ipl-logo

Geo-Political Effects Of The Cold War

1284 Words6 Pages

The geo-political struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States has heavily influenced world events even after the end of the Cold War. The old Soviet empire may be gone and the clean political battle lines of a bi-polar world with it, but the struggle between the now Russian Federation and the United States continues. The puzzle is thus: is geography a force of power in regards to foreign policy and if so, why? Geography, a nation’s place, thrust upon it by a combination of fate and design is the undercurrent that both directly and indirectly affects the aims of great nations, and it is no different between the US and Russia. Despite the advance in technology and the supposed shrinking of distance, the lines on the map still matter …show more content…

President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation sees the pushing and redrawing of these boundaries, especially in Europe, as way to regain influence, strengthen his country’s weak geographic position, and reduce the threat of NATO at his doorstep. Following the annexation of the Crimea in 2014, Shuster states, “Putin’s designs, meanwhile, are far grander than Ukraine. He hopes the conflict on Russia’s western flank will create divisions within Europe that shrink American influence” (2014, 33). Political powers rise and fall, but the land remains immutable, silent but always influencing the aims of countries. The Geography of the US, Russia and their allies affects foreign policy interaction in regards to their conflict over area access and denial for protecting their respective interests around the …show more content…

In contrast, Russia lacks natural barriers for protection against invasion, has few ports to the sea that do not freeze over and competes with Europe and China for dominance in its hemisphere. This review of literature on Geography, International Relations and US-Russian foreign policy will look over the main arguments presented, effects of culture, boundaries and borders. This review will help the author test his hypothesis of how the Geography of the US, Russia and their allies affects foreign policy interaction in regards to their conflict over area access and denial for protecting their respective interests around the

Open Document