Geopolitics in the 21st Century Course

Course Philosophy

Course Development Philosophy

The course is designed according to Martin Zubko’s teaching philosophy, expressed in the principle that:
“A supreme principle of teaching is to ignite curiosity that leads to purposeful research, resulting in discoveries that bring meaning.” 

This approach informs the course structure, where intellectual curiosity serves as the starting point for research-driven learning. Through engagement with theoretical debates and independent investigation, students are encouraged to develop original insights and contribute to deeper understanding of international politics. 

“With each course, my aim has been to develop a research-driven intellectual workshop in which teaching is built around two complementary dimensions: mentoring and coaching. I recognise the limitations of my own knowledge in comparison with the expanding capabilities of artificial intelligence systems; however, the central purpose of my work lies elsewhere — in cultivating individuals who can navigate a complex and often chaotic information environment shaped by truth, misinformation, and partial truths.

The essential task is to develop students’ capacity for independent judgement: the ability to critically evaluate information, formulate meaningful questions, and produce rigorous analysis. Their own intellectual curiosity and judgement remain the primary sources of inquiry, enabling them to discover new perspectives, identify emerging patterns, and contribute original insights to the understanding of complex phenomena.”
— Martin Zubko

Core Principles

Three core principles guide this entire curriculum:

1. Geographical Embeddedness – Geography remains a fundamental influence on state interests, strategic choices, and capabilities, but it never mechanically determines political outcomes.

2. Analytical Pluralism – No single theoretical perspective can fully capture the complexity of contemporary geopolitical dynamics. Different frameworks illuminate particular dimensions of power while leaving others less visible.

3. Epistemological Reflexivity – All geopolitical analysis is shaped by specific historical, cultural, and intellectual contexts. Analysts must therefore remain aware of how their assumptions, concepts, and positional perspectives influence interpretation.

Contemporary geopolitical outcomes emerge from the interaction of material conditions — including territory, resources, infrastructure, and technology — and human agency expressed through political decisions, institutions, and narratives. Effective geopolitical analysis requires asking both: What structural and strategic factors explain this development? and What does this explanation overlook, and whose perspective does it privilege?

This course develops a multi-layered approach to twenty-first-century geopolitics that does not privilege any single theoretical tradition or geographical viewpoint. It brings together classical and critical perspectives, material and ideational factors, and structural constraints with strategic agency.

Through a consistent analytical framework, students learn to combine empirical investigation, actor mapping, theoretical explanation, evaluation of analytical limitations, and reflexive critique. Weekly analytical labs and research exercises develop practical skills in interpreting primary sources, including maps, policy documents, economic data, strategic communications, and official narratives, while examining how power operates across territorial, maritime, energy, technological, digital, informational, and climatic domains.

The curriculum incorporates both Western and non-Western perspectives, enabling students to critically assess geopolitical debates in an era of multipolarity, technological transformation, and shifting global power relations. Ultimately, students develop the analytical skills necessary to produce rigorous, evidence-based geopolitical assessments that recognise both the enduring significance of geography and the evolving character of power in the twenty-first century.

Course Content Structure

This 12-week course is organised around a multi-level analytical framework that moves from foundational questions of geopolitical explanation and evidence, through resources, interdependence, and geoeconomic power, to strategic competition across physical and digital domains. The final modules integrate these perspectives by examining transnational pressures, hybrid forms of competition, and the future transformation of global order.

MODULE I – Geopolitical Foundations and the Changing International Order
Week 1: Foundations of Contemporary Geopolitics
Week 2: Multipolarity and Great-Power Competition

MODULE II – Resources, Interdependence, and Geoeconomic Power

Week 3: Energy Security and the Geopolitics of Transition
Week 4: Critical Minerals and Supply-Chain Geopolitics
Week 5: Geoeconomics and Economic Statecraft

MODULE III – Strategic Competition Across Physical and Digital Domains

Week 6: Maritime Geopolitics and Strategic Chokepoints
Week 7: Nuclear Geopolitics and Strategic Stability
Week 8: Technology, AI, and Digital Geopolitics

MODULE IV – Transnational Pressures and Hybrid Geopolitical Competition

Week 9: Climate Change and Environmental Geopolitics
Week 10: Hybrid Competition, Information Warfare, and Strategic Narratives

MODULE V – Global Order and Geopolitical Futures

Week 11: Emerging Powers, Regional Organisations, and Global Order Transformation
Week 12: Geopolitical Futures – Strategic Foresight and Scenario Building

Integrated Learning Stages

Each week of this 12-week course is organised around three integrated learning stages designed to develop theoretical understanding, geopolitical analytical capability, and critical reflexivity.

