power and borders Flashcards
what does the world map show? characteristic of world map
territories of sovereign nation-states
it is dynamic
what is a sovereign nation-state?
a spatially bound area of land, defining and independent, self-governing country
examples of the dynamic nature of the world map
South Sudan seceded form Sudan in 2011, following civil war
15 countries formed in east Europe/ Central Asia by the secession from the USSR in 1991
Germany achieved unity in 1990
Czechoslovakia underwent dissolution in 1993 into Czech Republic and Slovakia
what do the changes to the world map influence?
economic and social geography e.g. ethnic groups and global patterns of trade and migration
what political and economic groups have been created by the world map changes?
G20 and G7
global organisations e.g. UN, World Bank, IMF
regional trading blocs e.g. EU
recent expansions of the EU?
Croatia in 2013
Bulgaria and Romania in 2007
state definition
an area of land, of an independent country, with clear boundaries, and organised by a single government
characteristics of states?
defined territory (internationally recognised)
sovereignty (political authority is strong and effective throughout the territory)
government which is internationally recognised
capacity to engage in formal relations with other states
independence
permanent population with self-determination
how can governments be internationally recognised?
through UN elected membership
what is state apparatus?
a set of institutions and organisations through which state power is achieved
what can economic power be measured in terms of?
trade and wealth generated
what can military power depend on?
wealth and government policy
what does state power depend on?
natural resources (and ability to exploit them)
location
demographic structure
industrial development
trade strength
wealth
government policy
what is the degree of resilience measured by?
the Fund for Peace (FFP) Fragile States Index
what is the global pattern of the degree of resilience based on
many social, economic, political and military indices e.g. refugees per capita, political prisoners
nation definition
a group of people with strong bonds of identity, united by shared descent, history, traditions, culture and language
is a state or nation more important?
state allows international relations: power system and means there is a responsibility to look after people
nation creates sense of unity and belonging
therefore nations should be taken into account when creating states
difference between nation and state
state= political concept with legal responsibilities in a defined territory, internationally recognised
nation= group of people with strong cultural bonds, no fixed territory, evolves over time
how is a nation different to a state spatially?
example
a nation may be confined to 1 country or its people may live across adjoining countries. some are scattered globally in the diaspora. many states contain several national groups
Kurdish nation= a non-arab, Middle Eastern population in Kurdistan (eastern turkey, ne Iraq, nw Iran, ne syria, armenia). kurds, like their ancestors, are semi-nomadic
do nations have sovereignty?
no; they are united by culture but without a state or sovereign power
what is a nation referred to when it has an independent state of its own?
a nation-state
nation state definition and examples
a state whose boundaries and sovereignty match with the geographical area of a nation e.g. Japan, France
why do most states call themselves nation-states?
because every government attempts to build a sense of national identity among its citizens: nation building
how do governments go about nation building?
through education system and media
sovereignty definition
the authority which independent states exercise in the government of the land and people in their territories
territorial integrity definition
principle that the defined territory of a state, over which it has exclusive and legitimate control, is inviolable
how are territorial integrity and sovereignty linked?
states exercise their sovereignty within a specific territory, bounded by international law
where does the Charter of the UN refer to the importance of territorial integrity?
article 2.4
what is the preservation of territorial integrity important for?
achieving and maintaining international security and stability
intervention definition
involvement in the affairs of another state (to end gross violations of human rights) e.g. peacekeeping, mediation, humanitarian support
broad examples of intervention
economic sanctions (detailed in article 41 of UN charter)
military intervention authorised by UN in article 42
missions of regional organisations e.g. NATO
humanitarian assistance by NGOs and aid agencies
when is intervention deemed necessary?
in circumstances e.g:
state governments failing to protect citizens from human rights violations as a direct act of aggression by another state
where civil war is a result of poor governance
where there is conflict between ethnic groups
where terrorism has serious effects
where TNCs have negative impacts
why is intervention controversial?
principal of sovereignty is undermined by it
what are norms and what are they embedded in?
moral principles, customs and ways of living that are internationally accepted as standard behaviour
are embedded in international law to be upheld by state governments and their citizens
what are norms based on (UN)
principles in the UN Charter which refer to customary, internationally accepted behaviour of state governments, including:
state responsibilities of maintaining the global system of sovereign states with bounded territories
protecting their citizens
what does sovereign authority mean?
all states have equal right to determine their own form of government which can make decisions concerning the people and resources in its territory, but must also respect the sovereignty of other states
why are the number of norms increasing?
in charters of regional organisations e.g. EU and ASEAn, they are reinforcing the norms regarding sovereignty and territorial integrity
what does geopolitics involve?
the global balance of political power and international relations.
is geopolitical power even throughout the world? why?
NO
powerful ACs e.g. USA have lots of power
EDCs have less
LIDCs have even less
supranational institutions e.g UN,EU exert strong geopolitical influence
trans-state organisations have increasing influence on countries due to globalisation
what needs to be considered about the geopolitics of intervention into issues?
the international community must consider:
why it is necessary to intervene
how to appropriately intervene
the country’s features
people and governments affected
potential socio-economic, environmental and political effects
the political composition of the area/countries
what does the effectiveness of intervention rely on?
interaction and co-ordination at every scale
what does the effectiveness of intervention rely on?
interaction and co-ordination at every scale
geopolitics definition
the influence of human and physical geography on government activities, law making and decision making
self-determination definition
right of a group with a distinctive territorial integrity to freely determine its political status and freely pursue its economic, social and cultural development.
where does Westphalian sovereignty come from,
what does it mean
and what are its implications
treaty of Westphalia, west Germany, 1648
established a principle of non-intervention in another sovereign state
makes it illegal to invade other states
makes sovereignty and territorial integrity key to a state and to international relations
beyond spatial land area, what does sovereign authority apply to?
