Geopolitics and the Great Powers in the 21st Century: Multipolarity and the Revolution in Strategic Perspective

by C. Dale Walton

This book argues that in the twenty-first century Eastern Eurasia will replace Europe as the theatre of decision in international affairs, and that this new geographic and cultural context will have a strong influence on the future of world affairs. For half a millennium, the great powers have practised what might be called ‘world politics’, yet during that time Europe, and small portions of the Near East and North Africa strategically vital to Europe, were the ‘centres of gravity’ in international politics. This book argues that the ‘unipolar moment’ of the post-Cold War era will not be replaced by a US-China ‘Cold War’, but rather by a long period of multipolarity in the twenty-first century. Examining the policy goals and possible military-political strategies of several powers, this study explains how Washington may play a key role in eastern Eurasian affairs if it can learn to operate in a very different political context. Dale Walton also considers the rapid pace of technological change and how it will impact on great power politics. Considering India, China, the US, Russia, Japan, and other countries as part of a multipolar system, he addresses the central questions that will drive US policy in the coming decades. Geopolitics and the Great Powers in the 21st Century will be of interest to students of international security, military history, geopolitics, and international relations.

Genres: International Relations

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Dr. C. Dale Walton is Program Chair and Professor of International Relations at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, as well as a Senior Research Fellow with the John W. Hammond Institute for Free Enterprise.

He has also taught at the University of Reading in England and Missouri State University.

His research interests include strategic relationships and security problems in Asia, geopolitics and the changing geostrategic environment, and U.S. military strategic history. In addition to his three books, he has published more than 70 book chapters, articles and reviews.

Walton received his Ph.D. from the University of Hull, in England, where he was an H.B. Earhart Fellow; his M.S. from Missouri State University; and his B.A. (magna cum laude) from the University of New Mexico.