The Heartland Theory
MacKinder
In 1904, Sir
Halford MacKinder, a British political geographer, wrote a thesis and presented
it before the Royal Geographical Society in London. In his article titled “The Geographical Pivot
of History,” he outlined his Heartland
Theory.
The Heartland Theory suggests that whoever
owns Eastern Europe and Western Asia has the political power and capital to
rule the world. Eastern Europe contained
one of the richest agricultural regions in the world. The Ukraine region could produce enough wheat
and other agricultural products to sustain a large population – and feed its
armies. Also, abundant raw materials
such as coal, essential to develop a military and industrial base, are available
in this region.
Adolph Hitler believed
in the Heartland Theory, which is
why he invaded Eastern Europe. Hitler
underestimated the Soviet citizens’ resolve and the severity of the Russian
winter and eventually has to retreat ignominiously. The Soviet Union lost 16 million citizens
during World War II. After WWII, the
Soviet Union exerted control over Eastern Europe, greatly concerning Western
Europe, the United States, and other noncommunist countries.
Prior to World War
II, Eastern Europe was not as technologically advanced as Western Europe. However, after World War II, the Soviet Union
began updating its technology base, posing a serious threat.
The Rimland Theory
Spykman
Nicholas Spykman,
another political geographer, used MacKinder’s ideas when he wrote his own
theory on world domination and politics.
Spykman was originally from the Netherlands and come to the U.S. to
teach at Yale University. He originated
the Rimland Theory of containment
and is know as the “godfather of containment.”
The Rimland Theory believes that forming
alliances is necessary to keep the Heartland in check. Because the Heartland is so powerful, no
individual country can contain it by itself.
Hence, you had the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Southeast Asia Treaty
Organization (SEATO), and the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) in response
to the spread of communism around the world.
Spykman believed
that the Heartland may control the land but the Rimland will control the
sea. The Hearland is trapped in a sense
by its own geography. To the north of
the Heartland is an ocean that is icebound much of the year. To the east are the Ural Mountains and vast
tracts of land with sparse populations.
To the south is the Middle East with its immense deserts. The Rimland would use the oceans to contain
the Heartland, engaging in a battle between land and sea.
The Domino Theory
The domino theory was adopted by the US in
the 1960s and 1970s. The Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) developed this theory, which suggested that when one
country experiences rebellion or political disunity, other countries around it
will also experience turmoil as a result, leading to a domino effect of political
instability in the region. Dwight D.
Eisenhower first coined the term dominos
when he made a speech suggesting that the countries involved in a conflict
would fall over like dominos.
The domino theory was established in
response to the communist incursions that had been occurring around the
world. It justified US military
involvement in SE Asia during the 1960s and 1970s and in Central America during
the 1980s.
Opponents of the
domino theory point to the political stability of the US despite political
instability in Mexico as an example of its invalidity. Proponents of the theory suggest that a lack
of border security is causing political instability in the US.
Irredentism
Much of US foreign
policy has been aimed at irredentism. Irredentism
is the attempt by one country to provoke coups or separatist movements in
another country. For example, Country A tries to spark a separatist
movement from a nationality with Country
B. This can be done through
literature, radio programs, or television ads.
The US practices irredentism when it sends radio
transmissions into another country to communicate the benefits of capitalism
and democracy and relay truthful news about world events. The US has sent transmissions from Florida
into Cuba. The US has also sent radio
transmissions into Eastern Europe during the Iron Curtain era. Often, the US hopes that resistance movements
will rise up, eventually overthrowing a leader unfriendly to the US.
Source: Kaplan
2011
