migration identity and sovereignty Flashcards
Core periphery migration: Hokou system
-estimated 400 million people left rural areas in search for better life in the cities.
-Hukou controls population sizes across urban and rural China by assigning a person to an geographic area and that person must stay in that area to be given to public services such as healthcare and education
- It prevents mass migration to urban centers as China needs peasant farmers to help with its agrarian sector.
-Labour surplus in rural china
-362 million Chinese still live in extreme poverty.
-creates an socio economic divide.
Core periphery migration: Schengen Area
-passport free travel across the bloc
-free trade, no need for checks - promotes globalisation
-migrant crisis- open door for migrants and criminals
- influx of refugees and countries are unable to accommodate such number of people - 2015 1 million Syrian refugees
causes of migration: Mediterranean refugees
- one million people attempted crossing in 2016
-origin - Eritrea, Ethiopia and Syria
-56% Syrian, 20% Libyan and 20% Iraqi - Migrants were fleeing conflict and persecution, and the entry points into Europe were Greece, Italy and Spain
Issues:
-4400 died in 2014 at Sea
-Political reaction - most migrants arrive in Italy or Greece, which doesn’t want migrants.
Mediterranean refugees:
Greece and Italy’s approach
Italy:
- Italian navy rescued migrants at sea
- identification and registration
- camps set up
-most of the refugees were as a result of the Arab spring protest - mostly less educated men
- 5% Syrians
Greece:
-political instability and economic downfall meant a lack of organisation
- lack of identity checks and shelter for migrants
-56% Syrian
-families and people from higher socio-economic groups
-no government support, NGOs spring up giving information and necessities
Nations and identity
Iceland:
- most of Iceland is unsettled and empty
-monocultural - overseas constituting only 8.9% of the population
-74% of Icelanders belong to the Evangelical Chruch
Singapore:
- population of 5.47 million in 2014
-colonial past; subsequent growth due to immigration from China, India and Malaysia
-74% Chinese, 14% Malay and 9% Indian
Contested border
1) Ethnic conflict (Central Africa):
- European powers began to colonise Africa in the 1700s - a system of raw material extraction for export
-the legacy of colonialism is a host of unstable nations
-DRC is home to 240 ethnic groups, and they were fragmented when the colonial power drew up borders
-Conflict in Rwanda between Tutsi and Hutu in 1993 spread to neighbouring countries.
-During this time, many military and militias entered the DRC
2) Contested borders in Ukraine and Russia:
- Boundaries of Russia has changed several time - annexation of Crimea and the current invasion of Russia
-President Putin main motive was many Ukrainians are ethnic Russians
- international community condemned but no actual steps were taken to prevent it.
3)Historical border between Iraq and Syria:
-the root cause of conflict is the Sykes-Picot line which Britain and France drew to define their sphere of influence.
- split Kurdish population between 4 states
-terrorist groups have no respect for territorial borders
4) Political - Non-recognition of Taiwan :
- China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949
- Taiwanese sovereignty has strained relations between China and other superpowers
-1949 following communist victory in the mainland - 2 million people fled to Taiwan. They established their own government
- Taiwan claims independence but is yet to be recognised by the UN
- But Taiwanese firms like Foxconn are major investors in China - interdependency
Postcolonial Vietnam
Vietnam:
-1887 annexed by France
- ww11 invaded by Japan
-defeated Japan in 1945 by the communist liberation movement
- French started to campaign to reclaim lost territory, and the UN intervened and split Vietnam into communist North and a capitalist south
- caused the Vietnam war
- after 20 years of fighting, communist force seized control
- country reunified in 1976 as a socialist republic
Human impact:
- 3 million people killed
- 150,000 people wounded
- more than half the deaths were innocent civilians
- starvation
Environmental impact:
- 26 million craters of agent orange were sprayed, which is a herbicide and defoliant
- napalm is used to burn vegetation, flammable liquid
Economic impact:
- $950 billion cost to the US
- US unable to push the spread of communism
- Vietnam recovered slowly - now embracing capitalism and globalisation. Many TNCs invested.
