2.5 Geopolitical Theory: Reason for Conflict

Question 1

conflict

Answer 1

a struggle or clash b/w opposing forces, idea and interests

Question 2

main causes of conflict in the world

Answer 2

1. National Resources (economic reasons)
2. Cultural
3. Territorial
4. Religious
5. Political (includes migration, global policy, nationalism, civil war, )

Question 3

Friedrich Ratzel:
The Law of Expansion and the need for conflict
Territorial / Natural Resource Conflict

Answer 3

Country of Origin: Germany
Influences: Malthus & Darwin
One of the founding fathers of geopolitics

Question 4

law of expansion

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Halford MacKinder:
Heartland Theory and the Pivot Point for conflict
Global Policy / Security Conflict / Territorial Dominance

Answer 5

Country of Origin: United Kingdom (England)

Question 6

Imperialism

Answer 6

a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force

Question 7

Halford MacKinder theory

Answer 7

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

Question 8

heartland theory

Answer 8

He who controls the Heartland controls the World Island (Europe, Asia and Africa).; He who controls the World Island, controls the world

Question 9

Heartland: Why is it used to describe Eastern Europe?

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

why is the heartland important?

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

what mackinder believed

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

what mackinder failed to account for

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

Thomas Homer-Dixon:
Global Security in the 21st Century
Cultural, Religious & Natural Resource Conflicts

Answer 13

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

Question 14

dixon’s theory

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

Samuel Huntington:
The Clash of Civilizations
Cultural & Religious conflict

Answer 15

Country of Origin: America

He is best known for his 1993 theory, the “Clash of Civilizations“.

Question 16

clash of civilizations theory 1993

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

why civilizations clash

Answer 17

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.)

Question 18

globalization

Answer 18

Globalization: The world is becoming a smaller place and we are interacting with each other more therefore becoming more aware of our differences

Question 19

economic regionalism

Answer 19

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.)

Question 20

the west vs. the rest theory

Answer 20

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

Question 21

hard power

Answer 21

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.

Question 22

sanctions

Answer 22

a threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule

Question 23

soft power

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

huntington on hard and soft power

Answer 24

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.”.

Question 25

geo-economics

Answer 25

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.