The answer is D. Niccoló Machiavelli
Geographic means physicals features of the land in this case you look at only the negatives of this like big bodies of water mountains and steep terrain these made it difficult because some settlers didn't have horses or were traveling in large groups wich could contain elderly and young children
This is describing the "containment" policy. This concept was developed by the US government to stop the spread of communism. Ultimately, the US followed this policy by aiding countries that were close to the Soviet Union.
A perfect example of this would be the Truman Doctrine. This law helped to give $400 million of financial aid to Greece and Turkey. These two countries were close to the Soviet Union and were possible targets where communism could spread.
It granted the king absolute power.