Unit 2 - Geopolitics Intro

Question 1

Politics definition

Answer 1

the administration and management of state affairs

Question 2

Geopolitics

Answer 2

the interplay (connection) of geography and politics, on either a national or international level

Question 3

Political power in the past

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Nation state formation

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Nation state

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Sovereignty

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Ideology

Answer 7

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

Question 8

egalitarian

Answer 8

all people have equal rights

Question 9

representative democracy

Answer 9

citizens exercise political power by electing officials who govern in accordance with their wishes

Question 10

essential features of democracy

Answer 10

-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

Question 11

nationalism

Answer 11

extreme devotion to the country in order to obtain the loyalty and support of their citizens

Question 12

absolute monarchy

Answer 12

has no elected officials; rests entirely with the monarch (king, queen, sultan, sheikh)

Question 13

one party nation state

Answer 13

authority rests with one political party; other parties are not allowed to exist (e.g. kim jong-il of north korea)

Question 14

Define the term ‘geopolitics’ and provide an example

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Define the term ‘politics’ and provide an example

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Geopolitics vs. politics

Answer 16

Same thing but geopolitics is on a global scale

Question 17

What does the term ‘political sovereignty’ mean?

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

How does the modern nation state differ from earlier empires or kingdoms?

Answer 18

modern nation state has autonomy and sovereignty (create own laws + have freedom), not a single ruler

Question 19

What are the 4 important characteristics that make up a state?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

manufacturing consent

Answer 20

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

Question 21

setting the agenda

Answer 21

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

Question 22

propaganda

Answer 22

persuasive messages and the widespread promotion of particular ideas

-mostly used in military conflict

Question 23

jargon

Answer 23

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

Question 24

doublespeak

Answer 24

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

Question 25

representative democracy

Answer 25

citizens exercise political power by electing officials who govern in accordance with their wishes

Question 26

what are essential features of democracy?

Answer 26

-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

Question 27

direct democracy

Answer 27

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

Question 28

referendum

Answer 28

a form of direct democracy, sometimes used to resolve issues in some nation states (including US and Canada)

Question 29

limited democracy

Answer 29

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

Question 30

authoritarianism

Answer 30

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

Question 31

what do many authoritarian states rely on?

Answer 31

they rely on stirring up nationalism (extreme devotion to country)

Question 32

nationalism

Answer 32

an extreme devotion to the country, in order to obtain the loyalty and support of their citizens

Question 33

what are the 3 different forms of authoritarianism?

Answer 33

absolute monarchy, one-party nation state or a military-run state

Question 34

absolute monarchy

Answer 34

-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

Question 35

examples of countries with absolute monarchies

Answer 35

Saudi Arabia
Jordan
Switzerland
U.A.E

Question 36

one party nation state

Answer 36

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

Question 37

examples of leaders of one-party nation states

Answer 37

Kim JOng-il of North Korea
Muammar al-Kadhafi of Libya

Question 38

military authoritarianism

Answer 38

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

Question 39

examples of countries with military authoritarianism

Answer 39

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.)

Question 40

religious nation state

Answer 40

in a religious nation state, spiritual leaders whose religious beliefs form the political framework hold political power

Question 41

examples of countries with a religious nation state

Answer 41

Iran (follow Shari’ah)
Afghanistan (under the rule of Taliban)

Question 42

communism ideology

Answer 42

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

Question 43

what communism developed from Marx and Engels writings?

Answer 43

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

Question 44

examples of communism

Answer 44

China, North Korea, North Vietnam, Albania, Cuba

(strong leaders ran the country as dictators)

Question 45

examples of countries controlled by communist parties under a single-party system

Answer 45

people’s republic of china, cuba, laos, north korea, and vietnam

Question 46

which countries are no longer true communist states and why?

Answer 46

china, laos and vietnam because they allow varying degrees of private ownership

Question 47

which countries were known as superpowers

Answer 47

us and the soviet union

Question 48

countries that were NOT formally committed to either superpower were known as ________

Answer 48

neutrals

Question 49

if countries were part of what was known at the time as 3rd World (________ _______), they were called ___________ _______

Answer 49

developing countries; non-aligned nations

Question 50

what is an ideology?

Answer 50

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

Question 51

what is an egalitarian communist state and give an example

Answer 51

All people have equal rights

People’s republic of Korea (led by father and son)

Question 52

state

Answer 52

political unit with the power to make and enforce laws over a group of people living within a clearly defined territory