Geopolítica(s). Revista de estudios sobre espacio y poder
Geopolítica(s). Revista de estudios sobre espacio y poder (ISSN 2172-3958, ISSN-e 2172-7155), issued every six months, features original, unpublished articles, giving preference to work that makes a genuine theoretical or methodological contribution to the study of the relationship between space and power, particularly in Latin America and Iberian countries. Consequently, it will publish articles from several fields of research from Political Geography and the other Social Sciences insomuch that they develop a spatial analysis perspective. In addition, it advocates scientific pluralism, both in reference to fields of research in Political Geography and epistemological, methodological and technical perspectives. In this respect, the journal is indistinctly open to different theoretical perspectives and critical methodologies, without ruling out works from traditional geopolitics a priori and it encourages authors to write articles that assess the relative merits of different theoretical and methodological approaches to explain important empirical political phenomena.
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Planning, Territorial Policies and Areas of Competence of States’ Governors in the Recent Federalist Dynamic in Brazil: The Case of Bahia
This work considers that it is important to debate the question of federalism from the point of view of Political Geography and Geopolitics. The article’s main goal is to analyse the territorialization processes conducted by the governments of each federal unit (the Brazilian states) in order to legitimize their capacity of autonomous action within the federation. From this standpoint, the key question turns out to be ‘How do the governments of the federal units handle their autonomy to elaborate and execute investment strategies within their territories?’ The paper focuses on the state of Bahia, which will be analysed in relation to two terms, 2003-2006 and 2007-2010, during which two clearly distinct territorial development plans were elaborated and put in place, respectively.
Water sharing in South Caucusus: A new geopolitical dimension in Nagorno Karabakh conflict
Water resources in the South Caucasus are unevenly distributed, and climate change, together with other anthropogenic pressures such as armed conflict, has intensified water-related challenges. While the former Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict has been widely studied, the role of water has remained comparatively understudied from a geopolitical perspective. This article examines how and why water, shaped by environmental conditions as well as socio-economic and cultural practices, functioned as a geopolitical factor in the former conflict over Karabakh. The analysis applies the French geopolitical reasoning approach developed by Yves Lacoste, focusing on multi-scalar processes (local, national, and regional), identifying spatial sets, and comparing competing territorial representations. The findings highlight the strategic importance of infrastructures such as the Sarsang reservoir, whose control and seasonal operation were closely tied to authority, security and representation. They also show how neighbouring powers, including Russia, Türkiye and Iran, shaped the opportunities and constraints for cooperation. Overall, the study demonstrates that water was not peripheral but an integral element of territorial rivalries and
Copyright (c) 2026 Geopolítica(s). Revista de estudios sobre espacio y poder
Spatial Production of Memory. Testimonies in Eastern Antioquia
The spatial dimension exists in victims’ narratives not only as a site where events occur, but also as a structuring element of the meanings of memory. Socio-spatial studies allow us to understand the topic of interest: the spatial production of memory. The Colombian armed conflict in eastern Antioquia is used to examine how extreme experiences are interpreted through the spaces perceived, conceived, and lived. Testimonies of subterranean memories from people affected by the armed conflict are presented, with whom life stories were gathered through indepth interviews in 2024. It is found that the spatial dimension defines and transforms us in the midst of extreme situations, as it produces a framework that gives meaning to lived experience and, therefore, is inscribed in bodily, place-based, and material memory, as tangible and symbolic evidence of the past’s presence in the present.
The Contribution of the Armed Forces to Brazilian Geopolitical Thought in the First Quarter of the 21st Century
The renowned Brazilian geopolitical school attributes to the country the vocation to become a great world power with the backing of its Armed Forces. In this context, the objective of this article is to analyze the role played by the Brazilian Armed Forces in the 21st century and their contribution to national geopolitical thought. Methodologically, this is a qualitative research with an explanatory approach, in which data obtained from bibliographic and documentary sources and interviews are triangulated to understand the factors that affect the military's contribution to the five identified axes of the Brazilian geopolitical thought. As a result, it has been verified that the Armed Forces contribute to a great extent to the first axis, which corresponds to the integration, development and protection of the national territory. However, the military plays a more modest role in relation to the other four axes of the geopolitical thought oriented towards external projection. In addition, it has been demonstrated that financial, cultural, geographical, conjunctural and historical aspects explain the accentuated prioritization that the Armed Forces attribute to the axis of the geopolitical thought dedicated to the interior of the national territory.
s renewed relevance when approaches to the importance of different spatial formations (territories, places, architectures or bodies) have gained strength, for the design and implementation of social equity and environmental sustainability policies. Early approaches to the issue, from geopolitics, were promptly criticized under the qualification of geographical or environmental determinism, proposing instead a geographical possibilism. These features of thinking about space are treated in this text, to propose a different approach to the problem of the power of space (and not only the power in space), with emphasis on the geographies of knowledge.
