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The World-Island and the Heartland-

"The Geographical Pivot of History"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Geographical_Pivot_of_History#The_World-Island_and_the_Heartland

Strategic importance of Eastern Europe

Later, in 1919, Mackinder summarised his theory as:

"Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland;
who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island;
who rules the World-Island controls the world."
(Mackinder, Democratic Ideals and Reality, p. 194)

United States' foreign affairs and the Heartland

Arguably, the United States has also been using the Heartland Theory in their guidelines in foreign affairs. The US has military bases all over the world and has kept good allies with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait which keep a United States influence in the Middle East, close to the Pivot Area. Having military presences in Afghanistan, the Iraq War and the NATO expansion in Europe gave the United States even more power in an area that is pivotal to having control of the Heartland.[4]