The Eurasian Century, by Hal Brands

In this special series at Engelsberg Ideas, leading historian and geopolitical commentator Hal Brands guides us through the major conflicts of the past century and the lessons they offer us now.

After the Columbian epoque, the centre of geopolitics became Eurasia.

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The Eurasian Century, Part I: What Mackinder Knew

Sir Halford Mackinder believed that major showdowns in international affairs of the 20th century would revolve over control of the Eurasian continent and its maritime approaches. H..

Hal BrandsDecember 6, 2021

German historical postcard. Translation: "Our battle-fleet on the high seas, in battle". Credit: Max Right / Alamy Stock Photo

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The Eurasian Century, Part II: The Great Black Tornado

Germany’s drive for dominance unleashed the great black tornado of the First World War. Only a global coalition, including the US, could hold Eurasia in balance...

Hal BrandsDecember 6, 2021

Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt meet at the Yalta conference in 1945. Credit: Wikipedia Commons

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The Eurasian Century, Part III: The Totalitarian Challenge

The Second World War showed that the difficulties of blunting Eurasian challenges early could be severe—but that the price of rolling them back later could be far worse..

Hal BrandsDecember 6, 2021

The fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989. Credit: Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo / Alamy Stock Photo

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The Eurasian Century, Part IV: Cold War

An authoritarian, expansionist Soviet Union represented the heartland threat Mackinder had long foreseen. But ironically, his insights birthed a strategy for containing that threat..

Hal BrandsDecember 6, 2021

A 2013 poster of Xi Jinping which includes an aerial view of the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and China's first aircraft carrier the Liaoning. Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

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The Eurasian Century, Part V: Beijing’s Gambit

In many ways, Xi Jinping’s China is a state like no other. But its ambitions for global supremacy are but a new twist on a familiar problem – and are eliciting a familiar response ..

Hal BrandsDecember 6, 2021