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Geography - Superpowers > EQ3: What spheres of influence are contested by superpowers and what are the implications of this? > Flashcards

EQ3: What spheres of influence are contested by superpowers and what are the implications of this? Flashcards

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1
Q

How can the ownership of natural resources be disputed?

A
  • Invasion and conquest of another country’s territory, which is rare
  • Claiming offshore, undersea resources by extending a country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which is more common
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2
Q

Give two examples to show how the ownership of natural resources can be disputed.

A

Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Arctic oil and gas resources

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3
Q

Why did Russia invade and take Crimea (part of the Ukraine) by force in 2014?

A

A key reason for doing this was to gain total control of the Russian naval base at Sevastopol in Crimea - home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet
The base was leased to Russia in 1997, but not owned by Russia
Russia fears that if Ukraine joins the EU and/or NATO this strategic base could be lost
Fearing the loss of land and port, both physical resources, Russia acted

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4
Q

Why are there disputes over Arctic oil and gas resources?

A

Huge oil and gas reserves may exist under the Arctic Ocean
This area is beyond the EEZ of Canada, USA, Russia and Denmark
All these countries have claimed EEZ extensions, which are disputed by others, and lodged these with the UN (which ultimately rules on them)
Since 2007, military patrols and activity have increased in the Arctic as each country shows it is interested in the area and willing to defend its claims

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5
Q

Why are human resources a key element of power?

A
  • New military technology, used for defence or attack

- Inventions and new products that could bring riches

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6
Q

What would the consequences be if new inventions are not protected by an international system of intellectual property (IP)?

A
  • TNCs would be reluctant to invest in R&D, because they would gain little profit from inventions that were immediately copied
  • Countries would be reluctant to trade, because their IP would fall into the hands of others who would steal it
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7
Q

How much in US$ do royalty fees alone amount to?

A

US$150-200

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8
Q

What percentage of royalty fees alone go to the USA, Japan and western Europe?

A

80%

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9
Q

What percentage of China’s GDP counterfeit goods sales been estimated to account for?

A

5-8%

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10
Q

Why are counterfeit goods sales a problem for countries such as China?

A
  • TNCs may limit investment in China if they fear IP theft.
  • Total losses worldwide are probably US$400-600 billion annually.
  • Trade deals with countries such as China are made harder by its failure to tackle IP theft.
  • Counterfeit goods are often unsafe, putting consumers at risk.
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11
Q

Name five overlapping spheres of influence.

A 
1 Eastern Europe
2 The Middle East & Central Asia
3 East China Sea
4 South China Sea
5 Central America
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12
Q

Why is the South China Sea a very tense region?

A

China’s ‘Nine-Dashed Line’ and ‘First and Second Island Chain’ policies force it to try and control a large area of the ocean south and east of China. The USA has considered this its sphere since the end of the Second World War.

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13
Q

What have the situations in Ukraine, Georgia and Syria created?

A

Refugee crises - in Syria on a huge scale from 2011 to 2017

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14
Q

Where did Russia invade and occupy in 2014?

A

Crimea (part of Ukraine)

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15
Q

What is China’s interest in Sub-Saharan Africa based on?

A
  • Copper ore in Zambia
  • Crude oil in Angola, Sudan and Chad
  • Coltan (the ore of niobium and tantalum used in mobile phones) from the DRC
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16
Q

What are the opportunities for China’s interest in Sub-Saharan Africa?

A

China-Africa relations are based on trade, not ex-colonial ties
China’s mines and factories bring jobs and raise incomes and GDP
In order to develop mining and factory investment, China has invested huge sums in HEP, railways, ports and roads - which can be used more widely China-Africa trade was worth US$200 billion in 2016, a huge sum for a developing region

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17
Q

What are the challenges for China’s interest in Sub-Saharan Africa?

A

Countries without natural resources China wants are left out
Many jobs are actually done by Chinese migrant labour who number over 1 million
Mining and oil exploitation risks deforestation, oil spills and water pollution
Cheap Chinese imported goods have undercut some local African producers, especially of textiles
Africa’s economic model is still cheap raw material exports, and expensive manufactured imports

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18
Q

What does China’s interest in Sub-Saharan Africa increasingly depend on?

A

Africa’s raw materials

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19
Q

What are the cons of interdependence for the China-Africa relationship?

A

A slowdown in China’s economy would also mean a slowdown in Africa’s

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20
Q

What are the benefits of Chinese investment in Africa in terms of geopolitics?

A

If developing countries align themselves economically and politically with emerging countries such as India, China and Russia this could have significant impacts on world trade patterns and geopolitical alliances. So far, only China has really achieved this in Africa.

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21
Q

What percentage of the world’s population do India and China represent?

A

36%

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22
Q

What percentage of global GDP do India and China represent?

A

18%

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23
Q

What percentage of global CO2 emissions do India and China represent?

A

32%

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24
Q

What are the countries India and China both members of?

A

The G20

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25
Q

What does the older G8 set up in 1975 consist of?

A

Indebted developed countries

26
Q

When was the older G8 setup?

A

1975

27
Q

What type of countries does the older G8 consist of?

A

Indebted developed countries

28
Q

What type of countries does the G20 include?

A

Cash-rich investor countries

29
Q

Which opposing political systems exist in India and China?

A

They are ideological rivals: India is the world’s largest democracy, whereas China is a communist dictatorship.

30
Q

What do China and India both share?

A

They share a border, but parts are disputed (Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang, Aksai Chin), which led to conflict in 1962, 1967 and 1987.

31
Q

What does the strong economic alliance China has created with Pakistan focus on?

