“中间地带”:和谐世界的枢纽

地缘政治学说发端于西方国家对地区和全球权力的争夺。在这种学说的发展过程中,著名的地缘政治学者麦金德提出了"心脏地带"理论,斯皮克曼提出了"边缘地带"理论,其间还有二次世界大战时期德国的"生存空间"理论。在西方大国眼中,上述地区都是各自在世界权力竞技场中获得主动地位所必须加以控制的地区,从而导致了大国之间激烈的和长期的地缘政治斗争,世界性的战争和不稳定多由此而生。在笔者看来,这些或在地理上处在大国之间,或在政治上处在大国的强烈关注之下的"被争夺"地区应被称为"中间地带"。"中间地带"是国际政治中的力量凹陷地区,其产生的原因、展示出来的特征以及呈现出的意义都对认识国际政治和国际关系的内在本质具有独特的重要性。

The Intermediate Zones:Key to the Harmony World

Geopolitics derive from the rivalry between major European powers for spheres of influence in regional and global context.In its evolution,some of the notable geopoliticians,such as Halford John Mackinder and Nicholas J.Spykman,came up with the Heartland Theory and Rimland theory respectively.The former theory directly inspired Hitler's Lebensraum.And Spykman,with his Rimland theory,was considered as the "god father of containment" of the United States after the Second World War.The Heartland,Rimland and Lebensraum,to some degree,overlaps with each other to which great importance is attached by the major western powers,they consider that these lands must be controlled were they to overtake other competitors in world arena.Thus the rivalry for these lands results in long and fierce geopolitical struggles which eventually lead to world wars and political chaos.The author argues that these lands,some located between major powers geographically,some politically trapped in the volatile relations of the major powers,and more enmeshed in both situations,should be called "Intermediate Zones" which constitutes the "power depressed areas" in international politics and relations.A probe into "Intermediate Zones" at present will have a profound significance in understanding the various straits that the international community is facing with.