geostrategy
Terrain-based power planning
Geostrategy is the strategic use of geography in politics, warfare, and international relations.
It concerns how nations leverage their physical position, terrain, and access to resources to gain military or economic advantage: Control of the Suez Canal has always been a matter of geostrategy.
The term often appears in discussions of great-power competition and foreign policy.
Dominant group's control
- rivalryOngoing contest between opponents
- containmentPreventing hostile expansion
- deterrencePrevention via threatened consequences
- arms raceEscalating weapons accumulation between nations
balance of power · cold war · brinkmanship · proxy war · encirclement · counterbalance · primacy · multipolarity
Western defense organization
- coalitionTemporary alliance for action
- blocAllied group sharing interests
- pactFormal agreement between parties
- treatyBinding pact between nations
partnership · entente · axis · federation · confederation · league · union · consortium
Outer edge or limit
- frontierEdge of settlement
- enclaveSurrounded distinct territory
- corridorEnclosed connecting walkway
- buffer zoneNeutral area between rivals
DMZ · disputed territory · annexation · occupation · sovereignty · territorial waters · airspace · continental shelf
Slippery viscous fluid
- pipelineLong-distance fluid transport tube
- chokepointNarrow passage limiting movement
- straitConstricted marine passage
- sea laneEstablished maritime route
trade route · rare earth · energy security · water scarcity · food security · commodity · supply chain · resource curse
Supporting bottom structure
- outpostRemote military station
- deploymentOrganized distribution of resources
- naval powerMilitary dominance at sea
- carrierOne that transports
missile defense · nuclear umbrella · logistics · staging area · garrison · expeditionary · interoperability · modernization
hegemony
Dominant group's control
- rivalryOngoing contest between opponents
- containmentPreventing hostile expansion
- deterrencePrevention via threatened consequences
arms race · balance of power · cold war · brinkmanship · proxy war · encirclement · counterbalance · primacy · multipolarity · great power
NATO
Western defense organization
- coalitionTemporary alliance for action
- blocAllied group sharing interests
- pactFormal agreement between parties
treaty · partnership · entente · axis · federation · confederation · league · union · consortium · alignment
border
Outer edge or limit
buffer zone · DMZ · disputed territory · annexation · occupation · sovereignty · territorial waters · airspace · continental shelf · partition
oil
Slippery viscous fluid
- pipelineLong-distance fluid transport tube
- chokepointNarrow passage limiting movement
- straitConstricted marine passage
sea lane · trade route · rare earth · energy security · water scarcity · food security · commodity · supply chain · resource curse · sanctions
base
Supporting bottom structure
- outpostRemote military station
- deploymentOrganized distribution of resources
- naval powerMilitary dominance at sea
carrier · missile defense · nuclear umbrella · logistics · staging area · garrison · expeditionary · interoperability · modernization · procurement
geostrategymicromanagement
Excessive supervisory control
parochialism · domestic policy · insularity · isolationism · navel-gazing
geostrategydiplomacy
Negotiation between nations
soft power · multilateralism · international cooperation · negotiation · peacemaking