Why geography still shapes foreign politics

Whether it’s a huge mountain range or vast oceans, geography has not only shaped nations but also everything from trade to foreign conquests over the centuries.

These physical boundaries, or lack of them in some cases, help explain why Britain as an island nation built such a powerful navy and why China constructed a wall so great it could be seen from space.

The political ambitions of countries and their leaders have long been constrained by geography, but does it still influence the modern world where technology has changed the way we communicate, work and even fight wars?

Tim Marshall, former Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News, believes it does and explains why in his book - Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World.

The Leeds-born journalist and author has spent the past 30 years reporting, presenting and writing about current affairs and international news and next month he returns to Yorkshire when he will be talking about the importance of geopolitics - using geography to help understand foreign policy and predict international political behaviour - at the Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival.

Marshall believes it’s something that is often overlooked by those who write about and comment on world affairs. “It’s not the only determining factor, but it is one of the factors in shaping history and current affairs,” he says.

He points out that President Putin’s actions and the desire to reassert Russia’s position on the global stage need to be seen in this context. He argues that if Russia wants to be a global power it needs a navy and if its ports freeze for months at a time then it must have access to a warm water port - which perhaps explains the annexation of Crimea. Marshall also believes that Russia’s support for the Assad regime is linked, at least in part, to the fact that its only Mediterranean port is at Tartus in Syria.

Having access to military bases or overseas territories is not just confined to Russia. “If Britain had not had access to Ascension Island it wouldn’t have been able to resupply and refuel on the way to the Falkland Islands in 1982.”

But hasn’t modern technology made physical barriers obsolete? “Nuclear weapons bent the bar a bit and technology is having a similar effect. But you can take off from a base in Missouri and fly a stealth bomber to Iraq and drop bombs but it still needs to refuel along the way, so you still need a base somewhere,” he says.

This “concrete”, as he puts it, plays a crucial part in a country’s sphere of influence. “If you look at the United States it’s not just about the continent itself, you need to look at a map of the world and put dots where it has concrete - this is the real map of America.”

Which is why geography and history still matter. “Francis Fukuyama talked about ‘the End of History’- the idea that liberal democracy had triumphed at the end of the Cold War and that this was a template for future humanity.

“But history wasn’t finished and it never will be. Liberal democracy might be the best form of society if the conditions are right, but it’s still a minority around the world if you look at genuine democracies and I don’t see that changing.

“China and Russia aren’t going in that direction and we’re seeing national identity re-emerging in European politics. This identity is about language, borders and culture and it remains very important to people.”

Tim Marshall will be appearing at the Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival on 10 July, at The Crown Hotel, Harrogate. For details go to www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com