Tour the world’s hotspots and explore the dynamics that define the global balance of power in this free online course.

Today’s headlines are rife with geopolitical conflicts, economic alliances and power struggles that impact nations and individuals worldwide. Without a clear understanding of these factors, making informed decisions, whether in business, politics or even your personal life, becomes a formidable challenge. This is where geopolitics comes in as studying this fascinating field allows you to comprehend the dynamics that drive world events. With that in mind, this course lays out the key factors that affect the balance of world power and explores the basics of geopolitics to help you understand the complexities of global politics and its impact on international relations.

We begin by exploring the popular uses of geopolitics and its history. The course traces the link between geography and politics and explains how geographical features affect the strategic decisions of countries. We then examine Friedrich Ratzel’s geopolitical theories, including his idea of ‘Lebensraum’. We also explore Rudolf Kjellen and Halford MacKinder's ‘Heartland Theory’ to help you understand how their contributions added to our understanding of the keys to world domination.

The course then moves on to the work of Alfred Thayer Mahan and examines his arguments pertaining to sea power and their influence on the world of geopolitics. Finally, we discuss the contributions of Nicholas Spykman and Karl Haushofer, who examined the forces that can lead to world dominance. This course has no prerequisites and suits anyone who wants to better understand the world around them. Knowledge of geopolitics can help you understand the current state of the world and also help you predict what might happen in the future, thus affecting your personal and professional decisions. Sign up to explore geopolitical theory and learn how to apply your newfound knowledge to understand current events.