1. Preparation: Engaging with Geopolitical Concepts and Debates
   Before each session, students engage with assigned readings, strategic documents, maps, data sources, and empirical materials to familiarise themselves with key concepts, theoretical perspectives, and contemporary geopolitical debates. Preparation establishes the foundation for informed discussion by introducing competing interpretations of geopolitical developments and encouraging students to critically examine underlying assumptions.

2. Discussion-Based Lecture: Analysing Geopolitical Theories Through Debate and Application
   Class sessions combine theoretical explanation with structured discussion and case-based analysis. Lectures are not treated as one-way knowledge transmission. Students critically examine competing geopolitical frameworks, apply concepts to contemporary cases, and evaluate alternative explanations of global developments. Through guided debate, students explore how different analytical perspectives interpret questions of power, territory, resources, technology, and strategic competition.

3. Research Lab: Developing Geopolitical Analytical Skills Through Applied Inquiry
   The research lab provides practical training in geopolitical analysis. Students work with empirical evidence, maps, policy documents, economic indicators, strategic communications, and other primary sources to investigate geopolitical developments. They develop skills in actor mapping, spatial analysis, strategic assessment, comparative analysis, and evaluation of competing explanations while addressing reflexive questions concerning assumptions, limitations, and perspectives shaping geopolitical interpretations.

Foundational Texts

• Criekemans, David. 2021. Geopolitics and International Relations: Grounding World Politics Anew. Brill.

• Davidsen, Peter. 2026. Geopolitics, the State, and Political Science: Contextualizing Rudolf Kjellén, Founder of Geopolitics. Routledge.

• Legg, Stephen, and Tariq Jazeel, eds. 2025. Subaltern Geographies. Oxford University Press.

• Mandaville, Peter. 2023. The Geopolitics of Religious Soft Power: How States Use Religion in Foreign Policy. Oxford University Press.

• Marshall, Tim. 2025. The Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know about Global Politics. Rowman & Littlefield.

• Short, John Rennie. 2022. Geopolitics: Making Sense of a Changing World. Rowman & Littlefield.

• Tsang, Steve, and Olivia Cheung. 2026. China’s Global Strategy under Xi Jinping. Oxford University Press.

Research articles do not appear in the bibliography above. This is intentional. Each week, students are expected to identify a peer-reviewed article relevant to that week’s topic, bring it to the seminar, and share it with the group. The lecturer contributes selections alongside the class. This practice develops independent literature-searching habits, exposes the seminar to a wider range of scholarly perspectives than any fixed reading list could provide, and keeps the course in sustained contact with current debates in the field.

Learning Outcomes

1. Integrate material and ideational approaches to geopolitical analysis
   Evaluate contemporary geopolitical developments by combining geographical, resource, technological, institutional, historical, and ideational factors across multiple theoretical traditions, including classical geopolitics, critical geopolitics, geoeconomics, and constructivist approaches. Students will be able to identify what different frameworks explain and what they overlook.

2. Apply practical methods for geopolitical investigation
   Critically analyse maps, national security strategies, resource agreements, economic data, and official communications to identify spatial assumptions, strategic priorities, and patterns of power competition. Students will apply analytical tools such as supply-chain mapping, chokepoint analysis, sanctions evaluation, scenario planning, and open-source intelligence methods to empirical cases.

3. Conduct comparative and reflexive geopolitical analysis
   Examine how different actors, including great powers, middle powers, and Global South states, respond to similar geopolitical pressures, recognising that geopolitical interpretations are shaped by historical, cultural, and geographical perspectives. Students will critically evaluate both Western and non-Western analytical traditions.

4. Produce evidence-based geopolitical assessments
   Develop structured geopolitical analyses that combine empirical investigation, actor identification, theoretical explanation, evaluation of analytical limitations, and reflexive critique while remaining aware of the assumptions and positional perspectives influencing their own interpretations.

Assessment

Graded Assessment Components

Assessment 1: Geopolitical Analysis (35% | 2,500 words)
Select one contemporary geopolitical development (territorial dispute, resource competition, sanctions regime, strategic partnership, or great-power shift). Produce a structured analysis that:

• establishes the empirical foundations  

• identifies key actors and strategic positions  

• applies competing theoretical perspectives (classical, critical, geoeconomic, or constructivist)  

• evaluates what each framework explains and overlooks

Conclude with a reflexive discussion of alternative geographical or political perspectives.  

Submission Deadline: End of Week 7.

Assessment 2: Capstone Geopolitical Risk and Foresight Report (55% | 5,000–6,000 words)
Produce a comprehensive geopolitical risk and foresight report on an approved flashpoint. Analyse multiple drivers (geographic, resource, economic, technological, institutional, ideational), identify principal actors, apply relevant theories, and develop three coherent scenarios for the coming decade. Engage critically with competing perspectives, including Global South or decolonial approaches where relevant.  

Submission Deadline: Sunday of Week 14 (Formal Assessment Period, following the conclusion of Week 12 teaching).

Assessment 3: Participation and Analytical Engagement (10% | Ongoing)
Participation is assessed throughout the semester based on the quality of students’ engagement with the analytical objectives of the course. Assessment considers contributions to Discussion-Based Lectures and Research Labs. Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to apply theoretical concepts to empirical cases, engage critically with different interpretations, use evidence effectively, and respond constructively to alternative arguments. Attendance is required. Marks are awarded for the quality of intellectual engagement.

Grading Scale (%) and Performance Standards

• 80–100: Exceptional
  Outstanding analytical ability, originality, and intellectual independence. The work develops a sophisticated, tightly integrated argument that combines theory, evidence, and method with exceptional precision. It critically evaluates competing explanations, exposes underlying assumptions and limitations, and produces insights that approach professional analytical standards.

• 70–79: Excellent
  Advanced analytical skills and strong theoretical understanding. The work presents a clear, well-supported argument and engages critically with relevant debates and alternative explanations. Minor limitations may remain in originality, depth, or full integration of perspectives.

• 60–69: Good
  Solid command of key concepts, literature, and analytical approaches. Theories are applied appropriately and the argument is coherent. Limitations typically appear in originality, critical depth, methodological sophistication, or engagement with competing interpretations.

• 50–59: Satisfactory
  Adequate understanding of core concepts and empirical material. The work engages with the course content but remains largely descriptive or summary-based, with limited analytical depth, theoretical application, or critical evaluation.

• 40–49: Marginal Pass
  Basic understanding of course requirements is present, but analysis is underdeveloped, heavily descriptive, and insufficiently supported by evidence or theoretical reasoning.

• Below 40: Fail
  Does not demonstrate sufficient understanding of key concepts, analytical approaches, or evidence. The work lacks a coherent argument and fails to meet minimum academic standards.

Submission, Formatting Requirements and Academic Integrity

• All written work must be submitted as a PDF file.

• Use 12-point Aptos or Arial font. Number all pages. On the first page include your name, student number, course name, assignment title, and word count. A separate cover page is not required.

• The stated word count is a guide. Stay within 10% above or below it. The word count includes the main text and in-text citations, but excludes the reference list, tables, figures, and appendices.

• Use the Chicago Author-Date citation style throughout. Examples: (Yergin 2020) or Yergin (2020) argues that… For direct quotations include the page number: (Yergin 2020, 47). Place the reference list at the end, organised alphabetically by surname. Footnotes may be used sparingly for substantive clarifications only; do not use them for routine citations.

• Formal policies regarding academic integrity and the use of AI tools vary by institution and will apply in full. Beyond these formal requirements lies a deeper educational principle: the purpose of assessment is not merely to demonstrate completion of tasks, but to develop genuine understanding, analytical capability, and intellectual independence. A qualification represents not only the work submitted, but the knowledge and skills that work is designed to cultivate. This course is built on meaningful engagement with scholarship, practitioners, and professional perspectives that extend beyond the formal syllabus. The value students gain depends on a shared commitment to curiosity, preparation, critical thinking, and responsible academic practice.

Detailed Module Descriptions

MODULE I – Geopolitical Foundations and the Changing International Order

Week 1: Foundations of Contemporary Geopolitics

Core Question
How do geography, space, and political interpretation shape the way we understand global power?

