summary - prisoners of psychogeography, Esercizi di Lingua Inglese

Scarica summary - prisoners of psychogeography e più Esercizi in PDF di Lingua Inglese solo su Docsity! Summary of the article Are we really prisoners of geography? by David Immerwahr In his article Are we really prisoners of geography?, published in The Guardian in November 2022, Daniel Immerwahr discusses the ways in which countries can be influenced by natural and geographical rather than political borders. The author also explores the notion of “geopolitics” in the contemporary world. Daniel Immerwahr starts his consideration by reflecting on the enduring war in Ukraine, which has been caused by the Russian invasion. A geopolitical scholar and journalist claimed that this war was to be expected due to reasons of Russia’s topography and its natural fortifications. Indeed, the country ruled by Putin is surrounded mostly by mountain chains but its west border is uncovered and may be exposed to possible attacks. In order to protect it, the head of state had to invade and take military action against Ukraine for the sole purpose of conquering a buffer state capable of protecting Russia. The article further states that the philosophy of “geopolitics” is gaining ground again and countries may start to ponder their political decisions based on geography. From the beginning of human history, controlling a territory has always been one of the main goals of a country because it can ensure power over that land and make the country gain control of the local resources that could potentially lead to economic advantages. For instance, that is the case of Iraq occupying Kuwait and assuring for itself two-fifths of the world’s oil reserves. Immerwahr also reports a modern geopolitical mind-set, according to which Eurasia could potentially be the target of modern wars. Now that all the colonies, once belonging to the great European powers, obtained independence in the past century, the thirst for control could lead countries to fight over it. This would be just for the fame of ruling another territory and exercising power in it. Here the issue is about affirming a certain national identity to reacquire the old portrayal of colonial power. The author concludes by saying that the contemporary world is strictly connected with geography in the ways it shapes environment, and that human action dominates nature even in determining borders. 349 words