Unit 2 - Geopolitics Intro Flashcards
Politics definition
the administration and management of state affairs
Geopolitics
the interplay (connection) of geography and politics, on either a national or international level
Political power in the past
political power usually resided in the hands of a single ruler (or dynasty) who exercised control over various groups of people living within loosely defined borders
e.g. alexander the great
Nation state formation
most nation states were created between 1900 and 1999
many of them resulted from the decolonization of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East after WW2
in 1990s many new nation states were established when the Soviet Union broke up
Nation state
a sizable group of people who have adopted a unique common identity as fellow citizens, and who live together under one government within a certain geographical area
-has political autonomy (able to create policies and enforce laws within its borders without interferences from other states) and sovereignty
Sovereignty
a legal concept that, according to international law, recognizes that the authority of a state is not subject to legal control by any other state
Ideology
a set of ideas and beliefs that a nation uses as the basis for its way of life, its political and economic systems, and its social goals
egalitarian
all people have equal rights
representative democracy
citizens exercise political power by electing officials who govern in accordance with their wishes
essential features of democracy
-decision-making system based on the rule of the majority of citizens
-accountability of the government to the electorate
-guarantee for the freedoms of expression
-independent judiciary not subject to the political policies of the gov in power
nationalism
extreme devotion to the country in order to obtain the loyalty and support of their citizens
absolute monarchy
has no elected officials; rests entirely with the monarch (king, queen, sultan, sheikh)
one party nation state
authority rests with one political party; other parties are not allowed to exist (e.g. kim jong-il of north korea)
Define the term ‘geopolitics’ and provide an example
Geopolitics is the way geography and politics affect each other (interplay) on either a national or international level (trade agreements, war treaties)
e.g. Canada passed legislation to restrict the release of airborne pollutants that acidify lakes
Define the term ‘politics’ and provide an example
Politics is the administration and management of state affairs and decision-making process of the gov
e.g. forming military alliances, controlling access to sea + air routes, striking trade agreements, determining borders and resolving international conflicts
Geopolitics vs. politics
Same thing but geopolitics is on a global scale
What does the term ‘political sovereignty’ mean?
Political sovereignty refers to whoever exercises the highest influence or control. Ideally, in a democracy, the people as a whole are the political sovereign insofar as they can influence the laws and governments without being directly empowered to make or enforce the laws.
How does the modern nation state differ from earlier empires or kingdoms?
modern nation state has autonomy and sovereignty (create own laws + have freedom), not a single ruler
What are the 4 important characteristics that make up a state?
Population: must have ppl; # doesn’t matter
Territory: must have clearly defined and recognized borders
Government: issues and enforces rules for the ppl living within its territory; gov must be recognized from within and by other nation states in the international community
Sovereignty: must have supreme power to act within its territory and to control its external affairs
manufacturing consent
setting the news agenda by techniques like selecting the topics that will be reported, filtering info thru different viewpoints, and using a screening effect where one major event is used as a focus to distract from other significant events
setting the agenda
ability of media to influence viewers and shape an agenda
-people of power trick non-educated public into what they want them to believe and they follow it w/o thinking critically or questioning it
propaganda
persuasive messages and the widespread promotion of particular ideas
-mostly used in military conflict
jargon
special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.
-used to manipulate or mislead
doublespeak
Doublespeak is language that deliberately obscures, disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words
-used to deceive usually through concealment or misrepresentation of truth
e.g. “collateral damage”, used to refer to unintended civilian deaths
representative democracy
citizens exercise political power by electing officials who govern in accordance with their wishes
what are essential features of democracy?
-a decision-making system based on the rule of the majority of citizens
-accountability of the government to the electorate
-guarantees for the freedoms of expression, assembly, religion, and the press
-an independent judiciary that is not subject to the political policies of the government in power
direct democracy
The Greeks in ancient times had citizens (who were not women or slaves) met periodically to make political decisions and gave a yes or no answer to a question
referendum
a form of direct democracy, sometimes used to resolve issues in some nation states (including US and Canada)
limited democracy
the armed forces are in a position to assert control if the democratically elected gov. moves in a direction that the military leaders do not like
authoritarianism
nation states that limited the political participation of their citizens
-often stifled dissent from those who speak out in an effort to change the political system
what do many authoritarian states rely on?
they rely on stirring up nationalism (extreme devotion to country)
nationalism
an extreme devotion to the country, in order to obtain the loyalty and support of their citizens
what are the 3 different forms of authoritarianism?
absolute monarchy, one-party nation state or a military-run state
absolute monarchy
-has no elected officials
-authority rests entirely with the monarch (king, queen, sultan, sheikh)
-upon the death of the ruler, power passes on to child
examples of countries with absolute monarchies
Saudi Arabia
Jordan
Switzerland
U.A.E
one party nation state
authority rests with one political party; other parties are not allowed to exist
-could be more than 1 political party, but restrictions on them prevent them from gaining political power
examples of leaders of one-party nation states
Kim JOng-il of North Korea
Muammar al-Kadhafi of Libya
military authoritarianism
the power to govern rests in the hands of one or more military leaders who refuse to give up power or have seized power from an elected government
examples of countries with military authoritarianism
Algeria, Chile, Indonesia, Mozambique, Thailand, and Iraq
(^ the military plays an influential role in running the country, even though it doesn’t form the gov.)
religious nation state
in a religious nation state, spiritual leaders whose religious beliefs form the political framework hold political power
examples of countries with a religious nation state
Iran (follow Shari’ah)
Afghanistan (under the rule of Taliban)
communism ideology
belief that the ruling class should be overthrown by the working class
-result would be a classless society in which citizens would collectively own all land, capital and means of production
what communism developed from Marx and Engels writings?
it developed into this new ideology that saw one-party states in which the communist party held power through the use of propaganda, state-controlled education and secret police
examples of communism
China, North Korea, North Vietnam, Albania, Cuba
(strong leaders ran the country as dictators)
examples of countries controlled by communist parties under a single-party system
people’s republic of china, cuba, laos, north korea, and vietnam
which countries are no longer true communist states and why?
china, laos and vietnam because they allow varying degrees of private ownership
which countries were known as superpowers
us and the soviet union
countries that were NOT formally committed to either superpower were known as ________
neutrals
if countries were part of what was known at the time as 3rd World (________ _______), they were called ___________ _______
developing countries; non-aligned nations
what is an ideology?
a set of ideas and beliefs that a nation uses as the basis for its way of life, its political and economic systems and its social goals
what is an egalitarian communist state and give an example
All people have equal rights
People’s republic of Korea (led by father and son)
state
political unit with the power to make and enforce laws over a group of people living within a clearly defined territory