Preparation
The origins and evolution of geopolitical thought; classical and critical geopolitics; geography as a constraint and strategic resource; geopolitical representations and spatial assumptions.

Discussion-Based Lecture
Geopolitics as an analytical approach to world politics; comparing classical perspectives focused on territory and power with critical approaches examining maps, narratives, and the construction of geopolitical realities.

Research Lab
Comparing geopolitical maps and strategic documents on Eurasia, the Indo-Pacific, and the Arctic to analyse how spatial representations influence interpretations of power and security.

Additional Literature 

• Dodds, Klaus. 2019. Geopolitics: A Very Short Introduction. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press.

• Kaplan, Robert D. 2012. The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us about Coming Conflicts and the Battle against Fate. Random House.

• Ó Tuathail, Gearóid. 1996. Critical Geopolitics: The Politics of Writing Global Space. University of Minnesota Press.

Week 2: Multipolarity and Great-Power Competition

Core Question
How is the changing distribution of global power reshaping international order?

Preparation
Polarity, hierarchy, and international order; debates on American primacy, China’s rise, Russian revisionism, and the growing role of middle and regional powers.

Discussion-Based Lecture
Explaining global power shifts through realist, liberal, critical, and Global South perspectives; examining competition, institutional change, and alternative interpretations of emerging multipolarity.

Research Lab
Constructing a comparative power matrix to assess military, economic, demographic, technological, and institutional dimensions of geopolitical influence.

Additional Literature 

• Acharya, Amitav. 2018. The End of American World Order. 2nd ed. Polity.

• Brands, Hal. 2026. The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World. W. W. Norton.

• Cooley, Alexander, and Daniel Nexon. 2020. Exit from Hegemony: The Unravelling of the American Global Order. Oxford University Press.

• Kassab, Hanna Samir. 2022. Globalization, Multipolarity and Great Power Competition. Routledge.

• Kissinger, Henry. 2014. World Order. Penguin.

• Mearsheimer, John J. 2019. The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities. Yale University Press.

• Sciutto, Jim. 2024. The Return of Great Powers: Russia, China, and the Next World War. Dutton.

MODULE II – Resources, Interdependence, and Geoeconomic Power

Week 3: Energy Security and the Geopolitics of Transition

Core Question
How is the transformation of global energy systems reshaping geopolitical power relations?

Preparation
Energy security; fossil fuel geopolitics; producer–consumer dependencies; energy transition; renewable technologies and emerging forms of strategic vulnerability.

Discussion-Based Lecture
Examining how energy resources, infrastructure, and transition strategies shape state power and international competition; comparing traditional energy geopolitics with emerging transition challenges.

Research Lab
Mapping energy dependencies, transit vulnerabilities, and diversification strategies for major economies including the EU, China, Japan, and India.

Additional Literature 

• Balmaceda, Margarita M. 2021. Russian Energy Chains: The Remaking of Technopolitics from Siberia to Ukraine to the European Union. Columbia University Press.

• Bradshaw, Michael, and T. Boersma, eds. 2020. The Geopolitics of Energy. Routledge.

• Goldthau, Andreas, and Jan Martin Witte, eds. 2010. Global Energy Governance: The New Rules of the Game. Brookings Institution Press.

• Högselius, Per. 2019. Energy and Geopolitics. Routledge.

• Scholten, Daniel, ed. 2023. Handbook on the Geopolitics of the Energy Transition. Edward Elgar Publishing.

• Smil, Vaclav. 2017. Energy and Civilization: A History. 2nd ed. MIT Press.

• Yergin, Daniel. 2020. The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations. Penguin.

Week 4: Critical Minerals and Supply-Chain Geopolitics

Core Question
How do control over critical resources and supply chains influence contemporary geopolitical competition?

Preparation
Rare earth elements, lithium, cobalt, and strategic materials; extraction and processing networks; resource nationalism; supply-chain concentration and diversification strategies.

Discussion-Based Lecture
Analysing how green technologies and digital industries create new forms of resource dependency; examining whether critical mineral competition represents a new geopolitical struggle or a continuation of historical resource inequalities.

Research Lab
Constructing a supply-chain dependency map for a strategic industry such as batteries, semiconductors, or renewable energy technologies.

Additional Literature 

• Conway, Ed. 2025. Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization. Random House.

