Chapter 8: Political Geography

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• Chapter 8 Political Geography

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Where are states located?

• Key Issue 1

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Political Geography

• Study of the political organization of the world
• Political geographers study spatial
  manifestations of political processes at various
  scales
• Globally divided into states
• Politically organized territory with
• Permanent population
• Defined territory
• A government
• Must be recognized by other states

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Territoriality

• The attempt by an individual or group to affect
  influence, or control people, phenomena and
  relationships by delimiting and asserting control
  over a geographic area.
• Robert Sack (1986)
• This is key in the construction of social and
  political spaces

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Territoriality cont.

• Robert Ardrey (1966) The Territorial Imperative
• Humans have an instinct to control and defend
  territory
• Sack argues human territoriality takes many
  forms, depending on social and geographical
  contexts
• Instead why and how people organized based on
  territorial strategies used at different times in
  different ways

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Territoriality cont.

• Sovereignty closely tied to territoriality
• When a state is recognized, sovereignty of state
  also recognized
• Have the right to defend their territorial
  integrity

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Problems defining states

• Why is there are problem defining these states?
• Korea
• China and Taiwan
• Western Sahara

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Development of the State Concept

• Dividing world into states is a recent concept
• How was the world previously divided?
• Ancient and Medieval States
• City-state-1st states in Mesopotamia
• Why could these be defined as states?
• Early European States
• Peace of Westphalia
• Negotiated in 1648
• Treaties concluded the Thirty Years War
• Included language recognizing state and
  nationhood, clearly defined borders and
  guarantees of security
• Laid foundation of Europe to be made into smaller
  states defined by territory

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State concept cont.

• Colonies
• Territory legally tied to a sovereign state
• Colonialism
• When one country establishes a settlement to
  impose their political, cultural and economic
  principles on those areas
• Europeans established colonies for 3 reasons
• What are they?
• Rise of imperialism
• Very few colonies remain

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Why do Boundaries Cause Problems?

• Key Issue 2

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• Invisible line marking territory
• Why do boundaries interest geographers?

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Shapes of States

• Affects potential communication and conflict
  w/neighbors
• Part of a states unique identity
• Five basic shapes
• Compact-why is it beneficial?
• Prorupted states-why are they created?
• Elongated states-problems?
• Fragmented states-problems?
• Perforated states

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Types of Boundaries

• Originally, frontiers separated states
• Provides an area of separation
• Tangible geographic area
• Either uninhabited or sparsely settled

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Establishing Boundaries

• Usually involves 4 steps
• States define the boundary with a treaty-like,
  legal document in which actual points of
  landscape or points of latitude and longitude are
  described.
• Cartographers delimit the boundary by drawing on
  a map.

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Establishing boundaries cont.

• If either or both states wish, they can demarcate
  the boundary by using some visible means to mark
  the boundary on the ground.
• Usually very expensive
• Administrate the boundary
• Determine how the boundary will be maintained and
  how goods and people will cross the boundary.

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Types of Boundaries

• Physical Boundaries-Why are these good
  boundaries?
• Mountain boundaries
• Effective if they are difficult to cross
• Useful b/c they are permanent and usually
  sparsely inhabited
• Not always an amicable separation
• Be able to provide and explain using an example

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Types of Boundaries cont.

• Desert Boundaries
• Hard to cross and sparsely inhabited
• Common in Africa and Asia
• Be able to provide examples.

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Types of Boundaries cont.

• Water Boundaries
• Most commonly used
• Readily visible on a map and are relatively
  unchanging
• Boundaries are typically in the middle of the
  water
• Can offer good protection against attack- How?
• Can cause difficulties- Explain.
• Why do ocean boundaries cause problems?
• Defense and for control of valuable fishing
  industries
• The Law of the Sea-Explain.
• Disputes taken to the Tribunal for the Law of the
  Sea or the International Court of Justice

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Types of Boundaries cont.

• Cultural Boundaries
• Geometric Boundaries
• Religious Boundaries
• Where are these boundaries located?
• Language Boundaries
• Why is language an important boundaries?
• Move to identify nationalities based on language
  spread throughout Europe in the 20th century
• What role did the Versailles Peace Conference
  play in the creation of boundaries based on
  language?
• Cypruss Green Line Boundary-Explain!

