Slide 1: Geopolitics--Part 2
Slide 2: Centripetal and Centrifugal Forces
Centripetal—factors that promote unity
• Raison d’être—“reason for being” • All countries need a reason to exist; this acts as a central, unifying force
What is the raison d’être of the United States of America?
Centrifugal—encourages dissolution
• Lack of group unity, no common cause, etc.
Slide 3: Supranational Political Bodies
Supranational organization International association, generally for the purpose of trade, mutual security or military assistance
• CIS—Commonwealth of Independent States (Former USSR countries) • United Nations—top of the S.O. food chain • EU—European Union
Most successful and powerful S.O. in the world
• Centralizing administration, money system (Euro)
Response to world wars; an attempt to reduce conflict and increase prosperity
Slide 4: Map of the European Union
Taken from: CIA —The World Factbook
Slide 5: QuickTimeª and a GIF decompressor are needed to see this picture.
European Central Bank, Frankfurt, Germany, in 5 charge of Eurozone’s 5 monetary policy
Slide 6: Is a world state possible?
In your opinion… Could there ever be a supranational governing body that controlled the world?
Slide 7: Electoral Geographic Regions
Functional
• Voting Districts
Redistricting occurs after each census to ensure an even population distribution in each voting district
Sometimes this leads to….
Slide 8: …Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering
• The redrawing of voting districts to perpetuate majority power
Whoever is in power redraws the lines to give themselves the majority in the most advantageous districts
• Usually occurs when redistricting is left in the hands of legislators, rather than impartial experts
Slide 9: Electoral Geographic Regions
Formal—Voting patterns
• Voting patterns can be mapped to show tendencies over time • These are often based on cultural ideals, preferences, and needs
Religious ideals, ethnicity, cultural ideology, etc.
• How have these played out in the U.S. in the past?
Slide 10: Electoral Cultural Regions in the U.S.
Traditionalistic
• Family and social class before state or individual; best government is the least government
Moralistic
• Society before the individual; government is a means to achieving a good society
Individualistic
• Politics furthers personal interests; individual above all else
Ethnic
• Agenda based on ethnicity
Slide 11: Electoral Geography
Are there any electoral culture regions shaping up in the current election?
11 11
Slide 12: Political Diffusion
Reflects the movement of political ideologies and innovations Country building May occur as an expansion of a country from the core area
• France—Paris;US—Mass./Virg.
Slide 13: Political Diffusion
Country Building: Russia—Moscow Country Building: Russia—Moscow
Slide 14: “Created” Countries
Expansion from a core area = more stable Countries created outright or combined from 2 or more countries with competing core areas = less stable
• Spain—Castile and Aragon united in 1479
Cores: Madrid and Barcelona Castilian and Catalan languages
Slide 15: Expansion Diffusion
•Expansion of independence, insurgencies, political ideas and innovations •Africa: Expansion of independence, throwing off colonial rule •How about the expansion of democracy in the Middle East (Southwest Asia and North Africa)? The Arab Spring seems to be following a similar pattern of diffusion.
Slide 16: Political Ecology: The Folk Fortress The Folk Fortress Natural strongholds
• Protecting the whole country or even just the core area • Prior to air and missile warfare, natural protection helped a country to survive outside attack • Border protection can come in the form of natural features or even weather patterns (recurrent fogs, long and snowy winters), etc.
Slide 17: Terrain Affects Stability
Distribution of terrain affects stability both in terms of defense and national cohesion France comes closest to the ideal, surrounded by mountains, with Paris, the core area, on a high plateau
Slide 19: Terrain Affects Stability
Best natural borders?
• Sea coasts are best
(though they may entice countries in the interior to expand in order to use these as logical borders, as in the U.S. and Russia)
• Islands are so/so, as they may still be attacked and even surrounded • Note that there are more factors than terrain involved, like proximity to hostile neighbors, for example
Slide 20: Mackinder’s Heartland Theory
Halford Mackinder began a study in 1904 Thesis: The heartland of Eurasia could control the world from the interior East European Plain
Slide 21: Mackinder’s Heartland Theory
Slide 22: Mackinder’s Heartland Theory
Halford Mackinder began a study in 1904 Thesis: The heartland of Eurasia could control the world from the interior East European Plain Interior countries would be impervious to naval attack and could move outward through natural passes to conquer and take over the rimland, then use coastal sites to expand further Theory ultimately led to the containment policies of the Cold War
Slide 23: Problems With Mackinder’s Theory
Eurasion interior created natural borders that were too difficult to cross and maintain control of (Siberia, interior deserts and wastelands were thinly-settled and had no resources) Airborne warfare and ballistic missiles made natural borders less relevant The inherent weaknesses of the Marxist system destroyed the nation’s economy Lack of cohesion among different culture groups in the heartland led to interior conflicts The theory was environmentally deterministic—it ignored the ways in which culture could overcome nature The heartland can still have a great deal of influence, even if outright political control is unattainable [See: Peter Tomsen, on the Eurasian Highlands: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-july-28-2011/peter-to
Slide 24: Political Landscapes
Politics leaves a visible imprint on the landscape, from national landsurveying systems to local building codes Geographers looking closely at the land can even find relic landscapes of past governments or policies
Slide 25:
Political Landscapes: Border Lands Border Lands as fences, Physical properties of boundaries, such
tell us something about the cultures of the nations they delineate; most political boundaries are demarcated, creating:
• Border landscapes—These are most visible where governments restrict movement, setting up defenses or clear cutting for better border visibility; even where defense is not a problem and borders are generally invisible, there are often features like check points on road crossings • Relic borders—Landscape features identifying the imprint of old boundary defenses, sometimes even the ruins of ancient borders (ex.: Roman Hadrian’s Wall in England; The Great Wall of China)
Slide 27: Most frequently crossed international border in the world with about 250 million people crossing legally each year. Much of this border is along the Rio Grande--the US and Mexico share this river, an important source of water for the region. Issues of pollution and overuse must be dealt with jointly.
Slide 28: Border between India and Pakistan. Pakistan didn’t exist until 1947 when the British gave independence to India and created Pakistan, which gave India's Muslims a state of their own. A common faith underpins Pakistan's claims to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, where the population is over 60% Muslim. It is the only state within India where Muslims are in the majority.
Slide 29: Border between Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand. This border represents many things, such as a difference in economic well being on each side of the border. On the Thai side, the people are much better off, economically. Burma, on the other hand, is governed by military rule and has a much lower standard of living. People often cross the border here in the refugee region of Thailand to get medical treatment that they can’t get in Burma.
Slide 30: Border crossing from Costa Rica into Panama. Note the absence of hinderances.
Slide 31: What About Gang Borders?
Gang borders—These make up the underground “political units” of the inner cities; numerous tell-tale markings can help (brave) geographers to map gang territories.
• Study by geographers David Ley and Roman Cybriwsky--the most aggressive graffiti is found at the boundaries of gang territories (1974): Outward-directed graffiti marks borders with epithets and threats Inward-directed, supportive graffiti marks core area
Streetgangs.com--maps: http://www.streetgangs.com/maps/
