Hérodote Magazine Marks 50 Years

In France, the historical geopolitics magazine Hérodote celebrates its fiftieth anniversary and founder Yves Lacoste. Lacoste, a geographer born in Morocco in 1929, established the review in 1976. He reintroduced geopolitics to France after it fell into disfavor due to its association with Nazi Germany.

In 1972, Lacoste exposed a U.S. strategy of bombing dikes in North Vietnam’s Red River Delta. He argued these attacks, designed to cause monsoon flooding, constituted a potential genocide. He famously stated in 1976 that “geography is first and foremost used to make war,” challenging the traditional view of the field as merely supporting history.

The magazine’s name references Herodotus, whom Lacoste considered the father of geography, not history, and a figure serving Athenian power. In the 1990s, Lacoste also reevaluated the concept of the nation, defending it against criticism regarding its instability and potential dangers. The magazine continues to explore power rivalries over territory, but further research remains to fully understand the long-term impact of Lacoste’s work.