Chapter 8: Political Geography

Chapter 8: Political Geography
© Barbara Weightman Concept Caching: Burma, Myanmar Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

How is space politically organized into states and nations?
Key Question How is space politically organized into states and nations? © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

How Is Space Politically Organized into States and Nations?
Political geography is the study of the political organization of the world. A state is a politically organized territory with a permanent population, a defined territory, and a government. Geographer Stuart Elden: modern concept of territory arose in early modern Europe as a system of political units came into being with fixed, distinct boundaries and at least a quasi-independent government; process by which this happens is territoriality. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Today, territoriality is tied to the concept of sovereignty. Sovereignty means having a recognized right to control a territory both politically and militarily. Under international law, states are sovereign, and they have the right to defend their territorial integrity against incursion from other states. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

United States. Although biologically there is only one human
Figure 5.2 United States. Although biologically there is only one human race, we are constantly asked to choose race “boxes” for ourselves. This page of the 2010 United States Census asks the individual, “What is your race?” and directs the individual to “Mark one or more races to indicate what you consider yourself to be.” © U.S. Census Bureau © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Modern State Idea Idea of the state appeared in various forms across world regions 400 or 500 years ago The European state idea most influenced the development of the modern state system Emerging political state was accompanied by mercantilism, which led to the accumulation of wealth through plunder, colonization, and the protection of home industries and foreign markets © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Modern State Idea The Peace of Westphalia, negotiated in 1648, marks the beginning of the modern state system. In the Westphalian system it became the territory that defined the society. Territory is treated as a fixed element of political identification, and states define exclusive, nonoverlapping territories. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Nation is a culturally defined term, and few people agree on exactly what it means. The term was originally meant to refer to a group of people who think of themselves as one based on a sense of shared culture and history, and who seek some degree of political-territorial autonomy. All nations are ultimately mixtures of different peoples. A nation is identified by its own membership; therefore, we cannot simply define a nation as the people within a territory © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Nation-State A nation-state is a politically organized area in which nation and state occupy the same space. The goal of creating nation-states dates to the French Revolution: democracy Key problem associated with the idea of the nation-state is that it assumes the presence of reasonably well-defined, stable nations living contiguously in discrete territories. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Nation-State When people have a strong sense of nationalism, they have a loyalty to and a belief in the nation itself. A state, in contrast, seeks to promote a sense of nationhood that coincides with its own borders. To help people within the borders relate to the dominant national ideal, states provide security, infrastructure, and goods and services for their citizens. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Guest Field Note: Cluj-Napoca, Romania
“To Hungarians, Transylvania is significant because it was an important part of the Hungarian Kingdom for a thousand years. Many of their great leaders were born and buried there, and many of their great churches, colleges, and architectural achievements are located there too.” *Could be an audio file. Figure 8.5 Credit: George White, South Dakota State University © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Multistate Nations, Multinational States, and Stateless Nations
How Is Space Politically Organized into States and Nations? Multistate Nations, Multinational States, and Stateless Nations Nearly every state in the world is a multinational state, a state with more than one nation inside its borders. When a nation stretches across borders and across states, the nation is called a multistate nation. When multiple nations or states claim attachments to the same piece of territory, the potential for conflict is significant. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Another complication that arises from the lack of fit between nations and states is that some nations do not have a state; they are stateless nations. Ex.: the Kurds Figure 8.6 Kurdish Region of the Middle East. © H. J. de Blij , P. O. Muller, and John W i ley & Sons. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

