The Power of Geography

Geography will influence – if not dictate – the trajectory of global power.

The Cold War era was a struggle for global power between the United States in the West and the Soviet Union in the East. Then, in the 1990s, the United States had no political rivals. But in the 2020s, the global geopolitical order has changed. The world is now multipolar, with China, the United States, the European Union, India and Russia as major forces. In coming years, the world may become bipolar again, with the United States and China as the competing powers.

Political action can affect the future, but geography has a major influence on the options available to countries. Geography dictates a nation’s neighbors, transportation and trade routes, and access to natural resources. The rise of digital technology has collapsed borders and created virtual frontiers, but it hasn’t rendered geography irrelevant.

Australia could be a bridge between the West and the economically significant Indo-Pacific region. 

Australia, the sixth-largest country in the world, encompasses several distinct ecological zones...