#BACKTRACK SYNONYM TV#

The suspicion of geopolitics that Scholz was expressing has, of course, to do with an awareness of the particular German tradition of geopolitical thinking associated with political geographers Friedrich Ratzel and Karl Haushofer, which is in turn seen as being connected to Nazism. The concept of geopolitics emerged in the era of high imperialism at the end of the 19th century and originally focused on the role of physical geography in international politics-in particular in the competition between land powers and sea powers. The Problematic History of Geopolitical Europe It is easy to dismiss this as German Machtvergessensheit (“obliviousness to power”). He said that what scared him was how Russian President Vladimir Putin thought in such geopolitical terms ( “What frightened me is this incredible emphasis on geopolitics in the Russian president's thinking”) because to think in such terms was to reject the European “peace order.” In other words, while other figures like European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell were urging the EU to become more “geopolitical,” Scholz still saw “geopolitics” as something to be rejected rather than aspired to-even after the Russian invasion.

#BACKTRACK SYNONYM TV#

In short, it’s an intellectual mess.Ī good illustration of this is German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s interview with TV current affairs host Anne Will a month after the war in Ukraine began. It also means that when participants use the term to make arguments that may be controversial and are then criticised for them, they can backtrack and say that they meant something different. This leads to a rather confused and often somewhat circular debate in which participants conflate different meanings of geopolitics or different participants mean geopolitics in different senses. It often seems as if those who use the term have not even thought about its history or its different meanings and their implications. Those who call for a more “geopolitical” Europe rarely spell out which of these five meanings-or perhaps even some other meaning of geopolitics-they have in mind. It is used in at least five different ways: Firstly, as a straightforward synonym for international politics secondly, in the strict, original sense focusing on the role of geography in international politics thirdly, to refer to the strategic use of military tools (as opposed to “geo-economics”) fourthly, as a synonym for “power politics” (as opposed to rules in international politics) and fifthly, to capture a shift away from economic liberalism or the pursuit of economic objectives. Send us feedback about these examples.There is a consensus-which has further strengthened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February-that, as the European Union finds itself increasingly threatened, it must become more “geopolitical.” But there is little clarity about what “geopolitics” means. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'backtrack.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. 2023 Although tentatively agreeing on the EU plan reached last month, Serbia's populist President Vucic seemed to backtrack on some of its points after pressure from far-right groups which consider Kosovo the cradle of the Serbian state and Orthodox religion. 2023 Although tentatively agreeing on the EU plan reached last month, Serbia's populist President Vucic seemed to backtrack on some of its points after pressure from far-right groups, which consider Kosovo the cradle of the Serbian state and Orthodox religion. 2022 The government ultimately backtracked the decision Keeping track of time proved to be a nearly impossible task for people in Lebanon over the weekend. enrollments at several high schools that serve primarily lower-income neighborhoods on the city’s South and West sides. 2022 In Chicago, concerns raised by activists, news coverage and an inspector general’s report led the school district to backtrack this year on automatic J.R.O.T.C. 2023 On this point, Santos has begun to backtrack after reports from Jewish Insider and the Forward showed his family has no Jewish heritage whatsoever. 2023 The dollar rallied sharply in 2022 but began to backtrack late in the year as investors bet that U.S. 2023 Weeks of protests against the reform have not convinced the government to backtrack on the effort. Recent Examples on the Web As Germany closes nuclear stations, other governments in Europe have announced plans to build new ones or have backtracked on commitments to shut down existing plants.

Backtrack synonym