| Summary/Abstract |
Geopolitical research is frequently pictured as a dead end. This article aims to revitalize geopolitics, reflecting both on the critique of the subject and the strengths that have marked it for more than a century. It is argued that geographical conditions constitute a set of opportunities and constraints, a structure that is independent of agency. General patterns and long-term processes can be explained well by this structure. Understanding specific phenomena that occur in international relations requires taking into consideration non-geographical factors, though. All those committed to geopolitics should hence concentrate on the interplay of geographical conditions and non-geographical factors in causal mechanisms that shape international relations.
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