The Second World

Countries and Themes

By: Nik Palmieri

HIST 5

•Geopolitics is the main theme throughout the book as well as the main purpose the book was written

•Unlike other political areas of study, Geopolitics specifically looks to the past in order to either avoid the mistakes made or replicate the successes of the past in order to improve the future, Khanna describes it as the “deep science of world evolution”

Geopolitics

The EU•Khanna explains in the very first chapter that the EU is “the worlds only superstate” and now rivals even the US in military, economic, territorial, and resource power.

•He also explains that “the EU is easily the most popular and successful empire in history” and this is primarily because they do not subjugate or dominate the people of their territories and force them to comply but rather teaches them and disciplines them

Russian Devolution•Russia is unique in its vast size and vast amounts of natural resources, Containing multiple ethnicities and time zones it is the largest country in the world but also the most fragmented.

•This fragmented state leaves Russia vulnerable and open to exploitation by the US and China

•Much of the country’s outlying territories are subjugated by Russian gas companies, causing much tension and resent.

•It is unclear how Russia will adapt to survive

Turkey•Known as a bridge between the East and the West and has long been a strategic ally.

•Now part of the EU and very unsupportive of the US because of the war in Iraq

•US actively tries to pursue an alliance because of the strategic nature of Turkey but Turkey is mistrustful of the US and tends to avoid relations.

•The most powerful, democratic and secular state in the Muslim world

•There is much controversy over China’s occupation of these two reasons and their tactics in subduing the resistance movements in both of these areas

•Chinas occupation is a perfect example of their newfound and violent idea of manifest destiny movement and their booming social and economic growth. These two provinces contain most of Chinas precious metal and oil resources…hence Chinas reluctance to leave

•Khanna explains that if china gave up these areas it would be like the US giving up all its territory west of the Rockies.

Tibet and XinJiang

Khanna, Parag. The Second World: How Emerging Powers Are

Redefining Global Competition in the Twenty-first Century.

New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2009. Print.

Work Cited