The Guardian has published, in its Long Reads section, an article Daniel Immerwahr wrote about the resurgence of geopolitical thinking. Two decades ago, it looked like globalization was making geography obsolete by linking all spaces to each other. Nowadays, that seems increasingly implausible, and as globalization falters geopolitical books have been advancing on bestseller lists (Geography is Destiny, The Power of Geography, The Revenge of Geography, Prisoners of Geography, etc.).

But is geopolitics a productive way of interpreting world affairs? And why are so many of the geopolitics guys linked to the world of private intelligence? Questions asked, questions answered, in Are We Really Prisoners of Geography?