GEOPOLITICS OF PEACE.

By: Carlos López Dawson

DECISIONS

Geopolitics is the study of how geography, both physical and human, influences international relations and politics, especially at the level of states. It focuses on the interaction between territory, community, economic capacity, power, and politics, analyzing how geographic location, natural resources, consumption, borders, birth rates, and other factors shape relations between countries and their foreign policies. Geopolitics seeks to understand how physical and human geography affects political decisions and international relations, and to understand the past to anticipate possible future scenarios, understanding how political decisions are affected by such conditions.

It is a discipline that connects geography, politics, economics, history, and international relations and has been widely used by empires, or states with imperial ambitions, to impose their policies or benefit from the resources of others.

CLASSICAL VISIONS.

Everything changes. Disseminating knowledge on this subject is essential, keeping in mind that we may be guinea pigs for some theorist. Keeping in mind that geopolitics is not only a method of studying foreign policy to understand, explain, and predict international political behavior through geographic variables, but also a way of viewing others as enemies. It draws especially on other disciplines such as history, international relations, economics, political geography, political science, sociology, and anthropology. It studies the established order according to the economic, cultural, and resource characteristics of states. It is primarily used to see how we can defeat the other, without taking into account that it will affect individuals, something that everyone now knows.

ANKYLOSED

Classical authors have written about geopolitics and the importance of geography in global politics. Many of these authors view states as unique entities, capable of subjugating others (the organic view). This view encompasses military strategy, which focuses on the direct application of force to achieve objectives. Geopolitics analyzes the broader dynamics that influence international relations and state strategy. Geopolitics considers how geographic, economic, and cultural factors affect political and strategic decisions. Both geopolitics and military strategy analyze power dynamics and how resources and capabilities are distributed among different actors. Geography is crucial in both geopolitics and military strategy, as the location, natural resources, and physical characteristics of a territory can significantly influence strategic and political decisions. All types of communication theories are used in its application.

GEOPOLITICS OF DEATH.

The application of geopolitics has certainly led to war or the construction of military alliances to defend against real or perceived adversaries. Such alliances are also created to allow the development of a dominant power’s arms industry. This is based on the idea that war is necessary for economic development, and then convinces its allies, as well as the neighboring states of the supposed adversary, of the convenience of joining its alliance, without telling them that the objective is to develop the dominant power’s arms industry.

NECESSARY OVERCOMING.

Furthermore, geopolitics assumed a criterion of domination: whoever dominates this issue will dominate the rest. It was an ideological alienation. Possibly many still hold that idea. But now is the time to think differently, to work so that relations between states can be closer and not destructive competition. All previous conceptions have been superseded by science and technology. Indeed, all states invest in technology. Electronic warfare dominates the battlefields and leads to a zero-sum game. From a hidden room, a person can upload a signal to a satellite, study it, and intercept it, deploy drones thousands of miles away, which previously required thousands of people and investments in weapons. Communications have modernized to the point that now it’s as if we were all neighbors. We can find out about family problems in Bern, Switzerland, or buy a toy produced in the village of Lafa in Africa, without leaving our desks. Therefore, maintaining an outdated view of international relations leads to failure, as we are seeing every day in many places. With knowledge of political economy, technology, and artificial intelligence, we can make an accurate geopolitical diagnosis for the decisions at hand.

MULTIPOLARITY.

Individualistic ideologies are disappearing as ideas of teamwork are taking precedence. This should also lead to the total defeat of ideas of superiority, giving way to those of collaboration.

Thanks to technology and misguided tariff policies, the world is witnessing the death of unipolarity and the birth of multipolarity, which is leading to a new approach to geopolitics, a geopolitics of peace. It is in this new global scenario that our country must confront its development, advocating for the effective respect of rights and the undertaking of collective tasks for the good of humanity.

BRICS.

The BRICS are a group of five countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) that initially joined together to foster economic and political cooperation among emerging economies. The BRICS seek to increase their influence in the global order and challenge the dominance of Western institutions. The BRICS are made up of five countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. These countries represent some of the world’s most influential emerging economies and together are home to more than 40% of the world’s population. They account for approximately 37.3% of global gross domestic product (based on purchasing power parity) and constitute a major economic power in the trade of raw materials, especially oil. With the addition of Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and potentially Saudi Arabia, they could control almost half of global oil production.

They have a large consumer base and workforce thanks to their large populations. The bloc’s labor force participation rate is 60.6%, with a total of 1.5 billion people. They created the New Development Bank (NDB), which finances infrastructure and sustainable development projects in member countries and other developing nations. They are working on creating a new gold-backed trade currency, which could challenge the US dollar. Their expansion could continue, with countries such as Thailand and Saudi Arabia considering joining. The BRICS are also focused on areas of cooperation such as science and technology, healthcare, and combating climate change. The BRICS are likely an intermediate step toward a multipolar world. The BRICS are expected to continue growing in economic and political influence globally, putting an end to the unipolar world dominated by the United States for nearly sixty years.

DEMOCRATIC GEOPOLITICS.

Latin American integration projects have not had the success they dreamed of, probably due to an attempt to copy capitalist development models that are now in crisis, but it is a project that must continue. Everything indicates that, for now, it is possible to emphasize politics rather than political economy; let’s talk first, then love will come. And in that conversation, for geopolitical reasons, for good ones, all Ibero-American peoples must be present, born and forged in the same historical movement, which includes the indigenous peoples, the Creoles, the newcomers, and the remaining pardons. Each has its own role, but for the states that comprise it, Ibero-America is much more than thinking geopolitically. Everyone can be a leader in this strategy. Only now will they be able to discover themselves. Carlos López Dawson holds a PhD in Political Science (IEP, Paris), a PhD in International Law (Soborne II), and a university professor of public law at various national and international universities. He is a researcher at ILAES and director of the Postdoctoral Program in Law at the Universidad Superior de Guadalajara. He has published numerous legal works and has received awards for his work. Some of his publications include: