Central Asia
The vast interior of Eurasia—Mackinder's Heartland—where ancient empires rose and fell, and where modern great powers compete for influence over energy, trade routes, and strategic position.
Regions
Contested spaces where great power interests collide, creating flashpoints for potential conflict.
6 articles
Major Topics
South China Sea
The strategic waterway where great power competition, territorial disputes, and resource rivalry converge. The South China Sea has become the focal point of 21st-century geopolitics.
Southeast Asia
The region where China's rise meets American alliance networks, where vital trade routes pass, and where ASEAN attempts to maintain autonomy amid great power competition. Southeast Asia's choices will shape the Indo-Pacific order.
The Arctic
Climate change is transforming the frozen north into a new arena of great power competition. Shipping routes, resources, and military positioning make the Arctic increasingly central to global geopolitics.
The Balkans
The mountainous peninsula where empires collide, ethnic groups intermingle, and great powers have repeatedly gone to war. The Balkans remain a zone of instability and strategic competition.
The Middle East
The region where three continents meet, where most of the world's oil lies, and where conflicts seem eternal. Understanding the Middle East as a geopolitical system reveals the structural forces driving its persistent instability.