Chapter 8 Flashcards
State
a politically organized territory with: 1) a permanent population, 2) a defined territory, 3) a government, 4) to be a state, an it must be recognized as such by other states
Independent political entity occupying a defined permanently populated territory and having full sovereign control in their internal and external affairs
sovereignty- independence from control of its internal affairs by other countries
The United Nations
The most important global organization is the United Nations, created at the end of World War II by the victorious Allies
On occasion, the U N has intervened in conflicts between or within member states, authorizing military and peacekeeping actions
What are the goals of the UN?
The U N seeks to promote international cooperation to address global economic problems, promote human rights, and provide humanitarian relief
What are the largest states?
The largest state is Russia and at the other extreme are about two dozen microstates
How many members are in the UN?
When it was organized in 1945, the UN had only 51 members
As these areas gained independence, UN membership grew
With the admission of South Sudan i
n 2011, the number of UN members reached 193
Korea
The Korean peninsula is divided between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North) and the Republic of Korea (South)
After World War II, the victors divided Korea, which had been a colony of Japan for 35 years, into two occupation zones
- The united states and soviet union divided it into 2 occupation zones
- Soviet union set up a pro communist government in north Korea and a pro USA government in south Korea
Describe the challenges regarding north korea
North Korea invaded the South in 1950
3 year war that ended in a cease-fire
Both governments are committed to reuniting the country
However, both maintain that they are the one that should exercise sovereignty over the entire Korean peninsula
North Korea is one of the world’s poorest and most isolated countries
North Korea has built and tested nuclear weapons and long-range missiles
the country lacks the ability to provide its citizens with food, electricity, and other basic needs
Describe the challenges regarding China and taiwan
Most other countries consider China and Taiwan as separate and sovereign states
According to China’s government, Taiwan is not sovereign but a part of China
The government of Taiwan agrees
Chinese government asserts sovereignty over Taiwan and considers it a province of China but don’t control the political affairs
Taiwan doesn’t have legal soverignty
Taiwan has never declared independence from China
Taiwan government represents itself as the government of republic of China
In the late 1940s, the Nationalists and Communists entered a civil war, the Nationalists lost in 1949 and fled to Taiwan
The US government recognized Taiwan as the legitimate government in the 50s and 60s
In 1971 the UN transferred the seat to China (from Taiwan)
the United States followed by recognizing China as the official government
The Law of the Sea
signed by 167 countries, has standardized the territorial limits for most countries at 12 nautical miles
The Law of the Sea states also have exclusive rights to the fish and other marine life within 200 nautical miles
Disputes can be taken to a tribunal for the Law of the Sea or to the International Court of Justice
States that border an ocean can claim vast areas of ocean for defense and control of fishing areas
Sovereign rights for islands are important because then the country has control over resources
nation
is a group of people who are united by a common cultural characteristic (such as language or ethnicity)
nation-state
is a politically organized area in which nation and state occupy the same space
Examples today: Japan, Norway, Iceland, North Korea, Egypt
homogenous group of people who are governed by their state, all people who live their belong to the same nation)
Idea of nation states dates back to French revolution
What is the problem with a nation state?
Key problem associated with the idea of the nation-state is that it assumes the presence of reasonably well-defined, stable nations living in discrete territories
self determination
the concept that nations have the right to govern themselves
multinational state
is a state that contains more than one nation
In some states, nations all contribute cultural features to the formation of a single nationality
Cultural groups can coexist peacefully, remaining culturally distinct while recognizing and respecting the distinctive traditions of other groups
Canada is an example of a multinational state (but most States are multinational)
What are some challenges dismantling Multinational States?
