The Confrontation Between Sea Power And Land Power

The confrontation between sea power and land power is one of the most influential world view of geopolitics. It believes that the sea power and land power is a pair of natural enemies. The confrontation is a geopolitical law of history, also is the longest topic that pierces through the world history. It bases on the sea power theory of Mahan and the land power theory of Mackinder. Other geopolitical thinkers also discussed or enriched the school from different aspects. The author of this article tries to explain the fight and resist among superpowers in the Eurasia for centuries by this world view, furthermore, to prove that land power-sea power struggles happens not only in the past, but also in present day. It sources in the geography factor rather than the humanities factor, therefore, no political changes can change this fact.In 19 century, in geopolitical terms, international relations may be characterized as a struggle between Britain (control the Eurasian-African Rimlands) and Russia (hold the heartland), they clash on the strait of black sea, central Asia and northeast of china. As in 20 century, the United States replaced the traditional position of British sea power, Soviet Union also became the biggest land power in the world because of its victory in world war â…¡ .In the period of Cold War, one of them expanded from the Heartland to the Rimland, the other contained and surrounded the Heartland from the the Rimland, they launched a geopolitical competition on 3 lines of the Rimland.Along with the upheaval of Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Cold War ended with the failure of the Heartland, but the geopolitical law went on. The strategy of two oceans of the United state represented their new way to catch global hegemony, replying to the new geopolitical reality after Cold War. It relies on two treaties(NATO and U.S.-Japan military alliance), aims at occupying two oceans (Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean),controlling two continents(Europe And Asia),holding two powers(sea power and land power) and surrounding the Heartland for the final purpose.China is a land-sea power, it lines in the Rimland between Eurasia and Pacific Ocean, adjoin with United States and Russia. Therefore, the geopolitical strategy of China in the future should be: Strengthen both sea power and land power, deal with multilateral relations among great powers modestly and resolve the problem of Taiwan properly.