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Boundaries Inside States

• Country's cultural and physical characteristics
  influence the evolution of their governmental
  system
• Unitary States
• Places most power in the hands of central
  government officials
• Works best in nation-states w/few internal
  cultural differences and a strong sense of
  national unity
• More likely to be adopted by smaller states- Why?
• Reality-multinational states have adopted unitary
  systems- Why?

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Boundaries Inside States cont.

• Federal states allocates strong power to units of
  local government within a country
• Why might a multinational country adopt a federal
  system?
• State boundaries drawn by local governments
• Why is it more suitable for large states?
• Size not always an accurate predictor- Examples?

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Boundaries Inside States cont.

• Electoral Geography
• Boundaries that separate legislative districts
  must be redrawn over time to account for
  migration
• When does gerrymandering occur?
• Why is it called gerrymandering?
• Types of Gerrymandering
• Wasted vote
• Excess vote
• Stacked vote

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Boundary Disputes

• Why do you think there may be boundary disputes?
• Definitional boundary disputes
• Focus on the legal language of the boundary
  agreement
• Need to refine the definition to satisfy both
  parties
• Locational Boundary Disputes
• Center on delimitation and possibly the
  demarcation of the boundary
• Interpretation of the boundary is disputed

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Boundary Disputes cont.

• Operational Boundary Disputes
• Involve neighbors who differ over the way the
  border should function
• Ex. If one state wants to limit migration and the
  other does not
• Allocational Boundary Disputes
• Disputes regarding natural resources

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Why do states cooperate with each other?

• Key Issue 3

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What are supranational organizations?

• A separate entity composed of three or more
  states that forge an association and form an
  administrative structure for mutual benefit and
  in pursuit of shared goals.
• Research has shown that participation in
  supranational organizations is advantageous to
  the partners and can have serious negative
  effects on those that are left out.

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Political and Military Cooperation

• Mainly during the Cold War
• Organizations were established mainly to prevent
  a third world war and to protect the country from
  foreign attack

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The League of Nations

• Proposed by US president Woodrow Wilson
• Purpose was to prevent future aggression, but
  since US didnt join, never got off the ground
• Spawned other international organizations
• Permanent Court of International Justice-created
  to adjudicate legal issues b/t states
• Initiated international negotiations on maritime
  boundaries and other law of the sea

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The United Nations

• Created at the end of WWII
• Formed to foster international security and
  cooperation
• Membership has increased on 3 occasions 1955,
  1960 and the early 1990s- Why?
• Can vote to establish peacekeeping forces and
  request that member-states provide military
  support
• Why were UN peacekeeping efforts stymied during
  the Cold War?
• US and Soviets often used veto to prevent UN
  intervention
• Why was 1950 an exception?

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The UN cont.

• Playing a role in the separation of groups in
  conflict due to religion
• Why cant the UN keep peace effectively?
• What are some other issues the plague the UN?
• However, does offer a place for states to
  peacefully work to resolve issues
• Spawned FAO, UNESCO, and WHO

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Regional Military Alliances

• World divided into alliances after WWII
• Led to a rise in two superpowers-United States
  and Soviet Union
• Why these nations?
• When does a balance of power occur?
• Addition of one or two states could tip the
  balance
• ex. Britain
• Others lost the ability to tip the balance of
  power
• Became an ally or satellite
• Addition of allies made the superpower stronger,
  but also prevent the other to get it

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Regional Military Alliances cont.

• Allies could be troublesome or an effective
  partner to the superpower
• Why was it important for an ally to remain a
  little dependent on the superpower?
• How did the US and Soviet Union maintain their
  strength?

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Military Cooperation in Europe

• Most European nations joined either NATO or the
  Warsaw Pact
• What is NATO?
• What is the Warsaw Pact?
• Why were these designed?
• These eventually became obsolete- Why?
• What happened to them as a result?

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Other Regional Organizations

• Organization of the American States (OAS)
• 35 states, except Cuba, in the Western Hemisphere
• Headquarters located in Washington, DC
• Promotes social, political and economic links
  among member states
• Organization for African Unity (OAU)
• Founded in 1963 to promote the end of colonialism
  in Africa
• Recently, main priority to rid minority
  white-ruled governments in southern Africa
• Commonwealth of Nations
• Great Britain and its former colonies
• Members seek economic and cultural cooperation

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Economic Cooperation

• When Soviet Union disbanded in 1992, balance of
  power b/t two nations ended
• Return to previous pattern of more than one
  superpower, but with key differences
• What are those differences?

