WEC Class Notes

  geopolitics , analysis of the geographic influences on power relationships in   international relations . The word   geopolitics   was originally coined by the Swedish political scientist   Rudolf Kjellén   about the turn of the 20th century, and its use spread throughout Europe in the period between World Wars I and II (1918–39) and came into worldwide use during the latter. In contemporary discourse,   geopolitics   has been widely employed as a loose synonym for international politics. Arguments about the political effects of  geography —particularly  climate ,  topography , arable land, and access to the sea—have appeared in Western political thought since at least the ancient Greek era and were prominent in the writings of philosophers as  diverse  as  Aristotle  (384–322  BC ) and  Montesquieu  (1689–1745). The best-known body of geopolitical writings is the extensive literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, much of which focused on the impact on world politics of

Zelenskyy warns of Russian chemical   attack in speech to Japan Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday warned Japanese lawmakers in a virtual speech that Russia was escalating its attacks on Ukraine, including possibly employing chemical or nuclear weapons, as he called for tougher sanctions. "I have received reports that Russia is preparing chemical attacks by using chemical weapons such as sarin," he said in the speech to Japan's parliament. "How would the world react if nuclear weapons are used is also now discussed around the world." Japanese are familiar with sarin because it was used by members of a cult in an attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995 that killed 13 people and injured thousands.    Zelenskyy also pointed to the dangerous situation near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant where forest fires have erupted but Russian troops, which have taken control of the site, are hampering any Ukrainian attempts to put them out. "On Feb. 2