Serbian Geopolitical Thought Through its Epitome: Jovan Cvijić and his Geopolitical Ideas
This paper examines Serbian geopolitical thought through the work of Jovan Cvijić, an early 20th century geographer widely regarded as the epitome of the Serbian geopolitical tradition. Departing from the Western-centric bias that dominates the discipline, the study argues that an exclusive focus on great power geopolitical traditions overlooks intellectually significant contributions from smaller states. The paper pursues three interrelated objectives. First is to provide a systematic overview of five phases in the evolution of Serbian geopolitical thought from the early 19th century to 2020. Second is systematizing Cvijić's geopolitical ideas into four principal focal areas—the physical geography of the Balkans, the imperative of sea access, questions of ethnicity, language and religion, and the dynamics of great power relations. And finally, the third objective of the paper is to give a commentary of arguably his most epitomizing paper "The Geographical and Cultural Position of Serbia", through which the utility of his geopolitical ideas scattered throughout his writings. The analysis demonstrates that Cvijić's thought, developed in parallel with the major classical geopolitical authors of his era, was distinguished by its small-state perspective—one that necessarily incorporated great power calculations into its strategic reasoning. His concepts of the Central Area and the Balkan Core, his sustained advocacy for Serbian access to the Adriatic Sea, and his nuanced treatment of ethno-linguistic boundaries constitute meaningful contributions to geopolitical theory. The paper concludes that Serbian geopolitical thought, and Cvijić's intellectual legacy in particular, warrants broader attention within the global study of geopolitics.
Commentary. Serbian Geopolitical Thought Through its Epitome: Jovan Cvijić and his Geopolitical Ideas
This paper examines Serbian geopolitical thought through the work of Jovan Cvijić (1865-1927), an early 20th century geographer widely regarded as the epitome of the Serbian geopolitical tradition. Departing from the Western-centric bias that dominates the discipline, thestudy argues that an exclusive focus on great power geopolitical traditions overlooks intellectually significant contributions from smaller states. The paper pursues three interrelated objectives. First is to provide a systematic overview of five phases in the evolution of Serbian geopolitical thought from the early 19th century to 2020. Second is systematizing Cvijić’s geopolitical ideas into four principal focal areas—the physical geography of the Balkans, the imperative of sea access, questions of ethnicity, language and religion, and the dynamics of great power relations. And finally, the third objective of the paper is to give a commentary of arguably his most epitomizing paper «The Geographical and Cultural Position of Serbia», through which the utility of his geopolitical ideas scattered throughout his writings. The analysis demonstrates that Cvijić’s thought, developed in parallel with the major classical geopolitical authors of his era, was distinguished by its small-state perspective—one that necessarily incorporated great power calculations into its strategic reasoning. His concepts of the Central Area and the Balkan Core, his sustained advocacy for Serbian access to the Adriatic Sea, and his nuanced treatment of ethno-linguistic boundaries constitute meaningful contributions to geopolitical theory. The paper concludes that Serbian geopolitical thought, and Cvijić’s intellectual legacy in particular, warrants broader attention within the global study of geopolitics.
Trump: Anomaly or Herald of a New Geopolitical Order?
The aim of this discussion forum is to understand whether the Donald Trump administration in the United States is an anomaly in the geopolitical order that emerged after the Cold War or whether it heralds a new geopolitical order. Currently, global power is characterized by a profound transformation in its forms and actors. There is no longer a single geometry of power based exclusively on the hegemony of great powers or on the classic struggle for territorial spheres of influence. Instead, we are witnessing the coexistence of multiple geometries—territorial, digital, financial, and logistical—that are constantly intertwined and reconfigured. The United States, China, Russia, and the European Union remain central actors, but their capacity for control is limited by global interdependence, the emergence of middle powers, and the influence of non-state actors, such as corporations, international organizations, and social movements. The resurgence of nationalist and protectionist policies, exemplified by the "America First" doctrine and the imposition of tariffs, has weakened the rules-based liberal international order and fostered more open competition for strategic resources and areas of influence. However, globalization, digital networks, and transnational flows of capital, information, and people challenge the rigidity of borders. So, has conflict intensified over cooperation in the current geopolitical order? Or are we definitively witnessing an irreversible transformation of the geopolitical order, even though the geometry of global power remains open and uncertain?
