Thinking Allowed - 24/06/2009

'Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland. Who rules the Heartland commands the World-island. Who rules the World Island commands the World'. So decreed Halford Mackinder, one of the pioneers of geography and of the nascent science of geopolitics. He had a huge influence on the strategy of the British Empire and a great impact on the foreign policy of Hitler. Gerry Kearns, author of Geopolitics and Empire: The Legacy of Halford Mackinder tells Laurie Taylor that, with dwindling resources of gas and oil and the quest for sphere of influence, Mackinder is very much back in vogue. Also, Laurie speaks to Roma academics Delia Grigore and Ian Hancock about ambivalent feelings towards traditional gypsy or Romani culture and the threats and advantages of assimilation.