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International Relations & Diplomacy vocabulary · Foreign Policy & the State

Geopolitics

Meaning in international relations & diplomacy, with examples

/ˌdʒiːəʊˈpɒlətɪks/nounCommon term

In international relations & diplomacy, geopolitics means: The study of how geography, such as location, borders, resources and sea routes, affects the power and foreign policy of states; also the power politics that results.

In Turkish: jeopolitik

How it is used

Very common in journalism and think-tank reports, sometimes loosely meaning 'international power politics'. The adjective 'geopolitical' appears in 'geopolitical risk', 'geopolitical tensions' and 'geopolitical importance'.

Example sentences

  1. The canal's location gives it great geopolitical importance.

  2. Investors are watching geopolitical risks more closely this year.

  3. The course introduces the classic theories of geopolitics.

Common collocations

  • geopolitical risk
  • geopolitical tensions
  • geopolitical importance
  • energy geopolitics
  • great powerA state with enough military, economic and political strength to influence events far beyond its own region and to shape the international system.
  • foreign policyA government's goals and strategies for dealing with other countries and international organisations, and the decisions it takes to pursue them.
  • balance of powerA situation in which power is spread among states so that no single state or group can dominate the others; also the idea that states act to create such a balance.
  • national interestWhat a government sees as most important for its country's security, prosperity and values, used to explain and justify foreign policy choices.

More terms: Foreign Policy & the State

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