Geopsychology Theory of International Relations in the 21st Century

This book introduces an innovative theoretical construct of geopsychology to navigate the complex dynamics of international politics in the 21st century. It explains how geopsychology is different from mainstream international relations theories in terms of primary actors, human behavior, spatial application, instruments, and key issues. It argues that peace and stability in the troubled parts of the world warrants an imperative need for understanding psychological dispositions of non-state actors and authoritarian regimes. In The Primacy of Geopsychology, B.M.Jain unfolds that neither a global hegemon nor a cohort of powers could weaken their resolve and break their morale, as proven in the cases of Iraq, Afghanistan, and North Korea. Importantly, the regional case studies —India and Pakistan in South Asia; North Korea and China in Northeast Asia; and the U.S. involvement in the Middle East — reveal how the psyche and thought processes of national and regional actors have been the driving force in triggering interstate conflicts and civil wars. The book brilliantly illuminates how America became a conscious victim of the ignorance trap in Asia’s volatile regions. This must book offers easy solutions to complex conflicts to induce a peaceful change in world politics.

B.M. Jain’s book sounds most promising— an important scholarly contribution. Surely, these days we need to be receptive to new paradigms. There is no doubt that the attention to geopsychological theory,as a complement of andcorrective to mainstream IR paradigms, will greatly improve our understanding of the current conflict scene…military intervention is no longer a cost-effective agent of history, given the rise of nationalist resolve and self-confidence after 1945. , In a complex world, we need to be wary of one-dimensional explanations, of the idea that everything reduces to economics or to self-interest or to power. In this book B.M. Jain gives us a policy compass for understanding the complex world of international relations. More than an informed observer, he is an astute commentator. We ignore his warnings at our peril. , This book advances our understanding of the theory geopsychology in significant ways and takes the debate on IR theory forward in an interesting dimension. Both the theoretical discussion and the empirical case studies are equally important. This book should be read not only by scholars but also by the practitioners of foreign policy in the 21st century, The most original and innovative contribution of Prof. B. M. Jain’s book is his groundbreaking effort to develop and sharpen the theory of geopsychology as an alternative framework of analysis in the study of international relations. His conceptual insights not only help us navigate the stormy ocean of mounting challenges and threats that the world is now facing, but also throw light on the evolving patterns of congruence and disjuncture, and ambiguity and contradiction, in contemporary global power encounters., In this important new book, Professor Jain introduces the concept of “geopsychology” to understand contemporary international politics. With brilliant insights, clear analysis and lucid prose, this study breaks new intellectual ground and helps us understand the complex international system. A tour de force ..highly recommended.

B. M. Jain is editor-in-chief for Indian Journal of Asian Affairs.