2.4 The World of Geopolitics

Question 1

geopolitics

Answer 1

Geopolitics describes the geographical distribution of power around the world

Question 2

different forms of power

Answer 2

Military (conventional, non-conventional)

Cultural (historical, popular media, religious, population)

Economic (supply of resources, goods, services, demand for same, population, technological)

Question 3

The creation of ______ is the basis for political organization and action.

Answer 3

territory

Question 4

The ________ partitioning of space leads to the most basic of human geographic divisions - the ________ state.

Answer 4

political; sovereign

Question 5

states

Answer 5

have recognized boundaries (borders)
are recognized as such by other states
are governed by a recognizable body with rules for the administration of the state.
Individuals are therefore tied to a state and subject to its rules.

Question 6

sovereignty

Answer 6

A state has political autonomy, that is, it is able to create policies and enforce laws within its borders without interference from other states.
Borders mark the limit of a nation’s laws and security while branding a specific geographical area with a national identity.

Question 7

nation

Answer 7

is a cultural group which is based on variables such as language, religion, ethnicity. These factors give people a sense of identity and community.

Question 8

nation vs. state

Answer 8

A NATION is different from a STATE, therefore, in the way that a nation is a cultural distinction, while a STATE is a political one

Question 9

nation state

Answer 9

is a clearly defined cultural group (a nation) occupying a defined territory (a state).

Question 10

How did the idea of the nation state arise?

Answer 10

Required the concept of nationalism, which is the belief that the nation and the state should be the same or congruent, and that there is no other appropriate way to delimit a nation state. It is therefore the natural political unit.

Question 11

nationalism

Answer 11

Nationalism to some also means that all members of the national (cultural) group have the right to live within the borders of the state, that it may inappropriate for other national groups to live within the borders; therefore, the government must be in the hands of the dominant national group.

Question 12

Given these ideas or arguments, it is possible to see how conflict both internally and externally can arise. In Europe, __________ became the dominant criteria for defining a nation in the 19th century. Before that most people just tended to ________ whatever empire or despotic ruler was in charge.

Answer 12

nationalism; accept

Question 13

Some possible explanations for the emergence of the nation state:

Answer 13

-response to national political philosophies of the 18th century, esp. Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
desire to be closer to people of similar cultural backgrounds.
-part of the transition from feudalism to capitalism, because those who owned and benefited from the means of production liked a stable state (this is a Marxist argument)
-the collapse of local communities (with industrialization) and the need for communication and coordination of a larger group

Question 14

example of multinational state

Answer 14

For example: African countries whose boundaries were drawn by Europeans without considering African national cultural groups. Many multinational states are unstable, especially in Africa, but not all.

Question 15

example of binational state

Answer 15

Binational states include Canada and Belgium, both of which suffer internal stresses due to differing political desires of dominant cultural groups.

Question 16

cultural subnationalism

Answer 16

When the entire population of a state is not bound by the same sense of nationalism but is spilt among local primary allegiances, then that state is said to suffer from cultural subnationalism.

Question 17

what can cultural subnationalism lead to and give example

Answer 17

This can lead to civil war or even international disputes (e.g., India helping the Tamil population of Sri Lanka).

Question 18

________- is one of the centrifugal forces that pull nations apart, as compared to centripetal forces (like a strong sense of __________) which tend to act to bind a state together.

Answer 18

Subnationalism; nationalism

Question 19

what has subnationalism led to?

Answer 19

Subnationalism has led to strong authoritarian rulers in some states, especially in Africa, who argue that authoritarianism is the only alternative to tribalism tearing the countries apart.
How these countries got this way is a function of colonialism.

Question 20

globalization

Answer 20

has given rise to a number of forces that are weakening the concept of national sovereignty.