Geopolitical traditions of Colombia in comparison to Argentina, Brazil and Chile

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı, eleştirel jeopolitiği kavramsal çerçevesiyle Kolombiya klasik jeopolitik geleneklerini analiz etmektir. Klasik jeopolitik yaklaşımlarını göz önünde bulundurarak, Latin Amerika'nın alternatif bir jeopolitik sıralaması yer almaktadır; Arjantin, Brezilya ve Şili jeopolitik geleneklerini incelenmektedir. Son olarak, jeopolitiğin yeni bir düşünce alanını açmak amacıyla Kolombiya jeopolitik geleneklerini gözden geçirilmektedir. Çalışmanın aşağıdaki gibi sorunun cevaplamasını hedeflemiştir: • Kolombiya'nın zayıf ve belirsiz bir jeopolitik tasavvurun sebepleri nedir? Bu sorunun cevabına bağlı, • "Latin Amerika'nın jeopolitik gelenekleri Kolombiya'da uyum sağlamamasının sebebi nedir? Kolombiya'nın aşırı merkezi bir jeopolitik tasavvuru savunarak sınırlar ve siyasi bütünlüğünü sürdürebilecek mi?" konusunu araştırılmaktadır

2012 is catalogued as one of the darkest years regarding the direction of Colombian Foreign Policy due to the verdict given by the International Court of Justice related to a maritime and territorial dispute against Nicaragua, a tiny Central American nation. With the confirmation of Colombian sovereignty over the totality of isles, islets and cays, Nicaragua failed on its pretentions, nevertheless annexing 75000 square kilometers to its maritime platform in prejudice of the counterpart. Inside academia and political institutions in Colombia, the judgment is seen as an extremely harmful loss against national sovereignty, as well as a direct threat against national interests such as exploration of petroleum sites and fishing resources for native population, among others. Also, the judgment as a whole is seen within public opinion as one of the constant mistakes in the planning and execution of goals, as well as the consequence of state ignorance on border regions from entities like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This study aims at analyze Colombian geopolitical traditions with the objective of demonstrating the excessively central character of public administration concreted in geopolitical isolationism and the lack of even a classical conception of geography around the country. Deductive analysis of geopolitical imagination is performed using theoretical tools and concepts suggested by Gearóid Ó Tuathail's critical geopolitics (1996), implementing mentioned assumptions in a regional scale taking three examples (Brazil, Argentina and Chile), and finally performing a conjunction between formal conceptions on spatialization by intellectuals of statecraft into practical, formal and popular spheres of action (Dalby & Ó Tuathail, 1998; Dodds, 2009)