Germany and Russia 1871-2023: An example of geopolitical methodology

Abstract

This article seeks to present an example of geopolitical analysis, comparing the application of a model using geopolitical factors with a documentary analysis model (hermeneutical method), to answer questions like “What is the geopolitical importance of the place Y?”, or “What national interests does country X have in the place Y?”. In both Master programms of the Peruvian Naval War College, our students analyse topics related to international politics, applying a model that emerges from the geopolitical approach. For this analysis the concept of “national interest” is crucial, since the geopolitical approach considers States to have interests that they try to further.
Nevertheless, there is no academic consensus regarding how to identify these interests. The articles shows the challenges a researcher is facing regarding the possibilities to identify the national interests of a given State, as well as the goals that a State can set up to further them.