Trump: ¿anomalía o heraldo de un orden geopolítico nuevo?
El objetivo de este foro de debate es entender si el gobierno de Donald Trump en los Estados Unidos es una anomalía en el orden geopolítico que nació tras la Guerra Fría o si anuncia un nuevo orden geopolítico. En la actualidad, el poder global se caracteriza por una transformación profunda en sus formas y actores. Ya no existe una única geometría de poder basada exclusivamente en la hegemonía de grandes potencias o en la clásica disputa de esferas de influencia territoriales. En cambio, asistimos a la coexistencia de múltiples geometrías: territoriales, digitales, financieras y logísticas, que se entrelazan y reconfiguran constantemente. Estados Unidos, China, Rusia o la Unión Europea siguen siendo actores centrales, pero su capacidad de control se ve limitada por la interdependencia global, la emergencia de potencias medias y la influencia de actores no estatales, como corporaciones, organizaciones internacionales y movimientos sociales. El resurgimiento de políticas nacionalistas y proteccionistas, ejemplificado por la doctrina "America First" y la imposición de aranceles, ha debilitado el orden internacional liberal basado en reglas y ha impulsado una competencia más abierta por recursos estratégicos y áreas de influencia. Sin embargo, la globalización, las redes digitales y los flujos transnacionales de capital, información y personas desafían la rigidez de las fronteras. Entonces, ¿se ha agudizado el conficto frente a la cooperación en el actual orden geopolítico?, o defiitivamente, ¿estamos ante una trasformación irreversible del orden geopolítico, aunque la geometría del poder global permanece abierta e incierta?
Dinámicas del poder y la geoestructura internacional: una aproximación trans-paradigmática
“Áfricas” desde Portugal: una aportación interdisciplinar a la descolonización del conocimiento
Pensar América Latina desde su multiplicidad: una lectura de Latin American Geographies
La posición geográfica y cultural de Serbia
El texto de Jovan Cvijić analiza la evolución histórica, geográfica y cultural de Serbia desde su independencia del Imperio Otomano hasta principios del siglo XX. Serbia, inicialmente un pequeño territorio periférico, logró expandirse gradualmente hacia el sur, consolidando su posición geográfica y política en los Balcanes. Este proceso estuvo impulsado por una fuerte conciencia y misión nacional, basada en la resistencia, la iniciativa y la capacidad organizativa del pueblo serbio, así como en una tradición de lucha por la libertad y la justicia. La fusión de diferentes grupos étnicos y migraciones internas fortaleció el carácter nacional y democrático, destacando la importancia del campesinado y la ausencia de clases sociales marcadas. Las guerras de 1912 y 1913 permitieron a Serbia alcanzar una posición central en la península balcánica, integrando nuevas regiones y poblaciones. Culturalmente, Serbia absorbió influencias europeas y balcánicas, adaptándolas a su propio espíritu nacional, y enfrentó el reto de asimilar la diversidad cultural del sur. El texto resalta la vitalidad, el orgullo y la capacidad de adaptación del pueblo serbio, así como los desafíos y oportunidades derivados de su nueva posición geográfica y cultural.
The geographical and cultural position of Serbia
Jovan Cvijić's text analyzes the historical, geographical, and cultural evolution of Serbia from its independence from the Ottoman Empire to the beginning of the 20th century. Initially a small peripheral territory, Serbia gradually expanded southward, consolidating its geographical and political position in the Balkans. This process was driven by a strong national consciousness and mission, based on the resilience, initiative, and organizational capacity of the Serbian people, as well as a tradition of struggle for freedom and justice. The fusion of different ethnic groups and internal migrations strengthened the national and democratic character, highlighting the importance of the peasantry and the absence of clearly defined social classes. The wars of 1912 and 1913 allowed Serbia to achieve a central position on the Balkan Peninsula, integrating new regions and populations. Culturally, Serbia absorbed European and Balkan influences, adapting them to its own national spirit, and faced the challenge of assimilating the cultural diversity of the south. The text highlights the vitality, pride, and adaptability of the Serbian people, as well as the challenges and opportunities arising from their new geographical and cultural position.
