنترل دریای جنوب چین) 41:20 (خاتمه و کلام آخر)
Seems like Robert D. Kaplan liked the idea of friendship between Iran and US clearly believing unlike Iran the other states are fake and artificial and US should not ally with them as this would be detrimental to US power and interests in the long run. For obvious reasons this did not happen though and we are in 2020, amazingly US geography is not helping US empire to keep it together and soon after election we may see civil war and secession there. The real reason is... various ethnicity in Iran are like a "stew" and they are fused together and it is hard to tell the difference of each ingredient while in US different races are more like a "salad" that you can separate its ingredients by a fork! The glue of liberalism, nationalism and Christianity have failed to keep people together and there is an outward force pushing them apart while in contrast in Iran there is a default inward force pushing races together. So to cause racial divisions in Iran enemies have to do this artificially and with extra effort. The glue of nationalism and Shiite beliefs further keep Iran as a homogeneous and resilient state. Now check out this video: "Why Iran's Geography Sucks" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zrrYZl0XJLw.html - I posted this comment there: ""Why Iran's Geography Sucks", WHAT!?? Everybody is jealous of Iran's geography! Iran is the country connecting east and west through land just as in the past through Silk Road, but today it has control over 3 out of 4 global strategic choke points located in that same central area, namely: Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Bab Almandab, and Suez Canal.... Both Suez Canal and Bab Almandab are at the ends of the Red Sea so closing either would be sufficient to force all shipments to have to go around Africa to get to either side, the massive increase in shipping distance mean crazy shipment and insurance costs; not to mention all the energy in the region, oil and gas installations, refineries, pipelines are all located around Iran. Strategists know that the global heartland of our era is indeed Iran. Today Iran has reached the Mediterranean Sea again through Syria and has control over Bab All Mandab through Hoothis in Yemen. Most of this control exist because of Iran's advanced Drone and Missile tech. We are in the cybernetics era and so the five traditional categorization of power: Military, Economic, Cultural, Scientific, Political... no longer apply. What matters is 1-Information and 2-Energy, everything else can't catch up and is defined under these two. Iran is extremely strong in terms of control over energy. US defined itself as the brain of the world by controlling the internet, but Iran is the heart now and does not take orders from US. The weapons of the era of cybernetics are mainly Intelligence Tech such as Satellites, Internet, Drones and Accurate Sure Strike Missiles. Old classic weapons such as Aircraft carriers are things of the past. Iran being clever has only invested in its own homegrown Drone and Missile tech and launched its own military satellite too. Seriously any sane strategist can see that Iran is a sure global power in the new multi-polar world. Both Russia and China in their fight against US follow Iran's initiative, despite what most people imagine. I suggest you go back and watch Hollywood movies are get real and see Iran for what it is."
He highlights the significance of the Caribbean region, which allowed the US to gain control of the Western Hemisphere and become a hemispheric hegemon. As a result, the US had the power to influence the balance of power in the Eastern Hemisphere, leading to involvement in World War One, World War Two, and the Cold War. Kaplan also emphasizes the importance of geography in the modern world, despite advancements in technology, and warns that every place matters more now than ever before due to interconnectedness.
the speaker discusses how the geography of certain countries in the Middle East necessitated more suffocating forms of dictatorship compared to others. He uses the examples of Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, explaining that in Syria, the diverse regional identities made it difficult for a cohesive state to form, leading to a brutal dictatorship under Hafez al-Assad. In Iraq, the suspicion among the Kurd, Sunni, and Shia populations required an extreme form of dictatorship under Saddam Hussein to maintain order. In contrast, Egypt, with its natural coherent geography, produced relatively moderate dictators. The speaker also mentions Yemen, where the mountainous terrain led to the existence of multiple ancient civilizations, making it difficult for a single government to control the entire country.
Kaplan draws a parallel between China's interest in the South China Sea and the US dominance of the Caribbean Sea in the 19th and early 20th centuries, which allowed the US to dominate the Western Hemisphere. Kaplan emphasizes the importance of naval power in both regions and how it has shaped the geopolitical landscape.