• Humphreys, David. 2015. The Remaking of the Mining Industry. Palgrave Macmillan.

• Kalantzakos, Sophia. 2020. China and the Geopolitics of Rare Earths. Oxford University Press.

• Kara, Siddharth. 2024. Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives. St. Martin’s Griffin.

• Pitron, Guillaume. 2020. The Rare Metals War: The Dark Side of Clean Energy and Digital Technologies. Scribe Publications.

• Rickards, James. 2022. Sold Out: How Broken Supply Chains, Surging Inflation, and Political Instability Will Sink the Global Economy. Penguin.

Week 5: Geoeconomics and Economic Statecraft

Core Question
Under what conditions does economic interdependence become a source of geopolitical leverage?

Preparation
Economic statecraft; sanctions; export controls; financial power; industrial policy; weaponised interdependence and strategic autonomy.

Discussion-Based Lecture
Examining how states use economic instruments to pursue geopolitical objectives; evaluating the effectiveness and limitations of sanctions, restrictions, and economic coercion.

Research Lab
Analysing a contemporary sanctions regime or economic coercion strategy to assess objectives, mechanisms, outcomes, and unintended consequences.

Additional Literature 

• Aggarwal, Vinod K., and Tom M. Cheung, eds. 2025. The Oxford Handbook of Geoeconomics and Economic Statecraft. Oxford University Press.

• Baldwin, David A. 2020. Economic Statecraft. Princeton University Press.

• Blackwill, Robert D., and Jennifer M. Harris. 2016. War by Other Means: Geoeconomics and Statecraft. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

• Dong, Jiahua. 2023. Chinese Statecraft in a Changing World: Demystifying Enduring Traditions and Dynamic Constraints. Springer.

• Farrell, Henry, and Abraham L. Newman. 2023. Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy. Allen Lane.

• Mahbubani, Kishore. 2024. Living the Asian Century: An Undiplomatic Memoir. PublicAffairs.

MODULE III – Strategic Competition Across Physical and Digital Domains

Week 6: Maritime Geopolitics and Strategic Chokepoints

Core Question
Why do maritime spaces remain central to geopolitical power and global connectivity?

Preparation
Sea power; maritime security; strategic chokepoints; shipping networks; maritime sovereignty; freedom of navigation and international law.

Discussion-Based Lecture
Examining how oceans, ports, and maritime infrastructure shape economic security and strategic competition through cases such as the South China Sea, Arctic routes, and major waterways.

Research Lab
Conducting a vulnerability assessment of a major maritime corridor by analysing geographic constraints, economic dependencies, and security risks.

Additional Literature 

• Bueger, Christian, and Timothy Edmunds. 2024. Understanding Maritime Security. Oxford University Press.

• Calder, Kent E. 2025. Eurasian Maritime Geopolitics: The United States and China in an Age of Indo-Pacific Transformation. Brookings Institution Press.

• Fishman, Edward. 2025. Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare. Penguin.

• Hayton, Bill. 2014. The South China Sea: The Struggle for Power in Asia. Yale University Press.

• Kraska, James, and Hu Yang, eds. 2023. Peaceful Management of Maritime Disputes. Routledge.

• Poling, Gregory B. 2022. On Dangerous Ground: America’s Century in the South China Sea. Oxford University Press.

• Stavridis, James G. 2018. Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World’s Oceans. Penguin.

Week 7: Nuclear Geopolitics and Strategic Stability

Core Question
Can nuclear deterrence remain stable in an increasingly fragmented international system?

Preparation
Nuclear strategy; deterrence theory; escalation dynamics; arms control; proliferation; nuclear doctrines of major and regional powers.

Discussion-Based Lecture
Evaluating whether traditional deterrence concepts remain effective amid multipolar competition, technological change, and declining arms-control arrangements.

Research Lab
Analysing a contemporary nuclear crisis or escalation scenario by mapping actor objectives, perceptions, deterrence strategies, and possible outcomes.

Additional Literature 

• Albright, David, and Sarah Burkhard. 2023. Iran’s Perilous Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons. Institute for Science and International Security.

• Herzog, Stephen, Gregory D. Arceneaux, and András F. W. Petrovics. 2025. Atomic Backfires: When Nuclear Policies Fail. MIT Press.

