FIJET Newsletter

Worldview: Geopolitics and the Travel Journalist

Jul 09, 08

By Bob Fisher A recent interview I did with two representatives of the Fortress of Louisbourg, which is considered the crown jewel of the National Historic Sites of Canada, got me thinking about geopolitics - today and in the 17th century. Louisbourg Like world affairs, my mind tends to work in rather convoluted ways. When those two major colonial and European powers, France and Britain, went head-to-head for dominance in what was seen as a resource-rich "New World" (beaver pelts and cod, the latter le boeuf de la mer) but also for possible route to "The Orient", they were not in competition for the hearts and minds of the local residents (aboriginal people who had been there for many thousands of years) but instead were each attempting to stake claim to the latest part of the globe that had "come on the market," so to speak. They were once again carving up the world. Spain, by the way, was occupied elsewhere in the Americas, and didn't seem particularly interested in the vast lands north of the 49th parallel. Other European empire-builders (all empires are built on acquired land), were rushing hither and yon colonizing and investing in resource extraction, primarily for their domestic markets of course. The French arrived in Louisbourg, on Cape Breton Island in what today is the province of Nova Scotia, because they were trying to hang on to the last remaining fisheries-rich piece of "Atlantic Canada" remaining to them. They had already ceded Acadia (the site of the first permanent French settlement in the New World) and Newfoundland to the British under the Treaty of Utrecht which ended the War of Spanish Succession. So what they were attempting to do was to hang onto to their access to the highly profitable fisheries located in the Grand Banks off the shores of Newfoundland. And Cape Breton, then called Isle Royale and Isle Saint-Jean, was there only toehold. Mind you they still had all the rest of "La Nouvelle France" and would not be forced to give that up until 1759. But Atlantic Canada was geographically, economically, and therefore politically a very strategic location; and it was very close to the mouth of the mighty St. Lawrence River which of course was the entranceway to the heart of the new continent that was in the process of being explored and exploited. Geopolitics is one of those words that is not necessarily new (like sustainable development, climate change, global village) and is a concept that has been around for a long time. But certain terms, concepts, and global realities take on a renewed importance - as time goes by. The term "geopolitics" was actually coined towards the beginning of the 20th century by Rudolf Kjellén, a Swedish political scientist. Although a complex concept and word, in brief it refers to the study of how geography, history, and socio-political forces interrelate. The dynamic and strategic significance of geography in this global equation is the base factor. Where nations are located and what their geological and other resources may be (whether it be oil or cod, for example) can determine so much in terms of the tide of human history; including state power (or lack of it), foreign policy, and even the preservation or perpetuation of national culture. Geopolitics therefore is also the study of the clash of civilizations, or at the best of times the coalescence and harmonization of civilizations. The study of geopolitics requires an ability to blend abstract thinking with reality-based observation, a keen awareness of causal relationships (especially as they impact on political power and geographic space), and in the past especially, a careful analysis of who would "rule the waves" and who would be primarily a land-based power. It is therefore also a study of systems, both human and natural. Geopolitics is the study of reciprocal relations and consequently contemporary international relations, and therefore I am not surprised that the International Centre for Geopolitical Studies is in Geneva, Switzerland. But what does this have to do with travel journalism? Well, it seems to me that travel journalists are also "world correspondents" whose vocation it is to travel the globe (or rediscover something wonderful just around the corner), to observe, to understand, and to return with a story for those who might subsequently follow in our footsteps. But our stories are geographically-dependent; they are about places and the people who inhabit them. In that sense we are geographers. But I daresay that we are also cultural anthropologists, sociologists, historians, political scientists, psychologists, mediators, and probably play a whole bunch of other roles as well I have always believed that travel writers are nomadic, in a conceptual sense anyway, and for diverse reasons, we feel compelled to "go there" and return with a good story. But what is the nature of a travel story? Like all stories it is a narrative; and our chronicles and tales contain most of the same elements of any good story: setting, context, character and characterization, plot development, rising and falling action, conflict and crisis, and dénouement. And I must not forget the universal "lesson" because I believe travel is the most experiential form of learning. Furthermore, all these elements have a geographic base or context, and that is why we are first and foremost geographers. Perhaps, to coin another new phrase, we are geopolitical troubadours. What I respect and admire about FIJET is the commitment of its members to be international observers, a diplomatic role really, and to tell accurate stories that are both content-rich and context-rich, thus adding to a global body of knowledge that in the final analysis will create a balanced view of the human story. "By geopolitical, I mean an approach that pays attention to the requirements of equilibrium." - Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize Laureat To listen to two 17th-century commentators from Louisbourg, click on the links below. French English To visit the Fortress of Louisbourg, click here.

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