GEOPOLITICAL SPACE: ESSENΠAND TYPOLOGY

Abstract

The article studies the concept of "space" through its use in geopolitics. The essence and the structure of geopolitical space are analyzed. The typology of geopolitical spaces is given. It is stated that in postindustrial period the actors and technology of struggle for the resources in geopolitical spaces are changing. The prevailing quality of interaction defines the quality of space: the interaction of physical objects defines the geographical space, and the interaction of people defines the social space together with its types. It is stated that if there is no kinetics, interaction, energy and temporal characteristics, there is no space. While analyzing the geopolitical space the author stresses that it is formed by the interactions of subject-object type, which in total form the geopolitical quality of space, their content being mastering the resources of human communities' survival and development. Geopolitical space has a systemic organization. Its organizer is a nation-state, which has a systemic organization too. The author singles out four types of geopolitical spaces: geographical, economical, information-ideological and information-cybernetic ones. In conditions of post-industrial smart-civilization, which is based on the "economy of knowledge", the information-ideological space becomes the main geopolitical space of the modern world. The economical space is of secondary importance. The geographical space, which was the first important in industrial epoch, now is the least important among the three most important spaces.