Eurasia

I have made a few maps over the years using a Two-Point Equidistant Projection where the two points of projection are Beijing and Moscow. The argument being that the triangle between the United States and these two powers is one of the fundamental geographic relationships in geopolitics today. There is no deep argument here, only that understanding this configuration is valuable for thinking about great power relations. Although this is very much a land-centric map in the tradition of Mackinder's heartland concept, putting Eurasia in the center also highlights the role played by the marginal seas that surround Eurasia in Nicholas Spykman's Rimland. Framing the map to include North America also puts the Arctic in the center of the frame, but in a way that is different than a traditional polar projection or some of the innovative "two-pole" maps.

The other thing I am doing with this draft map is to work on some new stylistic choices, trying out a darker theme with different color palettes and typefaces. There is a lot I like here and some things that are not quite right yet.

So in both form and substance this map is a draft. I could add other layers of points, lines, and circles. I could make different choices with the symbology to highlight different aspects.