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European Union

• Decline in military alliances led to economic
  alliances
• Most important economic organization-European
  Union (EEC, Common Market and EC)
• What was the main task of the European Union?
• Why has it taken on more importance in recent
  years?
• Why is the EU wary of admitting large numbers of
  Southern and Eastern European nations?

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European Union cont.

• Euro-common currency adopted on January 1, 2002
• Problems facing EU
• Integration of new nations
• Anticipated advantages weighed against loss of
  autonomy
• Painful because of cultural diversity of European
  states
• Requires a lot of money
• EU requires that richer nations subsidize poorer
  countries (making them a financial burden to
  wealthier nations)

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European Union cont.

• Problems cont.
• Maintenance of the balance of power in European
  Union
• History of conflict and competition
• Germany vs. France
• Turkey
• Want Turkey to join in order to widen their reach
  into Muslim world
• Greeks are hesitant b/c of their dispute w/Turkey
  over Cyprus, Turkeys human rights record (the
  Kurds)
• Unspoken sense that Turkey is not European
  enough
• 2004-EU extended invitation to Turkey

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Former Communist Countries and the European Union

• Warsaw Pact formed the COMECON
• Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
• Designed to promote trade and sharing of natural
  resources
• Disbanded in early 1990s

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How does supranationalism affect the state?

• Other examples
• NAFTA- North American Free Trade Agreement
• ACS- Association of Caribbean States
• APEC- Asia-Pacific Economic COuncil
• Are these organizations necessary, logical or
  effective?
• Other challenges to consider
• Demand for independence
• Proliferation of nuclear weapons-most serious
  danger
• Economic globalization
• Connection of people and culture
• Infiltration of terrorism based on religion

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Homework

• For the following organizations, find out
• Member nations
• When was it founded
• Main purpose
• Advantages associated with joining
• Disadvantages associated with joining
• Answer the following question for each
  organization
• Do you feel this is a useful organization for the
  member states? What about on a global scale?
  Explain your answer.

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Homework cont.

• North American Free Trade Agreement
• Economic Community of West African States
• The Andean Group
• Asia-Pacific Economic Council
• Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
• DUE TUESDAY!!!

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Why has terrorism increased?

• Key Issue 4

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Terrorism

• Systematic use of violence by a group in order to
  intimidate a population or coerce a government to
  give in to their demands
• Violence is considered necessary to bring
  grievances into public eye
• Willing to die for their beliefs

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Terrorism cont.

• Assassinations differ from terrorism- how?
• Victims of terrorism just happen to be there
• Terrorists believe all citizens are the culprit
  for the actions they are against
• Distinguishing terrorism from political violence
  is difficult

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Terrorism by Individuals and Organizations

• Timothy McVeigh/Terry Nichols
• Ted Kaczynski
• John Lee Muhammad/Lee Boyd Malvo
• All seem to have some religious affiliation

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Al-Qaeda

• Means the base
• Created in 1990 to unite jihad fighters in
  Afghanistan
• Reconnaissance activities
• Sleeper cells- Describe.
• Why did bin Laden declare war against the US in
  1996?
• Culminated in World Trade Center attacks

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State Support for Terrorism

• Done so by
• Providing sanctuary for terrorists wanted in
  other countries
• Supplying weapons, money and intelligence to
  terrorist groups
• Planning attacks using terrorists
• After September 11th attacks, US accused
  Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran of providing at least
  1 of the above 3 supports

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State Support cont.

• Libya
• Pan Am Flight 103
• Afghanistan (ruled by the Taliban)
• US attacked b/c they were housing al-Qaeda
  terrorists
• Had to remove Taliban rule so US could find
  al-Qaeda leaders
• Led to civil unrest

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State Support cont.

• Iraq
• Declared war in 2003 b/c they were producing
  weapons of mass destruction to supply to
  terrorist groups
• Operation Desert Storm
• Saddam Husseins ties to al-Qaeda
• Disputed by other countries and US intelligence
• Differences b/t religious principles

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State Support cont.

• Iran
• Conflict b/t Us and Iran began b/t Ayatollah
  Khomeini
• Seized US Embassy in 1981
• Conflict b/t Iran and Iraq
• US accused Iran of harboring al-Qaeda terrorists
  and for trying to install a Shiite govt in Iraq
  after Hussein was removed from power in 2003

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State Support cont.

• Other hotspots
• Yemen
• Sudan
• Syria
• North Korea