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Geopolitics in the 21st Century (Major 2025 Update)
Role Play
Rating: 4.3 out of 5(244 ratings)
1,338 students

Geopolitics in the 21st Century (Major 2025 Update)

Complete Geopolitics in the 21st Century Course: Master Today’s Global Power Dynamics
Last updated 5/2025
English

What you'll learn

  • Understand how the US-led liberal international order was built - and why it’s breaking down today.
  • Define the core principles behind post-9/11 US foreign policy and how they continue to shape global security.
  • Identify the cracks in global institutions like the UN, WTO, and IMF - and why they’re struggling to stay relevant.
  • Understand China’s strategy to challenge US power through economic leverage, diplomacy, and new global norms.
  • Define the concept of “strategic autonomy” and explain why Europe is struggling to achieve it.
  • Identify how Russia uses disruption, propaganda, and regional wars to reclaim great power status.
  • Understand how key speeches by Bush, Putin, Xi, Macron, and others reflect larger shifts in global politics.
  • Define the major geopolitical trends of the 21st century - including multipolarity, regionalism, and state-driven competition.
  • Identify the methods modern leaders use to influence global outcomes - from military force to infrastructure loans.
  • Understand how power dynamics have shifted over the past two decades - and what they might look like in the next ten years.

Course content

9 sections36 lectures3h 55m total length
  • The US-Led Global Order: What It Was5:14
  • Quick Quiz Test
  • Cracks Appear in the Liberal World Order4:51

    The liberal world order eroded from within as trust declined, globalization bred inequality, and populism rose—from Iraq in 2003 to the 2008 crisis and Covid era—weakening global institutions.

  • Quick Quiz Test
  • The United States Steps Back6:02

    The United States shifts from post-war leadership to nationalism and unilateralism, disrupting alliances, withdrawing from key agreements, and prompting Europe to hedge with independent defense.

  • Quick Quiz Test
  • Global Institutions Under Strain5:28
  • Quick Quiz Test
  • The Global Order Is Cracking - Convince Me Why It Matters

Requirements

  • The course is designed for beginners and therefore does not require prior education in Politics or International Relations.
  • No upfront reading is necessary.
  • For convenience, handouts for each lecture are provided and can be downloaded.

Description

The rules are shifting. Fast.

For decades, the world followed a clear script — the US led, institutions enforced, and wars followed familiar lines. That era is over.

Now we’re watching something new emerge:

  • Old alliances falling apart

  • China and Russia rewriting the playbook

  • Europe trying to stand on its own

  • Global institutions losing control

  • The US unsure of its own role

But the biggest problem? Most people are still stuck thinking in 20th-century terms.

Why this course exists

If you feel lost trying to make sense of today’s global mess, you’re not alone.

  • News coverage is shallow

  • Most lectures are full of jargon

  • And politicians sound like they’re reading from outdated scripts

This course gives you something better: a clear, structured way to understand how power is shifting in real time — and what that means for the future.

Whether you’re a student, a policymaker, or just someone who wants to sound smarter at dinner, this course is for you.

What you’ll learn

You’ll follow five tight, focused sections — packed with real speeches, modern strategies, practice activities, and clear takeaways.

PART I: The Fragmentation of the Global Order

  • How the post-WWII system broke down

  • Why the UN, WTO, and IMF are struggling

  • What happens when no one’s in charge

  • 4 Quick Quizzes

PART II: The Legacy of US Order: 9/11 to 2022

  • Bush’s post-9/11 strategy and its long shadow

  • What the 2022 National Security Strategy says about America today

  • 2 Practice Activities

PART III: China in the Great Power Competition

  • How China is challenging US power — without firing a shot

  • What Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road plan really means

  • 1 Quiz + 1 Practice Activity

PART IV: Russia’s Strategy of Disruption

  • Why Putin doesn’t want to lead the order — he wants to break it

  • Russia’s war strategy, propaganda machine, and use of chaos

  • 1 Quiz + 2 Practice Activities

PART V: Europe’s Quest for Strategic Autonomy

  • Can Europe be a real power — or is it stuck in the middle?

  • What Macron and von der Leyen are really saying

  • 1 Quiz + 2 Practice Activities

What you get

  • Clear video lectures

  • Downloadable handouts

  • Practice activities that make you think like a real analyst

  • Quizzes to track your progress

  • Real-world examples that connect the dots

  • AI-powered Role Plays - so you can practice in a kind of virtual sandbox, before you take your skills IRL

Who it’s for

  • Students of international politics or global studies

  • Analysts, consultants, or journalists needing sharper insight

  • Curious learners who want to actually understand the headlines

You don’t need a politics degree. You just need curiosity and a willingness to think.

Take the course. Watch the world make more sense.

From My Students:

  • "The course was very informative and helpful, and I will apply the knowledge I gain. The lecturer was incredibly fantastic. He explain all the concepts and the definitions of all the topics."

  • "Dr. Zwolski truly has teaching skills. He is a straightforward professor and his videos are both interesting and valuable."

  • "The course is really informative and provides a very in-depth analysis of several complex topics which otherwise would have been quite difficult to understand."

  • "The instructor is a good lecturer. Interesting material presented clearly and concisely."

  • "The lectures have been made very simple to understand! Kamil is doing an amazing job!"

  • "Crisp and clear videos, to the point, can be watched easily on the mobile phone."

  • "Wow! If your reading the comments and debating on whether or not to take this course,TAKE IT! If you read The Economist, Forbes, taking classes on International relations, or stationed on a foreign base, this class is for you! After this you should be able to decipher mainstream media news outlets! Semper Fi!"

Who this course is for:

  • Individuals interested in Geopolitics, International Security and International Relations
  • Students of Politics and International Relations who want to consolidate their knowledge and improve their grades.
  • Commentators, bloggers and journalists covering International Security and International Relations