“Contemporary Geopolitics and Geoeconomics 2.0” is a guide for understanding the world we live in. It was written during the courses and the seminars on various topics about international relations. Its first version was written and published in Romanian, early in 2020 – “Geopolitică și geoeconomie contemporană” (Contemporary Geopolitics and Geoeconomics).
Then, 2020 happened. And the book had to be updated – this is how “Contemporary Geopolitics and Geoeconomics 2.0” came to life. It borrows the five chapters from the Romanian version, where updates have been minimal and brings forth a discussion about analyzing sudden and yet probable events such as the global pandemic. The last chapter focuses on the future, as it is shaped by the year of 2020, being written in December last year.
BRIEF REVIEWS, from the author’s colleagues and friends:
Contemporary Geopolitics and Geoeconomics 2.0 by Dr. Antonia Colibasanu is a must-read book for any student or practitioner of geopolitics. As informative as it is engaging, it is an essential guide to understanding the complex geopolitical landscape of our contemporary era. Rich in analytical insights – both theoretical and in terms of real world application – this book is a fountain of knowledge for all those that are directly or indirectly involved in the geopolitical arena. What’s more, it has relevance far a number of other fields, whether in the study of social, economic, or technological trends, making this book equally impressive in its breadth as it is in its depth. – Eugene Chausovsky, geopolitical analyst, Non-Resident Fellow, Center for Global Policy
If you know how to read a map, with its many layers of geography and human influence, you can understand the world. That simple concept has long been the offering of the field of ‘geopolitics’ to the broader discourse of international relations. For a long period of time following the end of the Cold War, unfortunately, simple realities were elbowed aside by a generation of intellectuals and policymakers who thought that the old obstacles had been overcome. As a consequence, too many proved to be unprepared for the return of a harsher, more competitive world in which the realities of the map have reimposed themselves.Yet geopolitics itself is not enough, at least not as it has been put into exercise, to understand this world. Its practitioners can be too descriptive, well attuned to the limitations on political will but unable to acknowledge how an era of rapid technological change has challenged and sometimes discarded the old constraints.This is where Antonia Colibasanu’s book comes in. ‘Contemporary Geopolitics and Geoeconomics’ is a sorely needed field guide. The chapters reintroduce the elements of traditional geopolitics, while making the conscious and studied effort to understand how they work in a changed world. For each precept introduced, the author draws upon a history of case studies to show geopolitics in action. Colibasanu herself is no mere theoretician, but a practitioner who has worked on the frontlines of international policy and academics in Eastern Europe. Theory meets action throughout the pages of this book.With the publishing of ‘Contemporary Geopolitics and Geoeconomics,’ Antonia Colibasanu states a case to be considered as one of the best young voices in the field of international relations – a field that is indeed in strong need of new, creative thought leaders who understand and can trace the measure of the forces changing our globe.” – Joel Weickgenant, Managing Editor Real Clear World
CONTEMPORARY GEOPOLITICS AND GEOECONOMICS 2.0. A METHOD FOR ANALYZING GLOBAL TRENDS A (NEW) WORLD IN CRISIS? reflects the effort of a genuine analyst who has reached the maturity of the master in capturing and analytical interpretation of the multiples of key variables, decisive for the evolution of global relations.
Antonia Colibășanu invites the reader to become aware of the circumstance that the new geoeconomic paradigm entails, and influences, the geostrategic and geopolitical paradigms. In this sense, the book does not only include the mapping of geopolitical drivers, but also suggests both subtly and directly, a series of consequences or useful remedies for the construction of Euro-Atlantic policies.
The book itself is a successful combination of a model of operating in geopolitical analysis and intellectual itineraries that combine the art of international relations with influences that determine power patterns, subtle and dominant behaviors, inter-dependencies and points of tension or convergence, analytical nuances that demonstrates a comprehensive and cross-cutting approach.
The book is a useful benchmark for experts, novice and senior analysts and can be used as a valuable dissemination product for foreign policy makers. – Silviu Nate, Associate Professor, PhD – Director of Global Studies Center, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu
