Political Geography

The Idea of the State

State - Independent political unit that claims exclusive jurisdiction over a defined territory and over all the people and activities within the territory • Governments are not always able to exercise jurisdiction completely, but states encourage or force people to conform to the political map No territory can be totally sealed off • Border wars among countries and civil wars within countries are common • Also try to build national economies • Originated in Medieval Europe  Roman Catholic church dioceses – as people converted to Christianity, it also converted them to the idea of territorial political organization  Territorial political boundary  Shift from Regnum - governance of a people to dominium governance of a defined territory

The Idea of the Nation

Nation – A group of people who want to have their own government and rule themselves. (Cultural entity) • Feeling of nationality may be based on religion or language, but does not have to be, people may not share any attributes other than living within demarcated borders (cultural concept in its own right) • Nationalism is one form of political unity – willingness to join together and form government to solve problems • Evolution of Nationalism – Absolutism → Protestant Reformation → renounced theory of divine right → English Bill of Rights (1689) → Declaration of Independence (1776)

The Nation-State

Rousseau laid the foundation for allegiance to the state with the idea of a

social contract 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man

Nation State – a state ruling over a territory containing all the people of a nation Theory assumes that nations develop first and that each nation then achieves a territorial state of its own Core areas – historic homelands (Paris, France – Highlands of Ethiopia Political culture – unwritten ways in which written rules are interpreted and actually enforced (Reconstruction) • Economic theory – the more citizens trust one another the better off the society • Political leaders in regions lacking civic community may lack building blocks for stable democracy

George Bernard Shaw’s “

John Bull’s Other Island

”

“ A healthy nation is as unconscious of its nationality as a healthy man is of his bones. But if you break a nation’s nationality it will think of nothing else but getting it set again. It will listen to no reformer, to no philosopher, to no preacher, until the demand of the Nationalist is granted. It will attend to no business, however vital, except the business of liberation and unification”

European Nation-States

Napoleonic Wars spread the idea of nationalism New nations in Europe emerge from empires and feudal states National self determination Ideal of the nation-state President Woodrow Wilson Territories redrawn after World War I & II Irredenta • Territorial claims on a neighbor

Formation of States Outside Europe

Superimposed boundaries European imperialists drew borders that ignored indigenous political organizations Split indigenous political communities/combines two or more in one colony (i.e. Iraq) Indirect rule European use of indigenous rulers as intermediaries Hindered indigenous unity When independent indigenous bureaucracies had an interest in maintaining power Threshold principle As late as 1920’s most diplomats insisted that a nation had to have some minimal population and territory to merit self-determination Idea abandoned after WWII (now many small independent states, 11-1)

Cultural Sub-nationalism – entire pop. of a state does not have shared nationalism

Allegiance to one’s group not the state Cause of conflict and civil wars Many states consist of several nationalities Centrifugal forces Pull states apart Centripetal forces Bring states together Multinational states Usually held together by military force and suffer divisive politics i.e. Nigeria and Biafra, Kurds in Iraq

Creating Nation States

Changing boundaries (Re-drawing political boundaries) Matching states to nations Mass expulsion Removal of people not accepted as members of the state 1989 Bulgaria – expelled 100,000 ethnic Turks Genocide – systematic eradication of people of a particular ethnic group Ethnic cleansing Cultural cleansing Bosnia-Hercegovina – Serbian slaughter and exile of Muslims

Fostering Nationalism

Coercing allegiance Removing influence of cultural subnationalism Example: Kenyan assimilation Masai & their political leaders Instruments of nation building National religion Armed forces Educational system Manipulating symbols • Iconography Media Political parties Labor unions

Democracies & False Democracies

Claim to be democratic Government owned media Oligarchy • Rule by a privileged elite Kleptocracy • Government by theft – national wealth is controlled by a privileged few and even taken out of the country • Foreign aid may not reach the people that need it  General Abacha from Nigeria had $670 million in a Swiss account People not ready for self rule - Eritrean president said with nine languages and two religions, true democracy would cause chaos Low voter turn out Tocqueville – NGOs represent the strength of American democracy Preconditions for Democracy?

