Chapters VI-VIII, The Rimland Thesis, The Allure of Sea Power, The Crisis of Room Summary and Analysis

Strausz-Hupe along with a number of mid-century European immigrants to the U.S. (including Henry Kissinger) brought a strong form of foreign policy realism to bear on a country they found naïve. Nicholas Spykman was one of these men, and was a total geographical determinist. However, unlike the Nazis, he did not believe in domination, merely in self-preservation and a balance of power. Spykman and others also emphasized the importance of temperate weather in creating the economic preconditions for military power.

The U.S. is uniquely situated for power, because it can dominate an entire hemisphere and has the most geographically advantageous position of any country on earth, given its multiple harbors, decent climate...