Geopolitics: The Missing Lens in a Fragmented World

A decade ago, talking about "new world order" seemed like a topic reserved for diplomats, politicians, and academics. Today, this expression appears in headlines, debates, on social media, and even in everyday conversations. This is no coincidence: we are witnessing a global systemic shift that, for a long time, we took for granted. Who holds power, how it is exercised, and under what rules are questions being reconsidered.

Understanding this new landscape requires more than just reading the news; it requires geopolitical literacy — the ability not only to know the facts, but to understand the forces behind them, to interpret them critically, and to connect them to the broader historical and strategic context.

For decades, the international order seemed clearly defined: the United States as the hegemonic power, leading multilateral institutions and promoting a liberal ideology in both economic and social terms. However, that structure is crumbling. Its certainties are fading, and new actors are claiming positions of power.

We no longer live in a unipolar world. The resurgence of powers like China, Russia, India, and Türkiye has intensified the competition for global influence. These nations seek to expand their geopolitical and geo-economic presence, contesting areas traditionally dominated by the West. This new multipolarity is not characterized by balance, but by a constant struggle for resources, power, and ideology.

These changes affect every sphere: politics, economics, technology, armed conflicts, and even value systems. What happens on the international stage has direct effects on our institutions, our societies, and our lives. This is why geopolitical literacy is urgent — because it equips citizens to read beyond headlines, to identify the origins of tensions, and to recognize the interconnected nature of events.

''What is needed, is an awakening'' sticker on the wall. Photo by Marija Zaric on Unsplash

Geopolitical literacy means more than knowing international headlines; it is the ability to connect geography, history, and political dynamics to understand why events happen and how they might evolve. It requires critical thinking to identify patterns, assess multiple perspectives, recognize bias, and interpret data and narratives objectively. It also demands a systems approach that links politics, economics, technology, and culture, while applying this knowledge to civic life—enabling citizens to navigate complexity, resist misinformation, and make informed decisions.

As Carmen Martín (2023) points out, "geopolitics is useful for predicting how states will behave politically, taking into account their particularities and geographic variations." But knowing what geopolitics is differs from being geopolitically literate.

The latter involves being able to apply that knowledge: to connect geography, power, resources, and ideology into coherent explanations; to detect when narratives omit key interests; and to foresee potential shifts.

Geopolitics is not just a map of strategic interests between states. It is, above all, a framework for deep understanding of the world around us. Through geopolitical literacy, we can understand the structural causes behind conflicts, alliances, migrations, energy crises, technological rivalries, ideological discourses, and even phenomena such as authoritarianism or the weakening of democracies. Everything is interconnected and citizens who cannot see those connections become vulnerable to manipulation and misinformation.

We live in an age marked by an overabundance of information. Social media, news, X threads (formerly Twitter), podcasts, reels, and TikTok offer us constant glimpses of what's happening in the world, but very little content explains why it's happening. Urgency displaces importance. Emotions overwhelm analysis. And so, without realizing it, we run the risk of becoming an uninformed society; superficially informed but deeply disconnected from the historical, structural, and strategic processes that shape our present.

Therefore, cultivating geopolitical literacy is no longer an intellectual luxury or an academic rarity: it's a civic necessity. Those who don't understand the dynamics of global power are more exposed to manipulation, fear, and empty rhetoric. Analytic tools, such as geopolitics, allow us to exercise critical thinking to make informed decisions.

Informing ourselves responsibly, understanding national and international processes, and embracing our role as political actors (even if we aren't politicians) is a form of resistance.

A way to strive for peace, understanding, and a more just future. Understanding geopolitics offers us a compass, not to predict the next step, but to avoid repeating it.

Bibliography

1. Esposito, M. (2023). The Geopolitics of AI and Data Centers in Times of Technological Rivalry. World Economic Forum. https://es.weforum.org/stories/2025/07/la-geopolitica-de-la-ia-y-los-centros-de-datos-en-la-era-de-la-rivalidad-tecnologica/

2. Gülersoy, Ali & Ekici, Nilüfer. (2025). Geopolitical literacy. lnternational Journal of Geography and Geography Education. 263-277. 10.32003/igge.1557807

3. Geopolitical Illiteracy and Public Diplomacy. (2020, 2 marzo). USC Center On Public Diplomacy. https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/blog/geopolitical-illiteracy-and-public-diplomacy

4. Herrera, D. (2018). GEOPOLITICS. FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS AND PHENOMENA OF OUR TIME. https://conceptos.sociales.unam.mx/conceptos_final/645trabajo.pdf.

5. Martin, C. (2023). What is Geopolitics? The World Order. https://elordenmundial.com/que-es-geopolitica/

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