Patrick O'Sullivan (author)

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Patrick O'Sullivan is an Irish-British scholar and author of major works in the field of Military geography.^[1] His notable works include, The Geography of Warfare and The Geography of War in the Post-Cold War World.

In his book Geopolitics (1986), Patrick O'Sullivan makes a geographically-based case against the proliferation of nuclear weapons during the Cold War, arguing that nuclear weapons pose a threat primarily because they reduce the significance of both physical distance and national borders, which would otherwise function as deterrents to the likelihood of direct military engagement.

Patrick O'Sullivan is also known to a lesser extent for his work on the social scientific study of railway transportation in Britain as well as an autoethnographic Cultural Geography essay discussing the relevance of expatriate identity.

In 1994 he began teaching at Florida State University. He currently holds the status of professor emeritus. His academic writing focuses on regional geography and contains aspects of behavioral geography. It takes a similarly explanatory and analytical approach to the Realist school of international relations, which focuses on the behavior and motivations of states, albeit from a more geopolitical angle and with a greater focus on the decisions of individual leaders. His work is not overtly hostile to environmental determinism or environmental possibilism.