STATELESS NATION “Although many culture groups are politically represented or are part of larger political entities, there are some STATELESS NATIONS, where a culture group is not included or allowed share in the state political process. A few examples: KURDS are an ethnic group spread across northern Iraq, western Iran, eastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey. A semi-autonomous Kurdistan has existed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in However, full independence is limited geopolitically due to Turkish government resistance to their sovereignty, based upon Kurdish Marxists rebels, the PKK, who have been fighting in Turkey for several decades. They are one of the largest nationalities in the world without their own state – about 30 million people worldwide. BASQUES are an ethnic group in northern Spain and southwestern France who do not have Celtic or Latin cultural or language roots. In fact, their people’s origin is poorly understood by historians. Spain has granted limited autonomy to the Basque region around the city of Bilbao, but many Basque nationalists seek full independence and statehood. A militant group, ETA, has used terror tactics to fight against Spanish rule.” HMONG are mountain peoples who have existed in rural highlands isolated from others in Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and southern China. However, their alliance with the United States against the Communists during the Vietnam War caused many families to leave their traditional homeland. Today many Hmong have resettled in the upper Midwestern states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Hmong immigrants are featured in the 2008 film Gran Torino. The FLEMISH live in the north of Belgium. The official language of the Flemish people is Flemish (also known as Common Dutch). The Flemish are distinct from the Walloons of Belgium, who primarily reside around Brussels and whose official language if French. Religion also separates the Flemish people. About three-fourths of all Flemish classify themselves as Roman Catholic. This separates them from many other northern Europeans, who tend to be Protestant. Flemish separatists would like their country to be called Flanders. The historical Flaners incorporated most of Belgium as well as parts of the southern Netherlands and northern France. (This part from KAPLAN, 254) The ZULU – About 10 million Zulus live in eastern South Africa. Shaka Zula and the fight against British invaders have gained a cult-like status. Historically, the Zulu were a dominant nation in southern Africa with their own proud legacy of empire and conquest. During the time of APARTHEID, when a white minority ruled South Africa, the Zulus were forced to occupy a low status, suffering discrimination in education, employment, and all other aspects of life. The Zulus have maintained their language isiZulu, derived from Bantu. Most Zulus today are Christians as a result of colonial-era missionaries, but some Zulus practice their traditional religion, a form on animism. Zulu separatists would like their homeland to be named KwaNdebele.” (This part from KAPLAN 254) The PALESTINIAN population is estimated at 9.5 million people. The majority of Palestinians live in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights sections of Israel. However, in 1948 with the creation of the state of Israel, many Palestinians fled to neighboring countries, including Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. The majority of Palestinians practice Islam, although some of Christians. The large majority of Palestinians speak Arabic, though many also learn Hebrew. Likewise, while the official language of Israel is Hebrew, Jewish students are required to learn Arabic. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a separatist group, has defined a “Palestinian” as any person who was living in Palestine prior to This definition includes the entire male lineage of those people, including Jewish citizens who “lived peacefully and loyally in Palestine,” according to the Palestinian constitution. If a Palestinian state was created to ease tensions in the region, the state would be called Palestine.” (This part from KAPLAN 254) Other stateless nations: Karen, Gypsies (Roma or Romani), Karelians, Tartars, Tuvans, Chechens, Sami, Uygurs, Tibetans, and Tamils. Some groups have been granted limited autonomy while others have active nationlist and independence movements.” (PRINCETON, )

European Colonialism and the Diffusion of the Nation-State Model
How Is Space Politically Organized into States and Nations? European Colonialism and the Diffusion of the Nation-State Model Europe exported its concepts of state, sovereignty, and the desire for nation-states to much of the rest of the world through two waves of colonialism. During the heyday of colonialism, imperial powers exercised ruthless control over their domains and organized them for maximum economic exploitation. Despite the end of colonialism, the political organization of space and the global world economy persist. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Figure 8.8 Dominant Colonial Infl uences, 1550–1950. The map shows the dominant European or Japanese colonial infl uence in each country over the four centuries. © H. J. de Blij , John W i ley & Sons. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Construction of the Capitalist World Economy
How Is Space Politically Organized into States and Nations? Construction of the Capitalist World Economy One of the most powerful impacts of colonialism was the construction of a global order characterized by great differences in economic and political power. The concentration of wealth that colonialism brought to Europe, and to parts of the world dominated by European settlers. Colonialism is at the heart of highly uneven global distribution of power that continues even today. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

How Is Space Politically Organized into States and Nations? Construction of the Capitalist World Economy Social scientists seek to see how each “dot” fits into the whole. Proponents of world-systems theory view the world as much more than the sum total of the world’s states. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

1. The world economy has one market and a global division of labor.
The three basic tenets of world-systems theory, as Immanuel Wallerstein defines them: 1. The world economy has one market and a global division of labor. Capitalism: in the world economy, individuals, corporations, and states produce goods and services that are exchanged for profit. Commodification is the process of placing a price on a good, service, or idea and then buying, selling, and trading that item. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Although the world has multiple states, almost everything takes place within the context of the world economy: Colonialism played a major role in establishing this system by exporting the European state idea and facilitating the construction of an interdependent global economy. The Problem.. Many states created over the past 200 years contain political boundaries left over from a COLONIAL system that failed to recognize preexisting ethnic and religious boundaries. Examples: Afghanistan, Indonesia, Rwanda

3. The world economy has a three-tier structure:
Core is where one is most likely to find higher levels of education, higher salaries, and more technology Periphery: processes associated with a more marginal position in the world economy Semiperiphery: places where core and periphery processes are both occurring © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

How Is Space Politically Organized into States and Nations? Construction of the Capitalist World Economy Major concerns of the world-systems theory: Overemphasizes economic factors in political development Very state-centric Does not fully account for how places move from one category to another © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

World-Systems and Political Power Each state is theoretically sovereign, but not all states have the same ability to influence others or achieve their political goals. World-systems theory helps explain how Europe politically reorganized the world during colonialism. Regardless of many problems and lack of simple solutions to nation and state conflicts, the European territorial state idea became the world model and still shapes the political organization of space worldwide. The Enduring Impact of the Nation- State Idea © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

