Publicado en «website» del «Institute of World Politics» (IWP) en Abril 2019.
What exactly do we mean when we say the word geopolitics?
Definition of geopolitics: have we reached consensus about the meaning of this concept? From the most narrow meaning, close to geography with a little bit of politics, to being a synonym of international relations, available literature offers a vast array of contents.
Has there been an inventor of the word? How did this word appear in the literature related to international relations?
Several scholars have recognized a Swede Rudolph Kjellen as the author who coined the word geopolitics and somehow began the construction of this new field of knowledge.
Nevertheless some authors trace it back to Aristotle, to identify what we could signal as the most ancient historical background of the discipline, quoting different scholars about the importance of geography vis-à-vis city-states, kingdoms and later, nation-states.