2.5 Geopolitical Theory: Reason for Conflict Flashcards
conflict
a struggle or clash b/w opposing forces, idea and interests
main causes of conflict in the world
- National Resources (economic reasons)
- Cultural
- Territorial
- Religious
- Political (includes migration, global policy, nationalism, civil war, )
Friedrich Ratzel:
The Law of Expansion and the need for conflict
Territorial / Natural Resource Conflict
Country of Origin: Germany
Influences: Malthus & Darwin
One of the founding fathers of geopolitics
law of expansion
Nation-states are like living organisms.
A state had to grow and expand and would require the annexation of territories that are controlled by other less powerful states. This is called Life-space or lebensraum
Borders were dynamic (ever changing)
This ideology fostered German expansionism and nationalism
Halford MacKinder:
Heartland Theory and the Pivot Point for conflict
Global Policy / Security Conflict / Territorial Dominance
Country of Origin: United Kingdom (England)
Imperialism
a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force
Halford MacKinder theory
geographical boundaries were subject to change – boundaries continually being redrawn as a consequence of imperialism.
Unequal spatial distribution of strategic opportunities in the world (deterministic)
Railroads released countries from dependence on Navy to move to Army therefore warfare would be shifted from the sea to the hinterland “The land behind”
Railroads would make this area easy to defend and hard to conquer
heartland theory
He who controls the Heartland controls the World Island (Europe, Asia and Africa).; He who controls the World Island, controls the world
Heartland: Why is it used to describe Eastern Europe?
Eastern Europe is the heart of Eurasia.
The heartland is responsible for the resources that can fuel an army.
Heartland Theory: Gain power of Heartland then influence & power will radiate out from there.
The loss of control of the heartland would result in a loss of power.
why is the heartland important?
Eastern Europe holds some of the greatest resources in the world in terms of raw materials and agriculture – the basic ingredients you need to control a large military.
A large military would make it easy to gradually take over the rest of the world.
After gaining control of the Heartland and all its resources, one could easily gain the World Island by controlling the coasts and warm water ports, or the key areas that made international trade possible.
what mackinder believed
He believed Germany would be a threat to controlling the resources of Eastern Europe and the Heartland.
Russia played a key position in the Heartland because it was centrally located and controlled a large portion of the Eurasian landmass protected from British sea power.
For MacKinder, Great Britain and other Western European countries should be fearful of a German alliance with Russia or a China.
what mackinder failed to account for
he did not foresee the extreme power and military technology (nuclear weapons, high tech missiles, etc )of the United States. They are unlikely to fall under the power of the World Island.
Thomas Homer-Dixon:
Global Security in the 21st Century
Cultural, Religious & Natural Resource Conflicts
Canadian Political Scientist & ecologist, Professor at the University of Waterloo and the Balsillie School of International Affairs.
Neo-Malthusian - broadens the Malthusian theory to include vital resources such as fuel and arable land
dixon’s theory
Growing environmental scarcities will have profound social consequences–contributing to insurrections, ethnic clashes, urban unrest, and other forms of civil violence, especially in the developing world.
Samuel Huntington:
The Clash of Civilizations
Cultural & Religious conflict
Country of Origin: America
He is best known for his 1993 theory, the “Clash of Civilizations“.
clash of civilizations theory 1993
The Clash of Civilization (COC) is a hypothesis that people’s cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world.
He argued that future wars would be fought not between countries, but between cultures, and that Islamic extremism would become the biggest threat to world peace.
why civilizations clash
Civilizations are differentiated from each other by history, language, culture, tradition and most important religion. These fundamental differences are the product of centuries, so they will not soon disappear.
Globalization: The world is becoming a smaller place and we are interacting with each other more therefore becoming more aware of our differences
Economic regionalism is Increasing – this will reinforce civilization-consciousness.
(It is when nations in a geographic area form an economic community with each other, often to break down trade barriers, promoting free trade between them.)
globalization
Globalization: The world is becoming a smaller place and we are interacting with each other more therefore becoming more aware of our differences
economic regionalism
Economic regionalism is Increasing – this will reinforce civilization-consciousness.
(It is when nations in a geographic area form an economic community with each other, often to break down trade barriers, promoting free trade between them.)
the west vs. the rest theory
Most conflicts will occur between Western civilizations and everyone else. He argues that non-Western civilizations will only have 3 choices:
1. Try to isolate themselves, which is difficult
2. Just accept Western culture
3. Develop economic and military power and cooperate with other non-Westerns to battle Western influence
hard power
Hard power is the use of military and economic means to influence the behavior or interests of other political bodies.
This form of political power is often aggressive (coercion), and is most effective when imposed by one political body upon another of lesser military and/or economic power.
sanctions
a threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule
soft power
The ability to get what you want through attraction rather than through coercion or payments. A country’s soft power rests on its resources of culture, values, and policies.
huntington on hard and soft power
Huntington: Soft power requires a foundation of hard power. Culture and ideology become attractive “when they are seen as rooted in material success and influence.”.
geo-economics
Economic activity is a source of power, and the power of military activities is replaced by commercial activities.
Economic power will be increasingly important in determining the primacy or subordination of states.
The number of tanks, missiles, weapons and the size of the military are no longer the instruments of power; production efficiency, strong currencies, ownership of foreign companies, factories and access to resources are.
