Sir Halford John Mackinder fut un géographe anglais qui contribua de manière significative à établir la géographie comme une discipline distincte au Royaume-Uni. Son dévouement et son influence ont façonné l'enseignement de la géographie plus que ceux de tout autre géographe britannique. Sa carrière académique et son parcours politique reflètent un intérêt profond pour la compréhension du monde et de son organisation. Le travail de Mackinder a jeté les bases de la recherche et de l'éducation géographique modernes.
In this paper, Mackinder advanced his so-called Heartland Theory, whereby the interior Asia and eastern Europe ("the Heartland") had become the strategic center of the world as a result of the relative decline of sea power against land power and of the economic and industrial development of southern Siberia.
"Halford Mackinder's trailblazing ideas have influenced international politics to this day. His concept that world domination depends on the control of the global "pivot area" or "heartland"--the centre of the large land mass of Europe and Asia--has informed the political tactics and wars in the Middle East and Eastern Europe through the decades. His theories have influenced politicians and political scientists for generations, most notably Zbigniew Brzezinski, adviser to a long line of U.S. presidents. In our times, the importance of Mackinder's heartland theory for the United States' fight to enforce global hegemony, Russia's struggle to stay independent and relevant on a world stage, and China's plans to establish a trade route between East and West, make Heartland essential reading for understanding our world."-- from Amazon.com
Britain and the British Seas, which included the first comprehensive geomorphology of the British Isles, is one of Halford Mackinder's major works and a classic in regional geography.
Mackinder's message, his warning - addressed to the peacemakers at Versailles - was memorably summarized thus: 'Who Rules East Europe commands the Heartland: Who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island: Who rules the World-Island commands the World.' This book presents the study of imperial ambitions and geographical realities.