He has called india a Rimland power writ large due to its location on Indian Ocean littoral. He argues that India could play a significant role in the geopolitics of Eurasia, notable in the context of China US rivalry. India's pivotal role in shaping the geopolitics of Eurasia in the twenty-first century, particularly in the context of the rivalry between the United States and China. It suggests that India's alignment could significantly influence the direction of global politics. The reference to Spykman's concept of India as a "Rimland power writ large" underscores India's strategic significance due to its location on the Indian Ocean littoral. Additionally, the paragraph highlights the importance of understanding India's historical and geographical context for effectively managing its relationships, particularly with neighboring countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China. It emphasizes the need for the American political class to grasp India's geopolitics to avoid mishandling the relationship. Finally, it sets the stage for placing the Indian Subcontinent within the broader context of Eurasia. Indeed, the characterization of India as a "Rimland power writ large" underscores its strategic importance due to its location along the Indian Ocean littoral. This positioning allows India to potentially wield significant influence in the geopolitics of Eurasia, particularly amidst the rivalry between China and the United States. Given its geographical location and growing economic and military capabilities, India has the potential to shape regional dynamics and play a key role in balancing power in the broader Eurasian context, which has implications for global geopolitics, especially in relation to the competition between China and the United States.😊
Nebulous Geographical Identity, Regional Disconnection Thwarts State Unification Regional Fragmentation and Territorial Disunity He explains that while Tunisia has a defined state with a strong army and bureaucracy, Libya, despite having a long history as a civilization, has faced instability due to its lack of a clear geographical identity. Kaplan notes that historically, different parts of Libya, such as Tripoli and Benghazi, have had little connection to each other, making it difficult to create a unified state. He also mentions that the Italians' failed attempts to create a state in Libya led to the extreme authoritarianism of Qaddafi's rule.
will be around for decades to come, while questioning the longevity of Saudi Arabia due to its artificial nature. The speaker also implies that the US may have closer relations with Iran in the future due to their shared interests and geographical proximity.
Iran is logrithmatically more important to United States than any of its current Middle East allies combined. The sooner the relations get closer, the better for the world. Question is, will Europe agree to support US without the cold war being a factor anymore and will Russia and England be swayed to give up Iran.
Fascinating analysis. Though I would say that what he calls "geography" could more properly be called "history", which makes a lot of sense. History guides our actions more than we imagine. If you look at the United States, you can see how history continues to guide our actions regionally. Even when people are uneducated in it, it still has profound potency because of the culture that history bestows.
Bro I do respect and love you and your people but what he is really talking about is fact and reality it’s better to know about our weaknesses cuz we can work on it and make it good but as I said I do love and respect you and your great nation From Persia “Iran”! ✌️
This created some more views for me but it certainly misses two world wars and the consequences of economy and industrialization and the end of Soviet Union . Geographical definition of geo.policy does not seem scientific to me . As an Iranian I hope that our nation could keep our land far from any adventurism amongst US, Russia, and China geopolicy . We are more vast than to be qualified for becoming some other artificial states of any policy . Yes geography is our biggest hope in Iran ...
the speaker discusses how the geography of certain countries in the Middle East necessitated more suffocating forms of dictatorship compared to others. He uses the examples of Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, explaining that in Syria, the diverse regional identities made it difficult for a cohesive state to form, leading to a brutal dictatorship under Hafez al-Assad. In Iraq, the suspicion among the Kurd, Sunni, and Shia populations required an extreme form of dictatorship under Saddam Hussein to maintain order. In contrast, Egypt, with its natural coherent geography, produced relatively moderate dictators. The speaker also mentions Yemen, where the mountainous terrain led to the existence of multiple ancient civilizations, making it difficult for a single government to control the entire country. Yemen’s rugged terrain historically hindered centralized control, leading to fragmented governance. The United States, with its resource rich temperate zone and navigable inland waterways, is an exception, as its diverse population has adopted a common creed, allowing for a more unified national identity.
