What Is Geopolitics? What Everyone With a Public Policy Degree Should Know

1. Pollution

Pollution is a problem that extends beyond national borders. Pollution from one county can harm people of a neighboring country.² The Paris Agreement is an example of geopolitics and how countries work together to combat the problem of pollution beyond their own borders. Each country agreed to align their public policy to reduce pollution.³ Each country doing what it can leads to a positive impact for all parties. The Paris Agreement demonstrates how geopolitics works to solve a global problem.

2. Energy

Energy is another classic example of geopolitics. Some countries are richer than others in energy resources like oil, natural gas, and coal. But all countries need energy resources to function. Energy demand and supply plays a major role in international public policy. Countries that don’t have their own natural resources may take extreme actions to access energy. This can lead to conflict or war.⁴ Energy policy is a helpful way to understand geopolitics because it shows the extreme actions a country may be willing to take because of geographic limitations.

3. Water

Examining water policy can also help demonstrate geopolitics. Water is vital to every country. Areas that experience little rain, or that don’t have lakes or rivers, may struggle agriculturally. Drought can also lead to migration of people seeking more fertile areas. Countries with access to water ports can take advantage of waterways for defense and trade. Being able to move goods by water is cheaper and more efficient than having to do so over land. This gives countries with access to ports an advantage in importing and exporting goods. A country’s public policy is significantly affected by the availability of water,⁵ which makes politics associated with water access one of the best ways to understand geopolitics.