Cosmos: A Journal of Geography

Geopolitical Theories Mackinder, Spykman, and Their Modern Relevance

Introduction of Halford Mackinder and Nicholas Spykman theory are still relevant in contemporary geopolitics. In 1904, Mackinder put forward his famous Heartland Theory, according to which whoever commanded the Eurasian ‘hearth’ would dominate the world. This, he said, is the physical centrality of the location, and historically, it has always been virtually impossible to anticipate the behavior of naval powers. Geopolitics, according to Mackinder, surprisingly influenced the 20th century strategy, the world war, and the Cold War. After that, Spykman came up with the Rimland Theory in the 1940s, with an emphasis on the circumatlantic or coastal margins of most of Eurasia. He said that ruling the so-called “Rimland” would provide economic and geopolitical advantages that were also power locations. The containment policy of the Cold War, aimed at preventing Heartland control, appeared to reflect Spykman’s concept of positive interaction with Rimland countries. The Russian territorialism and the Chinese Belt and Road Developmental Plan replay the Mackinder in the Eurasia contest exchanges. The contemporary American efforts to contain China, especially through the US, translate Abe’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy as Rimland Theory of Spykman. Both ideas help explain today’s wars by painting stable conflict over some regions that result in global dominance. The contrasting concepts presented by Mackinder and Spykman prove that land and sea power theories are as relevant today as they were in the past and therefore demonstrate the heartland-seaboard equilibrium in world politics.