Principles of Geopolitics: Power, Geography & Strategy

Geopolitics is often seen as just looking at a map and predicting the next move. But real geopolitics is much deeper than that. It is a science, and just like learning the drums, it looks simple from outside but becomes complex once you actually start working on it.

In this course, we will build the foundation you need before going into advanced geopolitical theories. We will start with the most basic question: why do groups exist, and why do states need them? Using thinkers like Hobbes and Rousseau, we will explore how sovereignty was born out of human cooperation and conflict.

From there, we will look at how power works in practice. You will learn the difference between de facto power (the power people actually hold) and de jure power (the power that exists because people believe in it and follow it). We will study real historical cases, from the French Revolution to the Göktürk Khaganate, from post Soviet Russia to modern Iran, to understand how leaders gain control, how they lose it, and why loyalty inside a state is never permanent.

By the end of this course, you will have a solid framework to understand geopolitics not as memorized facts, but as a living system of power, groups, and control.