Geopolitics is a way of looking at the world: one that considers the links between political power, geography, and cultural diversity. In certain places such as Iraq or Lebanon, moving a few feet either side of a territorial boundary can be a matter of life or death, dramatically highlighting the connections between place and politics. Even far away from these 'danger zones' - in Europe or the US for example - geopolitics remains an important part of everyday life. For a country's location and size as well as its sovereignty and resources all affect how the people that live there understand and interact with the wider world. Using wide-ranging examples, from historical maps to James Bond films and the rhetoric of political leaders like Churchill and George W. Bush, this Very Short Introduction shows why, for a full understanding of contemporary global politics, it is not just smart - it is essential - to be geopolitical.

《东方编译所译丛·大棋局：美国的首要地位及其地缘战略》为东方编译所译丛之一。《东方编译所译丛·大棋局：美国的首要地位及其地缘战略》权威地讲述了冷战后的世界格局中，欧亚各国与美国的战略利益纠纷，对几个关键性的欧亚大陆地缘战略国家和地缘支轴国家在欧亚大陆的地位、发展前景、政策走向以及同美国的利害关系作了分析和判断，书中有关中美关系的评述篇幅较大，其中的分析发人深省。对于热衷于国际问题分析的实践者和研究者，这是一本不可不读的书。