Transcript GEOPOLITICS

Political Geography
 Knowing where countries are is
considered “old school” but without
such knowledge, you lack a basic
frame of reference: Knowing where
things are. It is like translating an
article in a foreign language by
looking up each word in a dictionary.
Rubenstein, The Cultural Landscape, 7th Edition.
STATE:
 An area organized into a political unit
and ruled by an established
government that has control over its
internal and foreign affairs. It
occupies a defined territory on the
earth’s surface and contains an
permanent population.
Sovereignty:
 A state’s independence from control
of its internal affairs by other states.
1933 Montevideo Convention:
 The state as a person of international
law should possess the following
qualifications: (a) a permanent
population; (b) a defined territory;
(c) government; and (d) capacity to
enter into relations with the other
states.
Declarative Theory of Statehood:
 "The political existence of the state is
independent of recognition by the
other states."
KOREA: One State or Two?
Korea:
 Former colony of Japan
 Divided into two zones post World
War II (US and USSR)
 Superpowers est a gov’t and
withdrew
 1950 N. Korea invaded S. Korea
 1953 cease-fire near 38th parallel
 1992 both countries admitted to UN
as separate nations.
China and Taiwan:
 China (People’s Republic of China): Taiwan is a part
of China and not a sovereign state
 Taiwan (Republic of China): Taiwan is a sovereign
nation and NOT part of China
 Communists won China
 Nationalists fled to Taiwan in 1949 and set up a gov’t
 1971 US transferred support to ROC and UN
transferred the seat from Nationalists to Communists
 1999 Taiwan regarded itself as a sovereign nation
GEOPOLITICS
 The power of
the state to
control space
or territory
and shape
foreign policy
of individual
states and
international
relations.
The seven laws of state growth
are:
 1. The space of the state grows with the
expansion of the population having the same
culture.
 2. Territorial growth follows other aspects of
development.
 3. A state grows by absorbing smaller units.
 4. The frontier is the peripheral organ of the
state that reflects the strength and growth of
the state; hence it is not permanent.
The seven laws of state growth
are:
 5. States in the course of their growth seek to
absorb politically valuable territory.
 6. The impetus for growth comes to a primitive
state from a more highly developed civilization.
 7. The trend toward territorial growth is
contagious and increases in the process of
transmission.
The shape of a State can
affect a State by
fostering or hindering
effective organization.
Compact: The most efficient
form.
.
A State whose
territory is nearly
circular. Because all
places could be
reached from the
center in a minimal
amount of time
making it the most
efficient for roads,
railway lines, other
infrastructure.
PRORUPT:
 - A State that is
nearly compact
but possess one
or two narrow
extensions of
territory, which
isolates a portion
of the state.
 The proruption can
be a physical
(penninsula)
elongation of land or
may have economic
or strategic
significance – access
to resources, sea,
establishment of a
buffer zone, etc…
ELONGATED:
 – A state whose
territory is long
and narrow. The
least efficient
shape
administratively.
It may sacrifice
national cohesion
to promote eco
strength.
Fragmented:
 Entirely made up
of islands or terr.
Is separated by
another state.
 - contains
isolated parts,
separate and
discontinuous.
Perforated:
A State that
completely
surrounds a territory
that it does not rule.
 That area is called an
‘enclave’ and it may
be independent or
part of another state.
 (Enclaves are terr.
‘outliers’ located
inside another
State.)
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Explain
Explain
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Explain
Explain
a
a
a
a
a
Compact State. Ex?
Fragmented State. Ex?
Prorupted State. Ex?
Elongated State. Ex?
Perforated State. Ex?
Organic state
Friedrich Ratzel
The state is an
organism
conforming to
natural laws and
forced to grow &
expand into new
territories in order
to secure resources
needed for
survival.
Heartland Theory
Halford Mackinder
World power is
based on the
assumption
that the land
based state
controlling
the
EURASIAN
heartland
has the key to
world
domination.
Rimland Theory
Balance of
The state
power issue-controlling the
divide the
area AROUND
the area
Rimland to
surrounding the
keep one
Eurasian
heartland has
state from
the key to world
dominating…
domination.
Spykman
Sea Power Theory
 Alfred Mahan
 Who ever controls
the seas, controls
the world
 Used the British as
an example > they
controlled world
commerce
 US
 Interested in
maritime (sea)
boundaries
Domino Theory
applied
during the
Cold War.
 Was applied
to E.
Europe,
Vietnam,
Cuba….
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1st
 Destabilization
from any cause in
1 country can
result in the
collapse of order
in a neighboring
country leading to
a chain of events
that affect
adjoining states in
turn.
SUPRANATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
 is a method of decision-making in
multi-national political communities,
wherein power is transferred or
delegated to an authority by
governments of member states.
Some international Unions:
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African Union (AU)
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Central American Integration System (SICA)
Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG)
Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC)
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
Union of South American Nations (UNASUR)
Union State
Arab League into an "Arab Union"
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into the
"North American Union"
Pacific Islands Forum into the "Pacific Union"
Political and Military Cooperation:
 United Nations: created at the end of WW
II
 Began with 49 states; today has 192 today
(excluding: Taiwan, Vatican, Kosovo) of the
196 states in the world.
 Allows virtually all states in the world to
meet and vote on issues without resorting
to war.
 Permanent members-Security Council:
China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom,
and the United States.
NATO:
 North Atlantic Treaty Organization:
 After WW II became a military alliance of
democratic states.
 Answer to the Warsaw Pact-military
agreement among Communist Eastern
European countries
European Union
Main task is to promote development
within the member states through
economic cooperation.