Geopolitics Explained
Evergreen context on geopolitics, distilled into calm, readable pulses.
Open in BriflioGeography, alliances, and resource dependencies shape geopolitical decisions long before any single news cycle does, but that context rarely makes it into daily coverage. Briflio's Geopolitics hub fills that gap with explainers on the structural forces — chokepoints, energy corridors, historical rivalries — that make sense of why states act the way they do, so the next headline about a border dispute or a trade bloc lands with real context instead of none.
Three ways professional gaming is becoming geopolitical
The global esports industry has grown to rival many mainstream sports in scale, viewership and cultural reach.
Deterrence theory
Deterrence theory is the scholarship and practice of how threats of using force by one party can convince another party to refrain from initiating some other course of action.
Geopolitics
Geopolitics is the study of the effects of Earth's geography on politics and international relations.
The Geographical Pivot of History
"The Geographical Pivot of History" is an article submitted by Halford John Mackinder in 1904 to the Royal Geographical Society that advances his heartland theory.
The US government can shut off access to AI at will. What does this mean for Australia?
The risks of depending on US-based AI models are becoming clear.
What might Canada’s EU ‘associate membership’ look like, and is it even a possibility?
Making Canada the EU’s first ‘associate member’ may be a solution in search of a problem.
National insecurity: what happens when countries start to lose their sense of identity?
Borrowed from psychiatry, the term “ontological security” describes how nations understand themselves and their place in the world – and how it can break down.
The US is leading the new space race – but other countries are close behind
It can be easy to lose sight of the fact that the US isn’t the only major actor in space.
Iraq is emerging as the Middle East’s strategic connector – but can it turn foreign competition into advantage?
Iraq has pursued friendly relations with many countries who are themselves at odds.
70 years ago the Suez crisis exposed British relative decline. Today, the Iran conflict could be doing the same for the US
Suez showed that Britain had lost the leeway to behave like a superpower.
Friday essay: forget Big Brother, propaganda is now a form of hybrid warfare
Hybrid warfare is an evolution of the propaganda wars of the 20th century.
Global uncertainty is the new normal. Here’s why institutional legitimacy and resilience is crucial
Geopolitical and economic uncertainty topped the G7 summit agenda.
How would the Iran crisis play out in a world powered by renewables not fossil fuels?
This conflict exposes the fragility of the global fossil fuel economy and how renewables create resilience.
How military exercises help the UK and its allies prepare for a future war
Military exercises are vital for joined-up defence.
Ten years after the referendum, how Brexit could have been done differently
An economist weighs up some of the options that were left on the table.
Trump’s geopolitical aims, not economics, are behind his trade hostility towards Canada
A seismic shift in American geopolitics explains the breakdown in U.S.-Canada trade relations.
Why David Brat, the new US ambassador to Australia, has a big in-tray
Tariffs and regulation of tech giants are already causing friction.
US-Iran failed first round of talks in Pakistan: where did it all go wrong?
As uncertainty grows surrounding US-Iran conflict resolution, a social psychology professor pinpoints the intricate layers and “make or break” behavioural mechanics at play in such complex negotiations.
India’s Horn of Africa strategy has shifted: what it’s trying to do and how it could work
Over the past decade, India has come to see the Horn of Africa as a primary theatre of influence.
Can the 2026 FIFA World Cup still be a force for global unity?
The current U.S.
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 900 kilometres (560 mi) long and from 65 to 250 km wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea and the South China Sea.
What does China’s host bid mean for the High Seas Treaty?
The High Seas Treaty requires a secretariat to co-ordinate between parties, service meetings, manage information and keep the machinery running.
Containment
Containment was a geopolitical strategic foreign policy pursued by the United States during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism after the end of World War II.
How the ‘geopolitical stigma’ associated with Putin’s Russia is affecting ordinary Russians
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine changed more than Russia’s relations with the west – it changed the meaning of being Russian.
Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz is a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Paralympic politics: how Russia, Belarus and Israel sparked opening ceremony boycotts
Current geopolitical uncertainty means the Winter Paralympics’ opening ceremony is attracting attention for the wrong reasons.
Many feared a US World Cup under Trump would be a disaster. Its legacy will prove otherwise
Several controversies before and during the World Cup won’t stop it being remembered fondly by most fans.
For Iran’s diaspora, a tough World Cup call: To support the national team or protest – or both?
Iran’s team faces a hostile reception from the US government and some of its brethren in the diaspora.
Warships as diplomats: how the South African Navy is tasked with building ties with other nations
The presence of a warship can be the most tangible and visible sign of bilateral and multilateral friendships.