Geographic vs Strategic Borders
Per Former President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev
Geopolitical theorists agree, any state as a sovereign subject of international relations has two types of borders — geographical and strategic.
Geographical borders are stable and officially recognized in accordance with international law. Limes fix the geographical limits. This is one of the main elements of its political and territorial framework.
Strategic borders are not limited to the physical size of countries, their airspace and territorial waters. They are not directly related to State sovereignty. The strategic boundaries of a state are determined by the reach of its political power. The more powerful a state is, the further its strategic frontiers extend beyond its’ state borders.
The so-called national interests of a state consists of the strategic space a country influences economically, politically and socio-culturally..
The strategic borders of states, or spheres of influence, do not create a reason for physical extension of state boundaries.
Strategic borders of the Russian Federation as seen by the Russian Federation:
The first level of ‘strategic borders’ is limited to the natural landscape, the Carpathians, the Iranian Highlands, the Caucasus Mountains, the Pamirs.
..“The key point is that we have no territorial disputes with the countries included in this belt. In the years that have passed since the collapse of the USSR, we have maintained profitable trade cooperation and comfortable interpersonal communication with these countries.
...If we talk about our second-level strategic borders, they cover the space that is commonly called Greater Eurasia. Russia has put forward an initiative to create a Large Eurasian Partnership. Its’s intention is to unite the potentials of all states and regional organizations of Eurasia as widely as possible.
...The third and the highest level of our strategic borders: As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, our country is a great world power. It will continue to show healthy, appropriate care for those who need help. This is evident in the traditionally strong relations with African countries and Latin America.
Source: The Russian magazine Expert reproduced an edited version (in Russian) of Medvedev's speech (machine translation): Dmitry Medvedev: "Russia, like any great power, has strategic borders far beyond geographical ones"
Food for thought.
Photo: Asia Regional Map