Borders & Territory
Japan controls a 1200km chain of islands that sits across the Chinese navy’s main routes to the Pacific. In peacetime, Chinese warships sail through the gaps legally, but in a war, the Ryukyu Islands could become a giant wall. With China historically sensitive to being hemmed in by foreign powers, how has Japan managed to control the Ryukyus, and what impact does this have on geopolitical strategy?
Read MoreGuatemala claims about half the land in neighboring Belize, plus all of its islands, in one of the few live territorial disputes in Latin America today. The International Court of Justice is scheduled to hear oral arguments on the case in February 2027, the last stage before a ruling that could result in dramatic border changes. But why does Guatemala claim so much of Belize to begin with, and how does it shape the region's geopolitics?
Read MoreUkraine is not the only country under Russian occupation. Nearly a fifth of the country of Georgia is under Russian control. But why would Russia care about a small country buried in the Caucasus Mountains?
Read MoreThe exclave of Kaliningrad is not only disconnected from the rest of Russia, it’s also wedged between two NATO countries, making it an obvious target during a potential war. So how does Kaliningrad survive without a connection to the rest of Russia, and just how vulnerable is it?
Read MoreThe border between India and Bangladesh is a mess. At first glance, it looks basically random, but when we dig into the history and geography of the region, we can find some really fascinating answers. So why are India and Bangladesh divided up like this?
Read MoreCrimea has been a focal point of the Ukraine war since Russia seized and annexed it in 2014. But why does Russia care so much about Crimea to begin with?
Read MoreWhat if the Great Lakes had US and Canadian warships circling each other for control of the largest freshwater system on earth? There's no structural reason they shouldn't. What stops it is a series of agreements that have made these lakes arguably the most successful binational commons on the planet. But you probably don't know that those treaties are now under tremendous stress. So how do the Great Lakes fit into geopolitics, and how are their dynamics evolving?
Read MoreIf you zoom in on West Africa, you might notice that Senegal completely surrounds another country, a tiny sliver of land called The Gambia. This is the smallest country on mainland Africa at just over 11000 square kilometers, but it has over 2.4m people, and its history is fascinating. So why does The Gambia exist in the first place, and what place does it have in geopolitics?
Read MoreJust 3600 people live on these islands today, but in the 1980s they were the site of a war that killed 255 British military members and 649 Argentine troops and fundamentally changed modern naval doctrine. The Falkland Islands are famous for this namesake war, but you’re probably not aware of the rest of their dynamics. So how do the Falklands influence geopolitics?
Read MoreTucked between India and China is a tiny Buddhist kingdom best known for its monasteries, fortresses, and incredible Himalayan landscapes. Bhutan has only about 800000 people, but its critical position with India and China has made it disproportionately important in the realm of geopolitics. So why has such a small country managed to stay independent between two major powers, and what impact does Bhutan actually have on the world?
Read MoreIf you zoom in on a map of east Africa, you might notice two little countries tucked between Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda. Beyond being surrounded by far larger countries, Rwanda and Burundi also look like a single country that’s been split in half. So why are Rwanda and Burundi small, separate, and surrounded?
Read MoreDid you know that for over 500 years, Spain has technically been an African country? Obviously most of Spain is in Europe, but just like French Guiana makes France a South American country, the territories of Ceuta and Melilla in north Africa give Spain a very different geopolitical footprint than any other state in Europe, and they are a key player in Spain’s heated dynamic with Morocco. So how exactly do Ceuta and Melilla play into geopolitics?
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