• Narang, Vipin. 2014. Nuclear Strategy in the Modern Era: Regional Powers and International Conflict. Princeton University Press.

• Plokhy, Serhii. 2022. Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis. W. W. Norton.

• Plokhy, Serhii. 2023. Atoms and Ashes: A Global History of Nuclear Disasters. W. W. Norton.

• Rublee, Maria Rost. 2009. Nonproliferation Norms: Why States Choose Nuclear Restraint. University of Georgia Press.

Week 8: Technology, AI, and Digital Geopolitics

Core Question
How is technological competition transforming the sources of geopolitical power?

Preparation
Artificial intelligence; semiconductors; cyber capabilities; digital sovereignty; data governance; technological dependency and decoupling.

Discussion-Based Lecture
Examining technology as a geopolitical domain where states compete over innovation, infrastructure, standards, and control of critical systems.

Research Lab
Mapping the geopolitical vulnerabilities of a critical technology supply chain, including semiconductors, AI infrastructure, or digital networks.

Additional Literature 

• Dunn Cavelty, Myriam. 2024. Politics of Cyber-Security. Routledge.

• Greenberg, Andy. 2019. Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

• Kaplan, Fred M. 2016. Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War. Simon & Schuster.

• Lee, Kai-Fu. 2018. AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

• Lindsay, Jon R. 2025. Age of Deception: Cybersecurity as Secret Statecraft. Cornell University Press.

• Miller, Chris. 2022. Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology. Scribner.

• Segal, Adam. 2016. The Hacked World Order: How Nations Fight, Trade, Maneuver, and Manipulate in the Digital Age. PublicAffairs.

• Wang, Dan. 2025. Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future. W. W. Norton.

MODULE IV – Transnational Pressures and Hybrid Geopolitical Competition

Week 9: Climate Change and Environmental Geopolitics

Core Question
How does climate change reshape geopolitical competition and global security?

Preparation
Climate security debates; environmental vulnerability; resource scarcity; water politics; Arctic transformation; environmental governance.

Discussion-Based Lecture
Exploring how climate change interacts with existing political, economic, and security structures; examining competing perspectives on climate as a security challenge and a consequence of global inequalities.

Research Lab
Developing a climate-security risk assessment for a vulnerable region, resource system, or strategic corridor.

Additional Literature 

• Chasek, Pamela, David L. Downie, and John I. Allan. 2025. Global Environmental Politics. Routledge.

• Dalby, Simon. 2020. Anthropocene Geopolitics: Globalization, Security, Sustainability. University of Ottawa Press.

• Dryzek, John S. 2022. The Politics of the Earth: Environmental Discourses. Oxford University Press.

• Floyd, Rita, and Matthew, Richard, eds. 2025. Environmental Security. Routledge.

• Hauger, Johan S., and Ryo Mizo, eds. 2026. Climate Change, National Security and Geopolitics. Routledge.

• Heininen, Lassi, and Heather Exner-Pirot, eds. 2020. Climate Change and Arctic Security: Searching for a Paradigm Shift. Palgrave Macmillan.

• Lang, Miriam, Manahan A. Manahan, and Breno Bringel, eds. 2024. The Geopolitics of Green Colonialism. Pluto Press.

• O’Lear, Shannon. 2020. A Research Agenda for Environmental Geopolitics. Edward Elgar Publishing.

• Pincus, Rebecca, and Saleem H. Ali, eds. 2020. Diplomacy on Ice: Energy and the Environment in the Arctic. Yale University Press.

• Toal, Gerard. 2024. Oceans Rise Empires Fall. Oxford University Press.

Week 10: Hybrid Competition, Information Warfare, and Strategic Narratives

Core Question
How do states use information, influence, and societal vulnerabilities to pursue geopolitical objectives?

Preparation
Hybrid competition; information warfare; strategic narratives; political influence; cyber-enabled operations; migration as a potential instrument of geopolitical pressure.

Discussion-Based Lecture
Analysing how geopolitical competition operates through narratives, digital platforms, and societal influence; distinguishing diplomacy, persuasion, propaganda, and coercive manipulation.

Research Lab
Conducting a comparative discourse analysis of competing strategic narratives surrounding a contemporary geopolitical crisis.

Additional Literature 

• Galeotti, Mark. 2019. Russian Political War: Moving Beyond the Hybrid. Routledge.