rocks, solid, minerals and space beneath the surface
agreed areas of sea and sea-bed resources
agreed air space
what is ethnic dominance?
what does it impact?
a difference in social power between ethnic groups and is a common and influential aspect of inter-ethnic relationships and may have strong effects on co-operation
why is political dominance of ethnic groups a challenge to state sovereignty?
if a group has a particularly strong cultural identity and unity they might demand independence e.g. Tuareg in Mali
challenges can also arise when conflict occurs between two or more ethnic groups within a state and the government is unable to protect/defend all of its citizens
examples of areas with issues of ethnic dominance?
south sudan
Basque region
kurdistan
ethnic dominance; example of south sudan
a large state with dozens of ethnic groups/ indigenous tribes within it
the Dinka and Nuer tribes’ conflicts was fuelled by political differences between politicians/ leaders which originate from these tribes
Dinka makes up 35.8% of pop
Nuer makes up 15.6%
ethnic dominance; example of kurdistan
a large nation divided across 4 states; syria, Iraq, Iran, turkey
93% voted in favour of independence in 2017
7.8 million population
the separation movement has had some violent moments and several wars fought around the subject of their independence. this undermines the authority of the governments which rule over the 4 countries
ethnic dominance; example of Basque region
spans across west end of border of France and Spain; 3 counties in France and 4 in Spain
population 3.1million
culture, language and tradition is distinct to the area and is displayed in their food, architecture and dance
despite their political autonomy, nationalists demand the right to self determination
separatist movement is called ETA and has carried out terrorist attacks up until 2011. protests have also been peaceful
where is political dominance of ethnic groups a larger issue?
in newer countries with less stable governments which have weaker foundations.
LIDCs also tend to have more tribal and ethnically diverse populations which are separate to the government and rarely interact
the challenges of TNCs in sovereign states
TNCs have recently expanded operations not regarding any state boundaries. due to their large, economic power, some states have partially lost control of their territory, environment, workforce and (in extremes) their own political decisions
TNCs also disrespect human rights, e.g. exploiting workers, underpaying them, demanding working overtime and long hours, poor working conditions and the use of child labour
examples of TNCs challenging sovereignty
Shell in Nigeria
Meta
how does Meta challenge sovereignty?
controls information fed to population through algorithms, therefore potentially influencing their political ideas and what they are exposed to
this shapes opinions and elections
how has shell challenged Nigeria’s sovereignty?
oil in country has attracted Shell, who set up a huge network and employed many Nigerian people in the Niger Delta
Ken Saro Wiwa and other Ogoni leaders being executed in 1995 by the government for peacefully protesting against the socioeconomic, environmental and humanitarian issues caused by Shell’s operations.
Recently, shell claimed it had inserted staff into all the mainstream ministries of the Nigerian government, giving it access to the politician’s every move in the oil-rich delta (according to a leaked US diplomatic cable)
this led to corruption and undermined sovereignty
Nigeria oil figures
Africas leading oil producer
8th biggest oil exporter in the world
accounts for 8% of all US oil imports
where do TNCs present more of a challenge to sovereignty?
in LIDCs, where dependence can be developed on the value to the economy which is provided by the TNCs. (eroding sovereignty and influencing political decisions).
more difficult in ACs as they already have more economic power and are less reliant
why are TNCs such a tricky issue to tackle?
their influence is gradual and ongoing. they practically become part of the state.
the companies also operate all over the globe and are not bound to one specific country, making them harder to monitor
what is a supranational institution?
examples
a multinational union or association in which member countries cede authority and sovereignty on at least some internal matters to the group, whose decisions are binding on its members
e.g. UN, WHO, NATO, Five Eyes. regional trading blocks such as EU, MERCOSUR, ASEAN
how do supranational institutions and sovereignty link?
within the institutions, member states retain their sovereignty (independent, equal rights, control over and responsibility for their citizens), but are bound to the requirements e.g. any treaties signed. they are said to surrender some aspects of their sovereignty
what challenges to sovereignty can supranational institutions lead to?
institution limits economic/political actions of member states by enforcing certain laws and undermining their sovereignty e.g. EU members cannot set own interest rates
loss of border control increases smuggling and illegal trade, limiting a state’s assets and damaging its economy
loss of national power in favour of larger government
UN have given themselves the right to intervention through the responsibility to save people from violations of human rights.
example of supranational institution undermining sovereignty
brexit; led to state leaving the EU
reason for brexit?
some citizens believed the state was being limited and confined by EU’s restrictive laws e.e. border control, fishing quotas, trading, contribution to large bail-out fund e.g. for Greece’s debt crisis in 2015
Britain couldn’t pass their own laws if they conflicted with those of the EU, and it was obligatory to implement all the bloc’s rules (even those which UK had voted against)
what did brexit benefit?
vaccine rollout during COVID-19 and led to the state’s recovery happening faster than many other European states due to control over trade. when Uk had 40% vaccinated, EU had only jabbed 12-14%
negatives of BREXIT
14% fall in UK exports to the EU in 2021
state’s European influence has decreased drastically and UK has retreated from the global power networks of the 21st century
UK’s GDP has grown 3.8% since referendum; EU’s has grown by 8.5%
where do supranational institution’s challenges to sovereignty affect more?
in ACs/ developed countries as they are not as reliant on the new trade opportunities to develop so will not put up with the negatives to gain from this
in LIDCs, the International trading opportunities and influence gained can kickstart industrialisation and economic development, so the challenges are more often accepted here to benefit form the convenience and structure of being a member state.
different countries within the institutions have uneven power e.g. Germany has lots of power in Europe through EU (less negatives)