The Internet on Russia’s National Security Agenda: RuNet and Digital Sovereignty
This article examines the RuNet project—a strategic component of Russia’s national security agenda—analysing its role in building digital sovereignty in response to the fragmentation dynamics of the global Internet. Using an exploratory–descriptive qualitative design with methodological triangulation and a transductive approach, it studies the implementation of Federal Law 90-FZ (2019) and its institutional architecture. A bibliometric analysis of 457 academic sources (2020–2025), official Russian legislation, and specialized technical reports was also conducted. The results reveal that RuNet transcends a mere defensive response to Western sanctions, constituting an exportable model of technological resistance across the Eurasian space and BRICS countries. The research identifies an operational triad—state, academia, and industry—that shapes the digital space as a territory of geopolitical power. In conclusion, the article reflects that Russian digital sovereignty represents a paradigm of controlled fragmentation of the Internet that challenges Western hegemony in cyberspace, projecting alternative models of digital governance for the construction of regional orders distinct from the dominant liberal system.
Copyright (c) 2025 Geopolítica(s). Revista de estudios sobre espacio y poder
Amazon, Territory and National Sovereignty: History and Memory of a Territorial Dispute
This article revisits relevant but little-known historical episodes that inform the contemporary debate on sustainability, sovereignty, and development in the Amazon. It addresses: (i) the occupation and demarcation of the Brazilian Amazon, as well as the dispute over the Guianas; (ii) the Maury Plan and the proposed «Amazonian Republic»; (iii) the conflict over the territory of Acre at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries; (iv) Nazi interest in the Amazon and the planned invasion of the Guianas; (v) the attempted creation of the International Institute of Amazonian Hylaea (IIHA); and (vi) the Great Lakes Project in the Amazon. Some of these initiatives have been lost in historical debate and are currently little known, even within the region itself. However, they allow us to draw important historical lessons for the contemporary debate, warning us not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Spatial transformations of nearshoring in Mexico and the impacts of a “new” development paradigm
Given the vulnerability of supply chains and current trade and geopolitical tensions, nearshoring is on the rise. This paper describes the policies and actions aimed at promoting it in Mexico, paying particular attention to the role of the current administration’s megaprojects in the production of space, assessing their relationship with the real estate market, the overall expansion of built-up areas, and the related socioecological implications, including those derived from lock-in effects and land teleconnections. The paper distinguishes between aspects that constitute a reformist agenda aligned with the traditional notion of development—and thus of growth—and those that seek to create, amid challenges and contradictions, the conditions for transforming current social relations of production, including the human-nature relationship. In our reflection, we do acknowledge that the current and the previous administrations differ markedly from their predecessors and that there are limits to their immediate action. With this in mind, we aim to foster a constructive yet critical and useful analysis, concluding with practical short-term recommendations and calling for a collective process to guide and sustain a shared normative notion of long-term transformational change that actively addresses the most challenging and contested aspects.
Brazil and the «Active Non-Alignment» Space Policy
The emerging rivalry between the United States and China is the most defining feature of international politics for the foreseeable future. As both great powers seek to safeguard and promote their national interests, research has increasingly focused on how this rivalry will shape regional politics around the world. However, the rivalry will also play out in the outer space due to its critical security and economic role. Brazil’s unique geographic position, its decades-long involvement in space activities, and its political ambition to become a relevant space actor make it an important Latin American player in the emerging international rivalry. The Brazilian space policy of “active non-alignment” aims to prioritize its national interests by taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the two rival great powers. It shares the emphasis of a hedging strategy on avoiding binary alignment choices, strategic ambiguity and calculated contradictions, and on maximizing agency and room for maneuver. This article analyzes the growing geopolitical importance of space in the emerging Sino-U.S. rivalry, focusing on how Brazil interacts with the two superpowers in a polarized geopolitical environment. The article also assesses Brazil’s space aspirations and how a hedging space strategy can help Brazil maintain a leadership position in Latin America. Accordingly, the article highlights the Brazilian geopolitical, legal, and political frameworks in relation to outer space and reflects on the current challenges and opportunities for emerging nations, especially in the region, in engaging in the complex international rivalry for space dominance.