A

US$54 billion Chinese investment in CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor)

32
Q

What are the economic relations between China and India like?

A

China has the upper-hand in terms of economics, as India has a large trade deficit with China.

33
Q

Why are India and China rivals in outer space?

A

Both have advanced space programmes. The rocket technology from this also helps develop their nuclear missile technology. Both have an aircraft carrier, and both are building more - demonstrating they have regional if not global, naval ambitions.

34
Q

What does the world economy run on?

A

Crude oil

35
Q

What percentage of proven oil reserves does the Middle East contain?

A

60%

36
Q

Why can no superpower or emerging power ignore the Middle East?

A

The world economy runs on crude oil. The Middle East contains 60% of proven oil reserves.

37
Q

Why is the Middle East an area of tension and conflict?

A
  • Most Muslim countries are hostile to the Jewish state of Israel: Iran has vowed to destroy it, but the USA is a key ally of Israel.
  • Religious differences between Sunni (Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey) and Shia (Iran, Iraq, Lebanon) branches of the Muslim religion are a source of conflict between and sometimes within countries.
  • Since 2011, the rise of the extremist group Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria has created war, terrorism and a refugee crisis.
  • The Kurdish people (in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey) are demanding their own state.
  • Since 2015 a civil war has raged in Yemen, which has involved Saudi Arabia directly and the USA indirectly.
38
Q

What are the Kurdish people (in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey) demanding for?

A

Their own state

39
Q

Why is the complex web of alliances and geopolitical relations within Middle Eastern countries a major ongoing challenge to stability?

A

Russia, and to a lesser extent China, tend to support Iran within the region. The USA and EU lean towards Saudi Arabia. The Saudis and Iranians both see themselves as regional leaders, but relations between them are very poor.

40
Q

Which two Middle Eastern countries are rivals for regional leadership in the Middle East?

A

Sunni (Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey) and Shia (Iran, Iraq, Lebanon) branches of the Muslim region

41
Q

Why are geopolitical relationships between Western capitalism (EU, North and South America), the Muslim world (Middle East, North Africa) and Asian not always easy?

A

Contrasting cultural ideologies

42
Q

Since the Global Financial Crisis in 2007-2008, why has money been borrowed?

A
  • Re-finance banks and other businesses facing collapse
  • Pay social service costs, such as unemployment benefits
  • Pay for new infrastructure (roads, bridges) in an effort to stimulate economic growth
43
Q

What percentage of annual GDP in the UK had debt levels reached by 2016?

A

90%

44
Q

What percentage of annual GDP in the USA had debt levels reached by 2016?

A

75%

45
Q

What percentage of annual GDP in Japan had debt levels reached by 2016?

A

214%

46
Q

What are debts levels pushed up by?

A

High social costs

47
Q

What has the loss of manufacturing jobs to emerging economies through globalisation led to?

A

A pool of middle-aged, low skilled, male workers without jobs
Many rely on social security payments from government

48
Q

What are the cons of the global shift to Asia?

A

The global shift to Asia has created deindustrialisation in the EU and USA
There are high costs linked to regenerating former industrial areas
In addition, the workforce needs regenerating and re-skilling in tertiary and sector jobs

49
Q

What are the high costs of the global shift to Asia linked to?

A

Regenerating former industrial areas

50
Q

Why is an ageing population a social cost?

A

Care home, nursing care and pension costs are all rising

This has to be paid for by a shrinking working-age population in many EU countries

51
Q

Why are social care and pensions costs rising rapidly in the EU?

A

Rising life expectancy and low fertility rates mean an ageing population

52
Q

How much of its GDP does the USA spend on defence?

A

The USA spends 3.3% of its GDP (US$596 billion in 2015) on defence, i.e. hard power.

53
Q

How much of its GDP does the UK spend on development assistance (foreign aid)?

A

The UK spends 0.7% of its GDP (US$18.7 billion in 2015) on development assistance (foreign aid), seeing this as a key part of its soft power.

54
Q

How could the sums of money the USA must spend be spent in other ways?

A
  • About 13% of Americans live in poverty (living on less than US$12,000 per year)
  • About 60,000 road and rail bridges in the USA need to be repaired
  • The over 65s in the USA made up 15% of the population in 2016, this will rise to 20% by 2030
55
Q

What percentage of Americans live in poverty (living on less than US$12,000 per year)?

A

13%

56
Q

How many road and rail bridges in the USA need to be repaired?

A

About 60,000

57
Q

What have the consequences of the Global Financial Crisis in 2007-2008 meant for the EU?

A

In the EU, the consequences of the GFC in 2007-2008 have meant government budget cutbacks, especially to defence. Russian aggression in Ukraine, the Islamic State in the Middle East and China’s increasing militarisation have not so far been met with increased EU or USA military spending.

58
Q

Which type of government spending amounts to 0.7% of UK GDP?

A

Development assistance (foreign aid)

59
Q

What are the three possible scenarios for the future balance of superpower?

A

Hyperpower USA - The G2 - Regional mosaic

60
Q

By 2030, what is predicted to happen to the balance of superpowers?

A
  • The Chinese economy is likely to be similar in size to that of the USA
  • Per capita incomes in China will be lower than the USA, and China will still be in the process of becoming a fully developed country.
  • China is unlikely to be a global political leader by 2030.
61
Q

By 2050, what is predicted to happen to the balance of superpowers?

A
  • The EU economy may stagnate or renew itself and grow.
  • Russia will remain important but is an unlikely global leader.
  • The EU, Russia and even China all face the prospects of rapidly ageing populations that may diminish their status.

Geography - Superpowers (8 decks)

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