Postcolonial Sudan
What happened:
Since becoming independent in 1955, lack of internal cohesion - ethnically and culturally diverse. The country was divided based on ethnic characteristics.
Human impact:
- 2 million lives lost - worst violence taking place in the Darfur region home to black Africans and Arabs
- Arab tribes came to dominant in government in Khartoum - black Africans felt marginalised economically
- attacks between groups
-Led to the creation of South Sudan
Bolivia - alternatives to capitalism
Socialism:
- Led by Evo Morales
- ended privatisation and made key industries government owned
- bolivia resulted in the world fastest growing economies
- nationalised resources - big profit for the government
- increased gas connections by 835%
- increased electricity by 150%
- increased telecommunication - 300%
-poverty fell from 59% to 39%
However:
-increasing debt, shrinking reserves
- the economy is vulnerable and high dependent on natural resources
Structural adjustment program - Jamaica
-for over 40 years, Jamaica has spent twice as much on debt repayment as it does on education and health combined
-conditions imposed with loans meant the IMF dictated policies, cutting of public services. 1.1/2.7 million people lived under the poverty line.
- since 1990, economic growth stopped growing
- Due to oil crisis in 1970 which affected oil importer Jamaica
- public debt of 145%
Economy now:
- public debt called by 50% of GDP
- unemployment at a all-time low
-economic growth improved 2%
- capital spending on infrastructure and social programs increased
IGOs and environmental interventions
1) Montreal Protocol
response to ozone depletion caused by CFCs , signed in 1987. Clear objectives and aims. Funding given to less developed countries
2)Climate change agreement
reduce carbon emissions. However countries are not held responsible for emissions. Hard to enforce
3)CITES
1975 - prevent poaching and protect species. Despite some species being protected some species are still on the verge of extinction. Ivory trade still big in Sub saharan Africa.
4) UNECE water conservation
protect transboundary water resources. Nile conflict shows it not really successful.
5) The Antarctic Treaty
-1961 - no claims made to Antarctica and only used for peaceful processes. International scientific cooperation and no nuclear activity.
The only actual successful ones are the Montreal Protocol and the antarctic treaty.
Paris climate change agreement
- March 2023 - there are 420ppm of carbon in the atmosphere
- Paris climate change agreement sets a global framework to avoid dangerous climate.
-Aim to limit increase by 1.5°C since this would reduce the risk and impacts of climate change
-IPCC indicated crossing the 1.5°C threshold will result in severe risk and impacts
-To limit the increase by 1.5°C, global emissions must decrease by 43% by 2030
Future uncertainty:
-how other nations can support LIC to reduced emissions
-core-periphery countries bring their act up
- effectiveness of mitigations
nationalistic movements
Catalonia:
-Catalans demand change as they believe they have a unique identity
- 7.52 million in population
- net contributor - generated $223 billion last for the Spanish economy but only got $10 billion from the Spanish central government
-20% of Spain GDP
- 26% of car exports
- 22% of income from tourism
-39% of income from TNCs
-least indebted part of Spain
Scotland:
2014 referendum result
-84% turnout
- yes - 44.7%
-No - 55.3%
wants a second union as it want to be part of the EU as the UK not in the EU anymore
International migration policy
Japan:
- Japan’s population is declining, 27% are aged 65 and over, and its working population is expected to drop to 44 million by 2037
-only 1.7% of the population is migrants
-strict migration to prevent cultural erosion
-as a result, the lack of migration has led to an ageing population and a declining economy
-UN predicts Japan will need 17 million migrants by 2050 so the population doesn’t drop below 2007 levels.
Australia:
- skill based immigration based on shortages in skills in the country
-70% of immigrants in Australia came to work in areas with skill shortages
-in 2013, only 190,000 economic migrants were allowed to enter Australia
Singapore:
-A very high percentage of foreign workers
-open door policy
- great ethnic diversity
-4 th largest financial centre in the world, TNC have their Asia HQ in Singapore.