President of Singapore cites near-universal education and a large middle class to stabilize voting patterns

The Shapes of States

Circular Ideal shape Efficient Border control Transportation – center is easily reached Compact – states w/ shape closest to the circular model Prorupted – nearly compact have at least on narrow extension (i.e. Thailand) Corridors Elongated – long/thin Archipelago - islands Exclave – separated from larger state Perforated – interrupted by other states (Italy/Vatican city)

International Borders

Types Topographic Parallels and meridians Defense lines Unmarked Unguarded Disputes Economic activity Informational flow

U.S. Border and Internal Security

Department of Homeland Security Result of 9/11 Cabinet level Controls 46 agencies Patriot Act Strengthen internal security Suspends civil liberties Potential for national ID card

Subdivision & Representation

Defining the balance of power between local and national government Unitary Power lies at the center Federal Power lies with the subunits

Federalism in Canada

The British North America Act of 1867 Provinces have more power than U.S. states Ontario and Quebec dominate national government

Territorial Subdivisions

States, provinces, districts Special purpose subdivisions Numerous Regulatory differences Federal districts Capital cities

Representative Districts

Electoral Geography Sub-field of political geography Voting districts and boundaries Gerrymandering Manipulating boundaries to gain advantage United States issues Electoral college One person/one vote objective

Individual Rights

Meritocracy Ability to succeed on merit Sexism Education Country’s wealth and education level rise together Freedom Defined and quantified differently

Types of Boundaries

Frontier – Where no state exercises complete control Physical Boundaries Mountain Boundaries Desert Boundaries Water Boundaries Cultural Boundaries Geometric Boundaries Religious Boundaries Language Boundaries Cyprus “Green Line” Boundary

Political and Military Cooperation

United Nations Regional Military Alliances Era of Two Superpowers (USA and USSR) Military Cooperation in Europe • NATO and Warsaw Pact Other Regional Organizations • Organization of American States • African Union European Union Bipolar balance ended in 1992 fall of USSR

Terrorism

Terrorism – systematic use of violence by a group in order to intimidate a population or coerce a government into granting its demands American Terrorists – Unabomber, McVeigh Al Qaeda – “foundation” or “base” • Membership est. 20,000 in 34 countries • 9/11 – 3,000 fatalities • Bin Laden - Al Qaeda Leader  1 of 50 children, excommunicated from wealthy Saudi family   Fought with Mujahedeen against Russians in Afghanistan   Moved to Sudan – attacked US troops in Yemen and Somalia Issued a religious decree “fatwa” against the US in 1996, b/c he said US was responsible for power of Saudi monarchy and supporting Israel Wanted proposed “liberation” of Islam's holiest sites (Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem)

State Support for Terrorism

Libya Accused of sponsoring a 1986 bombing of a nightclub in Berlin Germany, popular with US military personnel 1986 – US aircraft shot down attacking Libyan planes, disagreement over territory 1988 – Libyan agents killed 270 people on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie • Qaddafi later held trial for terrorists and provided compensation to families Afghanistan Taliban “students of Muslim Religious Schools” sheltered Al Qaeda Iraq 1980s Iraq attacked Iran- Shatt Al Arab waterway – 1.5 million died 1988 – Saddam Hussein (Ba’ath Party) ordered the gassing of 5,000 Kurds 1991 – Invaded Kuwait, US led coalition liberated Iraq 1980s – UN inspectors found evidence of weapons of a nuclear weapons, nerve agents, and bio weapons 2003 – US Led attack to oust Saddam Hussein for harboring WMDs

Qaddafi

Saddam Hussein

State Support for Terrorism Cont…..

Iran Majority Shiite Population History of animosity to US US led coup against Iranian president to install pro-western Shah (King) 1979 – Ayatollah supporters seized US embassy on Nov. 4, 1979, held 62 Americans hostage until 1981 Ayatollah put in place Sharia law

Ayottalah Komeni US Hostage in Iran