Some multinational states face complex challenges in maintaining unity and preventing discontented cultural groups from trying to break away and form their own nation-state
In Europe, the breakup of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia in the late twentieth century demonstrated both success and failure in creating new nation-states
The Soviet Union’s breakup in 1991 resulted in the creation of 15 new countries
Colonialism
European states came to control much of the world through colonialism, which is an effort by one country to establish settlements in a territory and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles on that territory
Why did Europeans create colonies?
to promote Christianity; to extract resources and create captive markets for their own products; and to gain prestige
Describe the history of colonialism
The colonial era began in the 1400s, when European explorers sailed westward for Asia but encountered and settled in the Western Hemisphere instead
Eventually the European states lost these colonies and focused their attention on Africa
the sun never set on their empire”- the British empire was so vast that it was always sunny somewhere
After British, France has second largest colony
What were European Colonial Objectives
A port along the West African coast (initially the Portuguese)
A water route to South Asia and Southeast Asia
1500’s- looking for resources; Slaves
Slaves not new, but slave raiding was
30 million slaves forced from their homes
1850- Industrial Revolution occurs in Europe
Increased demand for mineral resources
Need to expand agricultural production
Berlin Conference
13 States divided up Africa without consideration of cultures
(just drew straight lines and had no concern for different ethnic groups)
French dominant in west Africa
British in east and South Africa
Belgium acquired the Congo’s
Sudan was last to be colonized
Ethiopia was the only country to escape colonization
British had one goal- exploitation
The countries in Africa kept their colonial boundaries
What were the results of superimposed boundaries?
– African peoples were divided
– Unified regions were ripped apart
– Hostile societies were thrown together
– Hinterlands were disrupted
– Migration routes were closed off
When independence returned to Africa after 1950, the realm had already acquired a legacy of political fragmentation.
boundary
A state is separated from its neighbors by a boundary, an invisible line that marks the extent of a state’s territory
Geometric boundaries
based on grid systems
Boundary between the US and Canada
2,100 km boundary along the 49th parallel between Manitoba and British Columbia
-Doesn’t quite go through 49th because then Victoria would be a part of the US
Established in 1846 as a treaty between the US and The UK (still controlled Canada then)
An additional 1,100 km between Alaska and Yukon Territory
Physical (physiographic) boundaries
follow a feature in the physical geographic landscape
Deserts, mountains, and water
eg. Rio Grande - boundary between the US and Mexico
The Danube and Rhine Rivers serve as boundaries between several countries in Europe
Cultural Boundaries
Based on cultural traits
speakers of different languages, followers of different religions, or members of different ethnicities
E.g. India and Pakistan: separates Hindus and Muslims
Compact States
Efficient
In a compact state, the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly
Examples of compact states in sub-Saharan African include Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda
Compactness can be a beneficial characteristic for smaller states because good communications can be more easily established with all regions
Shape controls length of boundary with other states
Affects potential for communication and conflict
Determines how easy or difficult internal admin and can affect social unity
Perforated State
South Africa
A state that completely surrounds another one is a perforated state
The surrounded state may face problems of dependence on, or interference from, the surrounding state
South Africa surrounds Lesotho and Swaziland
Prorupted States
Access or Disruption
An otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension is a prorupted state
Can provide access to a resource or separate two states from sharing a common border
Elongated States
Potential Isolation a long and narrow shape The Gambia (500 km east-west but only 25 km north-south) Country can suffer from poor internal communication
Fragmented States
Problematic
A fragmented state includes several discontinuous pieces of territory
Fragmented by water (Tanzania)
Fragmented by other states (Angola
Landlocked States
lacks a direct outlet to a sea because it is completely surrounded by other countries
Ocean access is critical for international trade
Landlocked states are common in Africa, where 15 of the continent’s 55 states have no direct ocean access-Result of colonization
Enclave
territory (or part of one) surrounded by the boundaries of another state (i.e. Vatican City)
Vatican City is an enclave of Rome
Exclave
territory that is separated from, but politically attached to, it’s state by another state (i.e. Kaliningrad)
Supranational Organization
A separate entity composed of three or more states that forge an association and form an administrative structure for mutual benefit in pursuit of shared goals
The voluntary association in economic, political, cultural or military spheres of 3 or more independent states that are willing to yield some part of their sovereignty in order to get some type pf benefit
What are the goals of the supranational organization?