Beyond Globalization: A model of conceptual approaches for the analysis of 21st century borders
Under the assumption that the term globalization, as a conceptual model, has been limited to sufficiently explain and interpret the characteristics and depth of recent border and cross-border transformations, in this paper, a conceptual analytical model is proposed, represented through a relational scheme. . with specific conceptual categories, contextual, auxiliary and instrumental, that account for the structures and processes that organize the different territorial border spaces. We highlight, above all, the practical usefulness that reviews the incorporation of binary and/or dichotomous conceptualizations such as those of integration and disintegration, cooperation and conflict, and those of re-borderization and de-borderization. This aims to expand the explanations and interpretations of the dynamics of change in these spaces from a social constructivist and critical perspective. For this case we use general information from bibliographic documents, our own and analytical schemes generated by the International Research Network on Comparative Borders (RECFronteras) and the research project “Borders of the 21st Century”. The practical usefulness of the proposed model suggests advancing in the design of public policies that involve better organizational management of ethics and public life at the borders.
Border Studies and Political Geography: A Vision of the Hinterland and Regions of the Iberian Raya
The text aims to respond to the demand of colleagues interested in learning about the research trajectory of a Spanish scholar in the field of Border Geography, particularly in the regions and localities along the Raya (border) between Portugal and Spain. To this end, the themes and lines of research undertaken are presented, converging in a geographical study of this Iberian border: the itineraries carried out during several years of fieldwork with interdisciplinary and multinational teams, the process of Iberization of markets and the changes initiated toward an Iberian urban system, the normative frameworks and good practices of cross-border cooperation, and finally, reflections that highlight features of an emerging network of binational relations of a new kind.
Commentary. Pau Vila and the Territorial Division of Catalonia
According to Pau Vila—an eminent teacher, pedagogue, and geographer—although the regional dimension has existed for centuries, it was only in the mid-19th century that it began to be considered the essential basis for Catalonia’s political and administrative territorial division. This coincided with the first signs of the recovery of self-government and, especially, with the rejection of the provincial structure by both citizens and elites. In 1931, the Catalan autonomous government created a Committee of scholars tasked with designing a territorial division that would serve the administration, management, and governance of the country. This Committee, led by Vila, ignored earlier debates based on the traditional (natural, historical) region and proposed a novel working methodology grounded in Vidalian geography and, above all, in the functional (urban, economic, relational) aspects of the territory. Surveys and visits to town halls helped shape a territorial division project that would only gain legal validation after the revolutionary outbreak of July 1936. The complex and turbulent context of the revolution and the war did not prevent its implementation or its widespread popular acceptance. Despite the repression exercised for decades by the Franco dictatorship, the «Pau Vila» regional division map became an icon of democratic resistance and national
In Memoriam: Gérard Chaliand (1934-2025) Pensar la revolución desde la revolución
En la frontera: estudios de caso en América Latina y la Unión Europea
Ensayos bibliográficos de Alejandra Ramírez Soruco, Yolanda Alfaro y Alina Stoica (Comp.). (2024) Fronteras y problemáticas ciudadanas. Mirada Comparativa entre Unión Europea y Región Latinoamericana. Cochabamba, Bolivia: Universidad Mayor de San Simón – Centro de Estudios Superiores Universitarios (CESU) / Universidad de Oradea / Grupo de Trabajo Fronteras: movilidades, identidades y comercios de la CLACSO / Jean Monnet Module EU Cultural Diplomacy in the Andean Community. 302 pp. ISBN: 978-99905-72-02-5
El «ancho» de Gibraltar: aproximaciones críticas europeas a las dinámicas políticas en el norte de África
Ensayo bibliográfico sobre ele libro de Bárbara Azaola Piazza, Thierry Desrues, Miguel Hernando de Larramendi, Ana Isabel Planet Contreras y Ángeles Ramírez (eds.) (2022) Cambio, crisis y movilizaciones en el Mediterráneo Occidental. Albolote, Granada: Comares, 441 pp. ISBN: 978-84-1369-476-4
Geografía(s), conflicto(s) y paz territorial: la Conferencia Temática de la Unión Geográfica Internacional 2025 (Santa Marta, Colombia)
Reporte sobre la Conferencia de la UGI en Santa Marta (Colombia)