Interventions and the Geopolitics of the Imperial

Abstract

In this paper I want to examine certain elements relating to the general phenomenon of what I shall call Western geopolitical interventionism. It is also important to bear in mind that an emphasis will be given to unilateral rather than multilateral. It is argued that we cannot fully understand the dynamics of interventionism in isolation from the geopolitics of imperial power which is propelled forward by a deeply-rooted invasiveness. After distinguishing imperialism from imperiality, it is suggested that if we are going to develop an effective understanding of the imperial, it will be beneficial to our analysis if we: a) make a connection with both raciality and sexuality; b) examine the linkage between the imperial at home and the imperial abroad, and c) consider, no matter, how briefly, the relevance of centre-periphery relations; I shall call these connections the imperial nexus. I conclude by stressing the point that the geopolitics of the imperial is most appropriately looked at as a potentially creative analytical node that can generate many new insights across a fertile and diversified terrain.