The goals of the supranational organization can be for economic, political, military, or cultural involvement
Examples: North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), North Atlantic Treaty Organizations (NATO)
Cooperation between states while maintaining sovereignty
What is the main task of the EU?
The main task of the European Union is to promote economic and political cooperation
a European Parliament is elected by the people
subsidies are provided to farmers and to economically depressed regions
goods move across border without stopping
An EU citizen is permitted to work and live in other EU states
The Eurozone
The Euro was adopted by many member (and some non-member) states as a common currency
25 countries use the euro (19 member states and 6 non-member states)
The EU expected that the countries would be economically stronger with a shared
currency
Stronger states economically subsidize weaker states
i
Country= synonym for political territorial word state
Antartica is not a state
Colonies are not a state
England is not a state
Bermuda Puerto Rico Greenland are not states
microstates,
which are states with very small land areas
Monaco occupies only 2 km2
What are the characteristics that are common among colonies?
political and legal domination over another society, relations of political and economic interdependence, exploitation of imperial powers between colonizer and colony, racial and cultural inequality
Military Cooperation in Europe
During the Cold War era when the United States and the Soviet Union were the world’s two superpowers, most European states joined one of two military alliances
NATO or warsaw pact
After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, in a Europe no longer dominated by military confrontation between two blocs, the Warsaw Pact was disbanded
Number of troops in nato was reduced
Membership in Nato provided Eastern European countries an important sense of security against a future Russian threat
NATO)
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) included the US, Canada and Western European allies
The main goal was to prevent the Soviet Union from overrunning west Germany
The Warsaw Pact
was the Soviet Union and the Eastern European allies
Provided the Soviet union with a buffer of allied states to discourage a third German invasion of Soviet Union
Balance of power-
A condition of roughly equal strength between opposing alliances is known as a balance of power
NATO and the Warsaw Pact were designed to maintain a bipolar balance of power in Europe
Benelux Agreement
1944 – Benelux Agreement- attended to achieve total economic integration between Belgium Netherlands and Luxembourg
Marshall Plan-
1947 – Marshall Plan- European recovery program and counter the dislocation in Europe and create more stable economic conditions so democracy could survive USA gave 13 billion dollars but Soviet Union declined and forced their countries to do the same
Showed the leaders that their countries need to create a joint economic structure to coordinate financial assistance ease the flow of resources and products across Europe and find ways to have political coordination
(OEEC)
1948 - Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC)
Coordinate American aid
(COMECON)
1949 – Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) forms in the Soviet Union
Eastern Bloc countries were concerned about the Marshall Plan
Disbanded at the end of the Cold War
Beginning of what would become a European parliament meeting in France
(EEC)
1958 – European Economic Community (EEC) effective
France, W.Germany, Italy, Belgium, Benelux countries
Great Britian was denied access
(EU)
1993 – EEC becomes European Union (EU)
28 member states in 2018
How many levels of government does a state have describe each
A state has two levels of government: a national government and local governments. At the national scale, a government can be more or less democratic. At the local scale, the national government can determine how much power to allocate to local governments.
Unitary state
ex- china
an internal organization of a state where most power is placed in the hands of central government officials
works best in a relatively compact nation-state characterized by few internal cultural differences and a strong sense of national unity
common in Europe
France, for example, has a long tradition of unitary government in which a very strong national government dominates local government decisions.
federal state
Strong power is allocated to units of local government
is more suitable for very large states because the national capital may be too remote to provide effective control over isolated regions
Most of the world’s largest states are federal, including Russia, Canada, the United States, Brazil, and India
For example, the federal state principle is embedded in the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,
this is now the more common type- in the face of increasing demands by ethnicities for more self-determination, states have restructured their governments to transfer some authority from the national government to local government units
How can national governments be classified as?
A democracy is a country in which citizens elect leaders and can run for office
An autocracy is a country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people.
An anocracy is a country that is not fully democratic or fully autocratic, but rather displays a mix of the two types
How do democracies and autocracies differ?
selection of leaders, citizen participation, and checks and balances
Reasons the world has become more democratic
The replacement of increasingly irrelevant and out-of-touch monarchies with elected governments that broaden individual rights and liberties
the widening of participation in policymaking to all citizens through rights to vote and to serve in government
and the diffusion of democratic government structures created in Europe and North America to other regions.
