Royal University of Phnom Penh

Institute of Foreign Languages Department of International Studies

Geopolitics and Diplomatic History

A Guide to Reading

Instructors: NHEM Boraden, AN Sokkhoeurn, MEY Punlok

The textbook used in this class is designed as a reader: it is a compilation of pertinent sections from other books in geopolitics and similar fields. Rather than a textbook by a single author, the book combined sections from many books. This allows students to grasp the main tenets of the field of geopolitics instead of strictly following any single author. The text by no means constitutes the only materials in the course, however. Lecture, class discussion, student presentation, debate, and critical analysis of updates on recent political events around the world will be used to generate full understanding of the field. This guide provides a background understanding of each material. 1. Geopolitics by Saul Bernard Cohen This section provides an understanding of the evolution of the study of geopolitics from the beginning of the 19th century until the present day. It bears noting that geopolitics is a very important field, yet it is historically laden with some controversial features. In WWII, this concept had taken a twisted turn toward racism. This made mainstream geographers distant themselves from the study of geopolitics and political scientists have since taken over the field. Even in departments of geography today, the course is still labeled as Political Geography, meaning that it is a field highly imbued with politics. A second feature of the study of geopolitics is that it is an analytical technique commonly used by superpower in designing their grand strategy. The growth of the study of geopolitics during the Cold War epitomized this fact. Apart from the history of geopolitics, the section also provides background on some geographical features that are strategically significant. 2. The Pivotal State by Paul Kennedy Everyone is talking about superpowers. That is understandable. What are usually overlooked, however, are the regional superpower and the prevailing balance between them.

NHEM Boraden, PhD (A.B.D.), Political Science and National Security Affairs

What are the features of these powers? How can we recognize them? What are the emerging powers in the regions? What are the relations between these powers and the global powers? If China, for example, wants to be a regional power instead of global power, what would be the consequences for the United States, regional players in Asia, and other countries in the region? Historically, this concept is political rather than academic and it had extreme consequences. The American intervention in Vietnam was loosely based on the idea that South Vietnam was the pivotal state in South East Asia which, in turn, justified half a million troops in Vietnam. Had the US realized that it was in fact Indonesia who was the pivotal state and had they grasped the controversial dynamics of the relationship between North Vietnam and the Cambodian left, history would have been radically different. Kennedys book is an attempt at giving an academic treatment to a very important, yet obscure and ill-defined concept: the pivotal state. The section covers the case of Indonesia, Egypt, and Pakistan as the pivotal state in their respective regions. 3. The Next Decade by George Friedman As the name implies, this book is more about speculation than about academic analysis. Yet, to know the future, one has to know where we are right now. While Friedman has a tendency to speculate on the future of various regions in the world, he also does a great job in providing a readable version of the struggle between countries in each region, both significant powers and smaller ones. The book is not very rigorous in its methodology but it provides pertinent information that is often overlooked. The regions included in the section are the Middle East and Europe (and to a large extent, its relations with Russia). 4. The Tragedy of Great Power Politics by John Mearsheimer Mearsheimer is a realist and he does not hide it. A realist is someone who believes the state is the most important player in world politics. National interests are to be safeguarded with various instruments including diplomacy, military, economics... States cannot count on others to do this for them, they have to do it by themselves. This, unlike what ill-informed critiques argued, does not mean that state must make war. Instead, all realists argue against war. What they asserted, however, is that states must fend for themselves; totally relying on some friends is sometimes a complacency that no state can afford if it wants security, independence and survival in the international system. The chapter extract is Mearsheimers attempt to provide evidence in this regards. Countries that were inclined to choose offensive action with no interests-based alliance will always fail because other states in the international system rise up to balance against those

NHEM Boraden, PhD (A.B.D.), Political Science and National Security Affairs

superpowers. Even the US and the Soviet Union whose identities were quite diverged still found it in their common interests to fight against Japan and Germany in WWII. The main lesson to be drawn from this chapter is the description of attempts by various powers to become superpower or global power. It shows you what it takes to be a superpower. This can reflect well toward the issue of whether China will become a new global power. 5. Good Order at Sea and Monsoon This section is a presentation of the maritime side of South East Asia. This feature is very important but is normally ignored by most scholars. In fact, all ASEAN countries except Lao PDR have access to the sea and 5 of ASEAN countries including potential regional powers are island nations. This has many implications in foreign policy. Maritime security will be a very important issue for these latter nations while they do not have to worry about such issues as the use of common resources (i.e. the Mekong) like Cambodia and Vietnam. Vietnam, in fact, has to worry about both maritime security and the issue of the use of common resources. Good order at sea is a research paper which provides an overview of main maritime features of South East Asia and its potential threats. The paper is more instructive than argumentative. It provides you with information. The second piece is a chapter from Monsoon by Robert Kaplan. Monsoon is a cyclical weather system that brings both rain and excess rain. As such, it is both destructive but also essential for growth and prosperity. Kaplans metaphor denotes the nature of pivotal states: they have both the potential to make the region stable or to stir up troubles. Coincidentally, these pivotal states lie at the heart of the monsoon area. The extract chapter is only about South East Asia, its maritime nature, and its influence on foreign policy.

Optional: Command of the Sea This special section is still being considered for its level of appropriateness. It is a very important but also a very difficult, complex, and controversial concept. Simply put, command of the sea denotes the ability of a country to facilitate their own trade while at the same time blocking those considered as hostile. As a result, command of the sea is historically linked to the rise of superpower. Regions of the world are connected by oceans, those who are able to control access to them will have considerable leverage and influence in international affairs. The section, if included, will briefly study the history of naval warfare and its implications in the South China Sea, East Vietnam Sea, or the West Philippines Sea (one day we might as well consider calling it Far-Away Cambodia Sea!).

NHEM Boraden, PhD (A.B.D.), Political Science and National Security Affairs