Table of Contents

Foreword by Emeritus Professor Panayiotis Ifestos

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. Ontological references

Chapter 3. Structural realism

Chapter 4. Systemic geopolitical analysis

Chapter 5. Convergences

Chapter 6. Divergences

Chapter 7. Epistemological and methodological contradictions

Chapter 8. The Waltzian programmer and systemic geopolitics

Chapter 9. An evolution of the Waltzian programmer: John Mearsheimer’s approach

Chapter 10. Concluding remarks

Bibliography

Index

Reviews

“This book summarizes the debate for the future and prospects of geopolitical issues, under the fields of International Relations and Political Studies. It identifies and examines relevant key research issues, building a conceptual framework drawing on the application of geopolitical issues, enabling a comparative analysis, explaining also any related socio-economic consequences. Moreover, this book explores and studies various dimensions of the interaction between geopolitical issues, along with links to socio-economic development. The important task is to relate social consequences to a number of factors that are likely to be determinants and measure the extent to which they affect economy and society. This book considers both international relations political studies and geopolitical analysis, in order to research struggles to explain the converging and diverging points between the neorealist approach of international relations theory and the systemic geopolitical analysis. Therefore, the crux of the matter in the subsequent analysis is related to the common theoretical legacy of the two fields on the basis of Thucydides’s magnum opus “History of the Peloponnesian War”. Derived from the epistemology of clear description, as it is reflected by modern realpolitik, the three authors’ analysis extents from the philosophical aspects of IR theory towards the methodological contribution of Systemic Geopolitical Analysis. Hence, it is considered a study of high innovation, a starting point of many fruitful discussions on the scholars’ struggle to measure international phenomena and proceed into relatively precise predictions of cause-and-effect linkages. The findings of this book aim to be of value for researchers, policy makers and academic community. For policy makers, the value stems for a better identification and understanding of the key elements and consequences of the current geopolitical analysis and socio-economic crisis. This will allow government entities to formulate and implement programs, which will leverage areas of social policy, which require further attainment. Last but not least, the value for the academic community mainly lies on an increased knowledge about the impacts of different determining factors on social consequences resulting from the economic crisis. Finally, at policy level, the findings of this book suggest the need to establish assistance programs to develop social policies and programs, at all levels, along with the limitations and suggestions for further research. Once more, I strongly think that this book will act as a platform for further theoretical and empirical research, rendering a creative source for scientific dialogue and knowledge diffusion.” – Professor. Dr. George M. Korres, Department of Geography University of the Aegean