Who rules Eastern Europe Rules the World

 

Whoever rules  Eastern Europe will rule the Heartland, whoever rules the Heartland will rule the World Island, and whoever rules the World Island will rule the world! This theses became known, as the Heartland Theory, defined by Sir Halford John Mackinder, a famous English geographer, academic and politician. 

Heartland is a vast area of central Asia located between the Carpathians in the west, the Hindukush mountain range in the south and the Altai Mountains in the east. In the north it is surrounded by the Baltic Sea. Mackinder is considered one of the founders of geopolitics and geo-strategy, who wrote a paper in the 1904 entitled “The Geographical Pivot of History“, where he presented this theory and became famous for it.

Mackinder divided the world into three major geographical regions: The World Island, the Coastal Islands, and the Periphery Islands. The largest land mass in the world, which consists of Europe, Asia and Africa, he called the World Island. About 87% of the world’s population live in this area, which is at the same time the richest area with the world’s resources. The Coastal Islands are Japan and the British Isles, while the Peripheral Islands, according to his theory, are North and South America and Australia. Mackinder considered Eastern Europe as an extraordinary important region, which borders Heartland, therefore in his opinion, Eastern Europe has the best position to use Heartland’s resources. He felt that the countries belonging to the Coastal and Peripheral Islands were in a weaker position to take control of the Heartland. It is difficult to conduct a successful invasion to the Heartland, since it is protected by mountain ranges from the south and the sea from the north. He also called Heartland a “pivot zone”. According to him, Russia is the central state of the world due to its geographical position, since controls the “pivot zone” or the Heartland.

Mackinder’s theory is a combination of several factors that, by their dynamics, influence geopolitical movements, namely geographical position, political power and war strategy. If the forces of demography and economics are added, it is clear why the Heartland’s control is important. It is the reason why Mackinder assumed that control over Eastern Europe ensures control over the Heartland, control over the Heartland ensures control over the World Island, and control over the World Island creates the preconditions for the World control. 

Although theory has suffered many criticisms and even rejections, there are still strategists who question it and claim that the great geopolitical games are based on its matrix.

Contrary to Heartland theory is the Rimland theory, set up by Nicholas Spykman in 1942.Spykman was a professor of international relations at the Yale University who explained his theory during the World War II when he wrote the book “American Strategy in World Politics”. The Rimland theory holds that the main power belongs to the countries around the edge of Europe and Asia, thus controlling the Heartland. Spykman was an opponent of Heartland theory. During the World War II, strategists applied his theory with prevailing opinion that a combined naval and land force in the Rimland area could maintain control over the Soviet Union.

In the belt that encompasses Rimland, stretching from the far-East Asia, through Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, then Southern and Western Europe, is passing the most of the world’s goods transit between the sea and the land. Professor Spykman considered that the control of coastal countries and the sea, gives an advantage over the control of the land itself. On the other hand, the critics’ argument was that Spykman did not take into account air control and nuclear warfare.

The concept of geopolitics (or geopolitik, as Germans called it) was proposed by Swedish political scientist Rudolf Kjellen in 1905. Its focus was political geography and combined Mackinder's heartland theory with Friedrich Ratzel's theory on the organic nature of the state. Geopolitical theory was used to justify a country's attempts to expand based on its own needs. 

Mackinder's theory also may have influenced Western powers' strategic thinking during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States.

In some sense, a new Cold War is developing, with U.S and its allies trying to contain Russian expansion westward and a possible Chinese encroachment eastward (9-dash line). There is no moral right or wrong for the West, Russia or China. History is always written by victors (and the media). And containment or encirclement is not the answer in the 21st century!

Reference:

Mackinder: Who rules Eastern Europe rules the world, Adnan Kapo,  IGES, 8 February 2021

What is Mackinder’s heartland theory? Matt Rosenberg, 10 September 2018 (www.thoughtco.com)