How do states spatially organize their governments?
Key Question How do states spatially organize their governments? © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

How Do States Spatially Organize Their Governments?
Political geographer Richard Hartshorne described the forces within the state that unify the people as centripetal and the forces that divide them as centrifugal. According to Hartshorne, whether a state continues to exist depends on the balance between centripetal and centrifugal forces. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

FORCES CENTRIPETAL CENTRIFUGAL Political beliefs of nationalism
A strong and well-liked national leader An effective and productive economy Effective government social welfare programs Ethnic, racial, or religious difference or conflicts Political corruption Failing economic conditions Natural disasters or wartime defeat “CENTRIPETAL FORCES are factors that hold together the social and political fabric of the state. CENTRIFUGAL FORCES are factors that tear apart the social and political fabric. In every country there are a number of forces at work that both reinforce and destabilize the state. When the balance shifts too far in the category of centripetal forces, the survival of the state is at risk and indicates the likelihood of ARMED CONFLICT – in the form of an INTERNAL CIVIL WAR, or the possibility of conflict spilling over into EXTERANL CROSS-BORDER WAR. (Example: Yugoslavia) – (PRINCETON, 207) “Forces that break up a state are called CENTRIFUGAL FORCES. In contrast, forces that tend to unit a state are called CENTRIPETAL FORCES. Centrifugal forces include anything that causes tension within the borders of the country. . . DEVOLUTION is the giving up of power by the central or federal government to the different regions of the country.” (KAPLAN 275) “Much of U.S. foreign policy has been aimed at IRREDENTISM. Irredentism is the attempt by one country to provoke coups or separatist movements in another country. For example, country A tries to spark a separatist movement from a nationality within country B. This can be done though literature, radio programs, or television ads. The United States practices irredentism when it sends radio transmissions into another country to communicate the benefits of capitalism and democracy and relay truthful news about world events. The United States sent transmissions from Florida into Cuba. The United States also sent radio transmissions into Eastern Europe during the Iron Curtain era. Often, the United States hopes that resistance movements will rise up, eventually overthrowing a leader unfriendly to the United States.” (KAPLAN 275) “Within every state are forces that unify its regions and people and other forces that divide its regions and people. CENTRIFUGAL FORCES divide a state’s people and regions (think ‘centrifugal’ F, for fracture’). CENTRIPETAL FORCES unify a state’s people and regions (think ‘centripetal’ “T for ‘together’). In states that are unified, centripetal forces are more dominant than centrifugal forces. The inverse holds when a state is breaking apart: centrifugal forces are dominant.” (REA, 189)

Form of Government Unitary governments: centralized states whose administrative framework is designed to ensure the central government’s authority over all of the state. In a strong federal system, the regions have much control over government policies and funds, and in a weak federal system, the central government retains a significant measure of power. Federalism accommodates regional interests by vesting primary power in provinces, States, or other regional units over all matters except those explicitly given to the central government. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Devolution Devolution is the movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state. Sometimes devolution is achieved by reworking a constitution to establish a federal system that recognizes the permanency of the regional governments. In other places, governments devolve power without altering constitutions, almost as an experiment. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

DEVOLUTION Transfer of Power
“States facing centrifugal forces, such as strong regional separatism or internal dispute, often move to transfer more power to regional governments to help reduce the divisive tensions by giving angry groups more regional power and autonomy. DEVOLUTION is the process of transferring some power from the central government to regional governments. For example, Scotland was pushing for more autonomy from England. In the 1990s, England devolved more power to Scotland, when Scotland was given its own representative parliament instead of being governed only by England’s parliament in London. In France, the Corsicans were a threat to national unity, so France’s Paris-based government devolved more power to the Corsicans to keep them from moving toward violently seceding (breaking away). Montenegrins were vying for increased autonomy, and despite Serbia’s devolutionary efforts to give them more regional control, the Montenegrins declared independence in 2006.” (REA )

Field Note “As I drove along a main road through a Honolulu suburb I noticed that numerous houses had the Hawai’i State flag flying upside down. I knocked on the door of this house and asked the homeowner why he was treating the State flag this way. He invited me in and we talked for more than an hour. ‘This is 1993,’ he said, ‘and we native Hawai’ians are letting the State government and the country know that we haven’t forgotten the annexation by the United States of our kingdom. I don’t accept it, and we want our territory to plant our flag and keep the traditions alive. Why don’t you drive past the royal palace, and you’ll see that we mean it.’ He was right. The Iolani Palace, where the Hawai’ians ’ last monarch, Queen Liliuokalani, reigned until she was deposed by a group of American businessmen in 1893, was draped in black for all of Honolulu to see. Here was devolutionary stress on American soil.” © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. 30

