Political Organization of Space An Introduction

Political Concepts in Space  Territoriality  Attempt by individual or group to control people, phenomena, and relationships by delimiting and asserting control over a geographic area

 Sovereignty  having the “last say” (control) over a territory – politically or militarily  Territorial integrity  Ability of a government to control its territory Political Concepts in Space

Birth of the Modern State  Peace of Westphalia (1648)  Treaty that ended “Thirty Years’ War”  Clearly defined borders, recognition of statehood, guarantees of security  Territory over people

Nation, State, Nation-State  We often use nation, state and country interchangeably, but there are distinctions:  Nation  Culturally defined group of people with shared past

Nation, State, Nation-State  State  A politically organized territory with  A permanent population  A defined territory  A government

Nation, State, Nation-State  Nation-State  A politically organized area where nation and state occupy the same space  European Model

Diffusion of Nation-State  European colonialism  Colonialism  Rule by an autonomous power of a subordinate power  Often creates unequal cultural and economic relations  Two waves  16 th Century – Americas  19 th Century – Africa/Asia

Diffusion of Nation-State  Colonial administration  Europeans replicate political organization of home country  Administrative regions survive as independent states today  Often, colonial borders have little to do with ethnicity or national identity

Democracy  People, rather than monarchy or colonizer, are ultimate sovereign  Nation is associated with state

Types of States  Multinational State  More than one nation in its borders

Multistate Nation  When a nation’s boundaries cross two or more states

Stateless Nation  A people (nation) without a state of their own

Enclave  A nation or state completely surrounded by another state  Lesotho in South Africa  Any enclaves in the United States?

Enclaves in America

Exclave  Part of a nation or state that is not connected to the rest of the state  Kaliningrad, Russia  Are there any US exclaves?

American Exclaves