Fragile States Index
calculated by the Fund for Peace, measures the relative stability of every country. The index combines several factors, including fairness of the legal system, extent of youth unemployment, level of violence, and freedom to express diverse political views
Terrorism
is the systematic use of violence by a group calculated to create an atmosphere of fear and alarm among a population. Terrorists also act to try to coerce a government into actions it would not otherwise undertake or refrain from actions it wants to take
What are distinctive characteristics of terrorists?
Performing organized acts that spread fear and anxiety among the population, such as bombing, kidnapping, hijacking, taking of hostages, and assassination. Viewing violence as a means of bringing widespread publicity to goals and grievances that are not being addressed through peaceful means. Believing in a cause so strongly that they do not hesitate to attack despite knowing they will probably die in the act.
9/11
sept. 11 2001
the 110 storey twin towers of the world trade centre in new york city were destroyed and the Pentagon in Washington DC was damaged
3,000 died
in orlando Pulse nighclub
Al-Qaeda
ounder Osama bin Laden (1957–2011) issued a declaration of war against the United States
In a 1998 decree, bin Laden argued that Muslims had a duty to wage a holy war against U.S. citizens because the United States was responsible for maintaining the Saud royal family as rulers of Saudi Arabia and a State of Israel dominated by Jews. Destroying the Saudi monarchy and the Jewish state of Israel would liberate from their control Islam’s three holiest sites of Makkah (Mecca), Madinah, and Jerusalem. Al-Qaeda was responsible for the 9/11 attacks in the United States
Al-Quada “franchises”
it is not a single unified organization
has many loosely affiliated franchises in many countries but not financially tied to them
found in Yemen now
The Islamic State
is a terrorist organization that originated in 1999 and became an affiliate of al-Qaeda in 2004. The two organizations split in 2014 because of lack of agreement on how to cooperate and consult with each other.
, ISIS and ISIL
is also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
What has ISIS done?
carried out violent attacks in several countries overrun territory in Syria and Iraq tried to impose their own extremist versions of Muslim religion
Paris terrorist attack- eagles of Death Metal concert
How do they recruit members
through internet and social media communications that show beheadings and destruction of sites of historical importance such as Shiite Muslim shrines
Boko Haram
founded in 2002 in northeastern Nigeria to try to transform Nigeria into an islamic state
responsible for killing 30000 ppl and 2.3 million forced migration
challenges associated with religion use in terrorism
For many Muslims, the challenge has been to express disagreement with the policies of governments in the United States and Europe yet disavow the use of terrorism. For many Americans and Europeans, the challenge has been to distinguish between the peaceful but unfamiliar principles and practices of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims and the misuse and abuse of Islam by a handful of terrorists
what are benefits and shortcomings of the EU?
Benefits of the EU EU citizens can live, work, and travel freely among all EU countries (Figure 8.10.3). Businesses can hire workers from a larger pool of talented people. By sticking together, EU countries have stronger bargaining power in reaching international agreements
Shortcomings of the EU Decisions are made by EU bureaucrats rather than locally elected officials directly answerable to voters (Figure 8.10.4). The free movement of people makes it harder to control terrorism. Countries have not shared equally in the benefits of EU membership
The Antarctic Treaty
signed in 1959 and entered into force two years later, provides a legal framework for managing Antarctica
States may establish research stations there for scientific investigations, but no military activities are permitted. The treaty is currently signed by 53 states.
claims to Antarctica,
Several states, including Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom, claim portions of Antarctica (Figure 8.5.4). Argentina, Chile, and the United Kingdom have made conflicting, overlapping claims. The United States, Russia, and a number of other states do not recognize the claims of any country to Antarcti
Arctic Ocean Law of the Sea
the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea permitted countries to submit claims inside the Arctic Circle by 2009 (Figure 8.5.5). The Arctic Ocean’s seafloor is thought to be rich in energy resources
