Power and borders Flashcards
give the definition of sovereignty?
the absolute authority that independent states exercise in the government of the land and people in the territory
give the definition of territorial integrity?
a principle that the defined territory of state, over which has exclusive and legitimate control is inviolable, enshrined in the charter of the UN and is an important part of international law
describe what the world political map shows (4)
-the world political map shows the territories of sovereign nation states
-these are spatially bounded areas of land which define as physically independent, self governing countries
-the peace of west phalia (1648) is often cited as the inception of modern state
give the definition of a nation state?
a nation with its own independent state, the boundaries of the state coincide with the area inhabited by the nation
what is the definition of succession?
the transfer of part of a states area and population to another state
what is the significance of border changes?
-border changes affect sovereignty over populations physical resources, for example South Sudan oil division
-the borders influence the economy (landlocked = reduced trade) and the geography (migration routes for each new country)
how has changes to the world map been beneficial?
-the formation of trading blocks such as EU, MERCOSUR
-formation of global organisations such as the UN, IMF, world bank
-the formation of G20 and G7
give the definition of a state?
refers to the area of land, of an independent country with well defined boundaries, within are a politically organised body of people under a single government
what are some of the characteristics that states have?
-a defined territory which is internationally recognised
-sovereignty in which the political authority is effective and strong enough to assert itself throughout the bounded territory
-government is recognised by other states
-independence (self governing)
-permanent population which. has the right to self determination
give the definition of self determination?
the right of a group with a distinctive territorial identity to freely determine its political status and freely pursue its economic, social and cultural development
give the definition of state apparatus?
refers to the set of institutions and organisations through which state power is achieved (legal power, military, police, education)
what causes the inequalities in power and influence of states globally?
-some states have the ability to dominate and drive global systems and have significant influence on global events
-others have little influence and can only react or respond to global change
how can power be measured?
-economic power can be measured in terms of trade and wealth generated over a long period of time
-military power can also depend on wealth and government policy
-a state may also be influential in the global spread of cultural attributes, known as americanisation
what does state power depend on?
-economic, social, political and physical factors
-(physical factors - the ability to exploit natural resources and geographical location)
-(social factors - Human Resources and demographic structure)
-(economic factors - industrial development, ability to regulate its economy, trade strength)
-(political - internal political organisations, international relations, government policy and events in history)
give the definition of a nation?
refers to a large group of people with a strong identity, united by strong descent, history, traditions, culture and language
give an example of a nation?
-the Kurdish nation
-they inhabit Kurdistan which is a mountainous area in south west Asia, including parts of eastern turkey, northeast Iraq, northwest Iran, Armenia and northeast syria
-traditionally normandic but mostly semi-normandic or sedentary now
-the nation does not have sovereignty, but the Kurds are a nation of which is united by culture but without a state of sovereign power
give the definition of nation building?
the creation or development of a nation, especially one that has recently become independent
give two processes by which sovereignty is obtained?
-internal sovereignty - a state has exclusive authority within its bounded territory and no other state can intervene in its domestic politics
-external sovereignty - a state cannot simply proclaim sovereignty, there has to be mutual recognition among other sovereign states
in addition to sovereignty of the land what else does sovereignty apply too?
-rocks, soils, minerals and space beneath the surface
-agreed areas of see and sea bed sources
-agreed air space
what is causing challenges to sovereignty and territorial integrity?
due to globalisation process developing
what does territorial integrity mean and who maintains it?
-states exercise their sovereignty within a specific territory, the boundaries set by international law
-preservation of territorial integrity and sovereignty is essential to achieving global stability and international security
-key organisation in maintaining this is the UN
explain how sovereignty and territorial integrity are related?
-states exercise sovereignty within a specific territory, and the boundaries have been set by international law
-this provides a frame work for the current international political structure based on territorial division and sovereign states
in what UN charter is territorial integrity defined?
-article 2.4 ‘ all members should refrain in their international relations from threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state ‘
what 3 things ensure states ‘play nice’?
-norms
-interventions
-geopolitics
what are norms and their significance to a state?
-norms are the rules that countries are meant to play by, laid out by international law, treaties and the UN charter
-UN is based on sovereign equality meaning each state has the same rights as each other to form their own government without outside influence (article 2.1)
-states that fail to meet these norms and obligations in the UN charter (4.1) are often fragile because they have ineffective state apparatus, meaning sanctions have to be put in place
what are norms based on?
-moral principles, customs and behaviours which have developed throughout the world
-norms are based on laws set out by the UN charter which outlines the universally accepted understanding of sovereignty and territorial integrity
-they refer to customary, internationally accepted behaviour of state governments (including maintaining sovereignty and protecting their citizens)
what UN article defines the principle of the UN?
article 2.1 - the UN is based on the principle of the sovereign equality for all its members
what is the meaning of article 2.1?
-‘the UN is based on the sovereign equality for all its members’
-it means all states have equal rights and can chose their own form of government without outside influence
-also states all have equal rights to make authoritative decisions in regards to people and resources within its defined territory
-states have the responsibility to respect the sovereignty of other states
article 2.4 - definiton and meaning?
’ all members should refrain in their international relations from threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state ‘
makes specific reference to the preservation of territorial integrity and political independence of a state
article 2.1 - definition and meaning?
‘the UN is based on the principle of sovereign equality for all its members’
-meaning every state has the right to determine its own form of government without outside influence
-also every state has the right to make auhtoritive decisions about the people and resources in its defined territory
article 4.1 - definition and meaning?
‘membership in the UN is open to all peace loving states which accept the obligations in the UN charter and are able to carry out these obligations’
-obligations refer to promoting and developing friendly external relations between nations, and internally the obligation of a state is to protect its citizens (allowing them to be involved in the government and have freedom)
give the definition of intervention?
when international organisations act to resolve conflicts, challenges and crises in other states
give some examples of interventions?
-economic sanctions (trade embargo)
-military action (when authorised by the UN)
-missions of regional organisations (NATO)
-humanitarian assistances (NGOs)
when is aid deemed necessary?
-in circumstances when the government fails to protect its citizens from violations of human rights or aggression by another state
-when civil war occurs due to a poor government, for ex conflict between ethnic groups
-intervention when TNCs have negative economic, social or environmental effects in a country they invest in.
why is international aid controversial?
-it is argued the principle of sovereignty, promoted by the UN is undermined by the UN security council
‘the UN is based on the sovereign equality for all its members’
-states are not making their own decisions in regard to the people and resources within its defined territory if an outside organisation is intervening
give the definition of geopolitics?
-Geopolitics refer to the different geographic (either physical or human) influences on political and international relations.
-geopolitics involves the global balance of political power and international relations
