Philosophy

Stratfor regularly mentions in its China coverage that China is "an island." This is not literally true, of course, but it's a useful way to think about the country and its geographic situation. China shares land borders with 14 other nations, and yet it is among the most geographically insulated countries in the world.

In Stratfor's weekly Naval Update Map, we track the approximate locations of U.S. fleet aircraft carriers and amphibious war ships. The map helps our analysts -- and customers -- discern Washington's strategy and even predict looming conflicts.

Stratfor was founded in 1996 as a geopolitical intelligence company. Intelligence is obviously a very sexy term, conjuring visions of James Bond and elegant parties. Undoubtedly there is a part of intelligence that has the pleasure of experiencing this. I am waiting for my invitation.