• Greenhill, Kelly M. 2010. Weapons of Mass Migration: Forced Displacement, Coercion, and Foreign Policy. Cornell University Press.

• Hanlon, Bernadette, and Thomas J. Vicino. 2026. Global Migration: The Basics. Routledge.

• Jordan, David, James D. Kiras, David J. Lonsdale, Ian Speller, Christopher Tuck, and C. Dale Walton. 2026. Understanding Modern Warfare. Cambridge University Press.

• Rid, Thomas. 2020. Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

MODULE V – Global Order and Geopolitical Futures

Week 11: Emerging Powers, Regional Organisations, and Global Order Transformation

Core Question
Are emerging powers and regional institutions transforming the foundations of global order?

Preparation
Global governance; BRICS expansion; regional organisations; institutional reform; debates on post-Western order and alternative political arrangements.

Discussion-Based Lecture
Examining whether emerging institutions challenge existing global hierarchies or represent adaptations within the current international system; comparing competing visions of legitimacy, sovereignty, and representation.

Research Lab
Comparing the institutional goals, strategic documents, and security priorities of a Western-led organisation and an emerging or regional institution.

Additional Literature 

• Acharya, Amitav. 2018. The End of American World Order. 2nd ed. Polity.

• Anand, Purnima, Sarah Fennell, and Flavio Comim, eds. 2020. Handbook of BRICS and Emerging Economies. Oxford University Press.

• Bremmer, Ian. 2012. Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World. Portfolio.

• Cooper, Andrew F. 2016. The BRICS: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.

• Liu, Zongyuan Zoe, and Mihaela Papa. 2022. Can BRICS De-Dollarize the Global Financial System? Cambridge University Press.

• Said, Edward W. 1978. Orientalism. Pantheon Books.

• Stuenkel, Oliver. 2016. Post-Western World: How Emerging Powers Are Remaking Global Order. Polity.

Week 12: Geopolitical Futures – Strategic Foresight and Scenario Building

Core Question
How can analysts evaluate uncertain geopolitical futures and identify possible pathways of global change?

Preparation
Strategic foresight methods; scenario planning; uncertainty analysis; geopolitical forecasting; drivers of systemic change.

Discussion-Based Lecture
Examining how analysts construct future scenarios by combining structural trends, strategic choices, technological developments, and potential disruptions.

Research Lab
Developing multiple geopolitical scenarios for an active international flashpoint by identifying key drivers, uncertainties, triggers, and strategic implications.

Additional Literature 

• Allison, Graham T. 2017. Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap? Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

• Brands, Hal. 2026. Geopolitics of AI. Johns Hopkins University Press.

• Burrows, Mathew J. 2014. The Future, Declassified: Predicting the World of 2025 and Beyond. St. Martin’s Press.

• Dalio, Ray. 2021. Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order. Simon & Schuster.

• Grieco, Joseph, G. John Ikenberry, and Michael Mastanduno. 2026. Introduction to International Relations. Bloomsbury Academic.

• Kissinger, Henry. 2014. World Order. Penguin.

• National Intelligence Council. 2021. Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World. Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

• Pillsbury, Michael. 2016. The Hundred-Year Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower. St. Martin’s Griffin.

• Ping, Jonathan, Andrew Hayes, and B. McCormick. 2025. Chinese International Relations Theory. Routledge.

• Wa Thiong’o, Ngũgĩ. 1986. Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature. J. Currey.

Office Hours and Consultation 

I welcome students to discuss course material, assessment questions, research ideas, or analytical challenges during consultation hours. To ensure that all requests are received and can be scheduled appropriately, please use the contact form provided for booking consultations.

I will respond with available times and confirmation of the meeting arrangement.

*** This course is designed to be adaptable across different higher education contexts. The weekly structure, assessment components, and reading requirements can be adjusted to meet the needs of particular institutions, programmes, or individual teaching contexts, and can be scaled appropriately for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. While the course’s analytical framework and intellectual objectives remain consistent, the structure presented here should be understood as a flexible model rather than a fixed template.

Updated – June 2026

I have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and coherence of this course design, but if you identify any errors, omissions, or areas for improvement, I would greatly appreciate your feedback. Academic work is always strengthened through careful review and constructive engagement. Additionally, if you are aware of any outstanding publications that could further enrich the course, I would welcome your recommendations.

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