Foundations of Geopolitics

What Hacker News says

1. MildlySeriousOct 2025
   I have always found the summary of Foundations of Geopolitics[1] to be an interesting re-read whenever some larger event involving Russia happened. It feels like the puzzle pieces have been coming together at least since Brexit, if not much longer.

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundations_of_Geopolitics#Con...

   thread
2. throwAGIwayJun 2024
   Putin and his boys disagreed on national TV with you. They want to nuke Europe. Read Putin's own texts on the subject, it's very clear. And read books like Foundations of Geopolitics that are officially approved and required reading for military officers.
   thread
3. sphAug 2022
   And the Russian counterpart of that book: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundations_of_Geopolitics
   thread
4. sharpneliMar 2022
   I recommend reading some material about https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundations_of_Geopolitics

   It's very influential book in Russia that has influenced their policy goals. It was written in 1997. A lot of it feels rather prescient considering the current world situation, which is likely not a surprise.

   What they considered for US was that they should "introduce geopolitical disorder into internal American activity, encouraging all kinds of separatism and ethnic, social and racial conflicts, actively supporting all dissident movements – extremist, racist, and sectarian groups, thus destabilizing internal political processes in the U.S. It would also make sense simultaneously to support isolationist tendencies in American politics"

   UK was to be cut off from European politics and Germany should be the new lead of central Europe. Well, UK did distance itself. And up to few weeks ago Germany was the one most against united front against Russia.

   There is plenty of other stuff there. Annexation of Ukraine is just one of them (alongside annexation of Belarus which they have de facto achieved). Annexation of Finland is one of the goals too. Hence I have no doubts that it would happen at some point.

   Show morethread
5. ricardobayesFeb 2022
   I would think so, Russian geopolitical textbooks have been saying for a long time that an "independent Ukraine doesn't make sense". Read here the excerpts what it says about UK, and US. Makes an interesting read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundations_of_Geopolitics
   thread
6. ashelmireJul 2018
   Lots of techbros posting here missing the point. If you can't make sense of these groups and these ad buys, you're not familiar with Foundations of Geopolitics, which is assigned as a textbook in Russian military academies and was very well received there. The point of all of it is to encourage separation and discord along racial, ethnic, and political lines, and generally disrupt the American political process and international clout. Read a bit on that with some brief summaries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundations_of_Geopolitics

   >In the United States: Russia should use its special services within the borders of the United States to fuel instability and separatism, for instance, provoke "Afro-American racists". Russia should "introduce geopolitical disorder into internal American activity, encouraging all kinds of separatism and ethnic, social and racial conflicts, actively supporting all dissident movements – extremist, racist, and sectarian groups, thus destabilizing internal political processes in the U.S. It would also make sense simultaneously to support isolationist tendencies in American politics".

   They've had resounding success with this strategy thus far.

   Show morethread