On Geopolitics and Geophilosophy

Richard Sakwa’s The Culture of the Second Cold War is a compelling analysis of the emergence of what he calls the Political West. This new actor on the geopolitical stage, argues Sakwa, can only be fully understood if the culture that sustains it is foregrounded. This culture is structured around a unilateral view of the international order, rather than a dialogical approach to global understanding. Sakwa argues a return to the international charter system of friendly rivalry that emerged after World War II would encourage a more dialogically oriented global order. It is argued that the idea of geophilosophy found in the work of Deleuze and Guattari both sustains Sakwa’s approach to the culture of the second Cold War and challenges his appeal to the international charter system. It is concluded that we need a form of geopolitics based on hospitality to the stranger rather than on friendly rivalry, as the latter is too tied to an idea of what I call the Philosophical West.