Article: Para uma Teoria Geopolítica do conflito na Europa dos nossos tempos
Author: António Marques Bessa
Year: 1997
Review
The author, António Marques Bessa (1949–2022), was a Portuguese academic with a distinguished career in the fields of Geopolitics and Social Sciences. Upon his passing, Jaime Nogueira Pinto wrote in the newspaper Observador that “with the death of António Marques Bessa […] one of the most interesting thinkers in the country has disappeared.” This remark is well-deserved, considering Bessa’s body of work and academic journey. He began his academic career at the Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Política Ultramarina (ISCSPU), now the Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas (ISCSP) of the University of Lisbon, where he later became a full professor. Over more than 40 years, he taught at ISCSP and held various academic positions, such as Vice President of the Pedagogical Council and Director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies.
In the Portuguese political landscape, Marques Bessa positioned himself critically against progressive ideologies and attempts at cultural and political homogenization. His approach can be seen as a defense of political realism, emphasizing that states continue to act primarily based on their strategic interests, with conflict being an inevitable component of international politics.
His analysis of elites and the organization of political power reveals a tendency toward determinism and behaviorism, aligning with thinkers such as Alan Taylor, Carl Schmitt, and Konrad Lorenz. Furthermore, his view of Europe reflects a certain skepticism regarding European integration and democratic idealism, highlighting the persistence of historical rivalries and national interests over a common European identity.
Marques Bessa made a significant impact on geopolitical thought in Portugal, introducing a strategic and interdisciplinary perspective on international conflicts to academic debate. His legacy remains a fundamental reference for the study of Human Geography and Geopolitics.
This work falls within the domains of geopolitics and human geography, providing an in-depth analysis of conflict in Europe and its historical, territorial, and ethnic roots. The author adopts a realist and historical perspective, challenging the notion of a pacified Europe and highlighting how conflicts are a constant in the organization of states and international relations.
From the outset, Bessa critiques the synchronic view of Europe as a stable space, arguing that this interpretation ignores the historical evolution of territorial and geopolitical disputes. He asserts that Europe has always been a “land of old conflicts” and that its political structure reflects centuries of battles, border redefinitions, and attempts at hegemony. The author traces a detailed historical trajectory, covering events from Roman expansionism to the impact of the world wars and the collapse of the Soviet Union, establishing a continuous thread of territorial disputes.
The issue of borders emerges as one of the central themes of his analysis. For Bessa, borders are not static but dynamic realities shaped by competition between states. In this regard, he draws on Carl Schmitt’s thought and the concept of the nomos of the earth, demonstrating that territorial distribution is never definitive and that geopolitical disputes remain key factors in contemporary international politics. According to the author, war has always been a normal instrument of foreign policy, and the stability of borders is nothing more than a fleeting moment in the history of peoples.
Another central aspect of the book is the role of ethnicity in international conflicts. The author argues that ethnic tensions are a structural factor in geopolitics, often ignored by states attempting to impose models of national homogenization. He examines the collapse of multiethnic states such as Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, as well as persistent tensions in regions like the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Central Europe. Bessa suggests that ethnic identity, far from being a relic of the past, continues to play a fundamental role in shaping international conflicts.
From a methodological standpoint, the work combines history, politics, and geography to construct a comprehensive analysis of conflict in Europe. The author adopts an interdisciplinary perspective, using concepts from geopolitics, elite theory, and political history to support his argument. While acknowledging the existence of cooperation mechanisms, he prioritizes the dynamics of competition and antagonism between states.
Despite António Marques Bessa’s contributions to the analysis of European conflicts, the geopolitical approach itself presents structural limitations that warrant scrutiny. Classical geopolitics, influenced by thinkers such as Friedrich Ratzel (1987) and Halford Mackinder (1904), has been criticized for its geographical determinism, which tends to reduce political and social dynamics to an immutable territorial logic. Yves Lacoste (1976) argues that geopolitics often oversimplifies the relationship between space and power, overlooking the influence of economic, ideological, and institutional factors in shaping international relations. Edward Said (1978) and Benedict Anderson (1983) also highlight that the construction of borders and national identities is a political and cultural process rather than a direct reflection of geographical conditions. Additionally, scholars like Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye (1977) demonstrate that global interdependence and the role of international organizations challenge the traditional geopolitical view that territorial conflict is inevitable. By emphasizing competition and the struggle for space, geopolitics may neglect the new dynamics of global power, such as the influence of financial markets, technology, and soft power, which are essential for understanding the contemporary international system.
In terms of academic contribution, For a Geopolitical Theory of Conflict in the Europe of Our Times offers an intriguing perspective on European conflicts, addressing territorial and ethnic dynamics with a critical and well-informed approach. The author presents a detailed analysis of the continent’s major historical conflicts, supported by an extensive bibliography and references to classical geopolitical thought. The book may be particularly useful for students and researchers interested in understanding the relationships between space, power, and conflict, although Bessa’s approach favors competition among states over dynamics of cooperation and integration. While some of his interpretations may be debated in light of recent geopolitical transformations, the book provides a well-grounded reflection on the unstable nature of borders and the recurrence of conflicts in Europe.
In conclusion, António Marques Bessa offers a provocative and well-substantiated analysis of the geopolitics of conflict, emphasizing the continuity of territorial disputes and the relevance of ethnic identities in international politics. Despite some limitations, such as underestimating the role of international institutions and the new dynamics of globalization, the work remains a fundamental reference for the study of political geography and international relations.
Bibliography
Anderson, B. (1983) Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Verso
Keohane, R., & Nye, J. (1977) Power and interdependence: World politics in transition. Little, Brown.
Lacoste, Y. (1976) La géographie, ça sert, d’abord, à faire la guerre [A geografia serve, antes de mais nada, para fazer a guerra]. François Maspero
Mackinder, H. J. (1904) The geographical pivot of history. The Geographical Journal, 23(4), 421–437
Marques Bessa, A. (1997) “Para uma teoria geopolítica do conflito na Europa do nosso tempo”, Intervenção Universitária 9, Universidade Moderna
Nogueira Pinto, J. (2022) “Um homem livre: António Marques Bessa (1949-2022)”, Jornal Observador, https://www.observador.pt visitado a 9 de fevereiro de 2025
Ratzel, F. (1897) Politische Geographie oder die Geographie der Staaten, des Verkehrs und des Krieges [Geografia Politica ou a Geografia dos Estados, Transporte e Guerra]. Oldenbourg
Said, E. W. (1978) Orientalism. Pantheon Books
Notes: I’ve wrote the review to this booklet as an assignment for the ‘Human Geography’ course during the Ba in International Relations. It was published here a few days after it was due, translated from the original in Portuguese.