¹Geopolitics is the analysis of the geographic influences on power relationships in international relations. The word "geopolitics" was originally coined by the Swedish political scientist Rudolf Kjellén about the turn of the 20th century. Its use spread throughout Europe in the period between World Wars I and II (1918–39) and came into worldwide use during the latter. In contemporary discourse, geopolitics has been widely employed as a loose synonym for international politics—Encyclopedia Britannica online edition. It is the latter definition that is being used throughout the book.