Robert D. Kaplan reminds us that other, more elemental factors are still often at play: mountains, rivers, even soil types. As he writes in his ambitious new book, The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate, topography and borders (or lack thereof) are inseparable from geopolitics -- from the "utterly porous" frontier fatefully linking troubled Afghanistan and Pakistan to the vast natural resources spanning China and Russia, whose proximity "commands a perennially tense relationship."
One of our favorite foreign-policy experts, George Friedman of the private intelligence company Stratfor, weighed in on the matter with his usual idiosyncratic insights. First, he thinks that the Benghazi consulate-attack controversy has been blown out of proportion and become an outlet for Republican frustration over the party's poor electoral performance. Not that Friedman is particularly enamored of Rice as Clinton's successor. "She lacks the gravitas for the position that Clinton has in abundance," he argues. "Foreign leaders snap to attention when Clinton enters a room, and she allowed Obama to virtually outsource foreign policy to her. He won't have that luxury now, since his foreign policy bench is so thin."
Friedman believes the international community has to come to grips with the fact that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been reduced to a warlord, albeit one with support, firepower and tenacity.
The operation against the Spanish company highlights the problems Iran faces to exploit its nuclear technology, said Ben West, a senior analyst at Stratfor, an intelligence analysis firm in Austin, Texas.
"You need a lot of other technologies outside uranium enrichment, so you are going to see Iran trying to get all that," he said. "There are still plenty of options for Iran to get these materials," he added. "In countries like Turkey, sanctions are not enforced as strongly."
“This is one of those things where the U.S. isn’t going to get any more involved than it has to,” said Reva Bhalla of Stratfor.com, a global intelligence firm.
Stratfor Vice President of Global Analysis Reva Bhalla discusses the implications of Hamas' targeting of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, cities normally considered off-limits in the ongoing cross-border conflict.
George Friedman, founder and chief executive officer of Stratfor, explains why the new missiles that Hamas has acquired, which can reach areas around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, are driving the escalating conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
Reva Bhalla, Vice President of Global Analysis at Stratfor, says the changing dynamics of the region are pushing Israel to secure its borders and eliminate any security threats, notably Hamas.
The energy markets on high alert on a major escalation in tensions between Israeli and Palestinian militants. The number of casualties is increasing daily, and Israeli forces are moving toward the Gaza border, a sign of a possible ground offensive. The region is a global flash point that's seen revolution and civil war over the past couple of years. For more on this story, let's bring in George Friedman, CEO of Stratfor.