Electoral Geography Partitioning of state territory into electoral districts. Electoral geographers examine how the spatial configuration of electoral districts and the voting patterns that emerge in particular elections reflect and influence social and political affairs. Ex.: 1994 South Africa Geographers study patterns of voting behavior to assess the influence of their geographic situation Reapportionment: process by which districts are moved according to population shifts so that each district has about the same number of people. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

How are boundaries established, and why do boundary disputes occur?
Key Question How are boundaries established, and why do boundary disputes occur? © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. 32

How Are Boundaries Established, and Why Do Boundary Disputes Occur?
A boundary between states is actually a vertical plane that cuts through the rocks below (called the subsoil) and the airspace above, dividing one state from another (Fig. 8.18). Only where the vertical plane intersects the Earth’s surface (on land or at sea) does it form the line we see on the ground. The Vertical Plane of a Political Boundary © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Establishing Boundaries
How Are Boundaries Established, and Why Do Boundary Disputes Occur? Establishing Boundaries States typically define the boundary in a treaty-like legal document in which actual points in the landscape or points of latitude and longitude are described. Cartographers delimit the boundary by drawing on a map. If either or both of the states so desire, they can demarcate the boundary by using steel posts, concrete pillars, fences, walls, or some other visible means to mark the boundary on the ground. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Geometric boundaries are drawn using grid systems such as latitude and longitude or township and range Physical-political boundaries follow an agreed upon figure in the natural landscape Ex.: The center point of a river or crest of a mountain range. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Types of Boundaries Definitional boundary disputes focus on the legal language of the boundary agreement. Locational boundary disputes center on the delimitation and possibly the demarcation of the boundary. The definition is not in dispute, but its interpretation is. Operational boundary disputes involve neighbors who differ over the way their border should function. Allocational boundary disputes are becoming more common as the search for resources intensifies. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

BIG IDEA The geographic location and designation of political boundaries and the size and shape of the territories they contain plan an extremely significant role in a state’s economy, its political stability, its relations with other nations, and its culture.

Each COUNTRY or STATE has:
A unique land base - territory Particular set of physical properties Natural resources Permanent Population Largest state = Russia Microstates = Vatican City, San Marino “In general, larger countries tend to have larger pools of natural resources, but this is not always the case. Despite Canada’s immense size and abundance of fresh water, agriculture is limited to the far southern portion of the country where a reasonably long growing season permits the cultivation of crops. Australia has abundant minerals and much sunshine but is dominated by arid deserts. Brazil’s great rainforests, which have tremendous stores of minerals, water, and timber, also tend to have high leached, infertile soils. Thus, the size of the country does not necessarily guarantee greater levels of natural resources.” (BARRONS, 185) “TERRITORIALITY is the expression of political control over space. The concept of the state implies that the government controls land and the people who live there. CITIZENSHIP is the legal identity of a person based on the state where he was born or where he was naturalized as a immigrant.” (PRINCETON, 188)

Vatican City MICROSTATES .17 sq. miles
“At the other end of the international scale, MICROSTATES are sovereign states that despite their very small size still hold the same position of much larger states like the United States or Canada. Many are island states, ports, or city-states, or they sit landlocked with no access to the sea. Examples: Andorra, Bahrain, Djibouti, Grenada, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Palau, Singapore. The Vatican City is also a sovereign microstate but is not a member of the UN. It is not a nation-state despite the common religion of its residents, who are mostly clergy drawn from around the world and a small Ethiopian boy’s school.” (PRINCETON, 185) “Countries come in different sizes and shapes. The bigger the country, the more potential resources the country possess and the greater its industrial base. The downside for a large country is its difficult in defending its borders. Larger countries generally, but not always, need a greater military. Conversely, small states usually have a relative lack of resources but also less area to defend. The smallest states are called MICROSTATES or MINISTATES. Microstates are states that are small in area and population. City-states are microstates.” (KAPLAN 267) .17 sq. miles

SHAPE of STATES FRAGMENTED - multiple small islands or parts (FIJI)
ELONGATED - long and skinny (CHILE) RECTANGULAR – COMPACT – relatively rounded shapes. “The shape (TERRITORIAL MORPHOLOGY) of a country is often what helps you identify it on a map. To some degree, the shape of a country also impacts its society and external relations with other countries.” (PRINCETON, 195) “Countries take on five main shapes. A country can exhibit characteristics of one or more of these shapes. Sometimes these shapes are called TERRITORIAL MORPHOLOGY.” (KAPLAN 267) “A FRAGMENTED country is in pieces that are not attached to each other. Fragmented countries are usually islands. The country that exhibits the most fragmentation is Indonesia. Indonesia is comprised of more than 13,000 islands that span a distance of over 3,000 miles. . . The advantage of being fragmented is that another country would have a hard time trying to occupy and control your country. However, communication and transportation can be issues. (KAPLAN ) “ELONGATED countries are at least twice as long as they are wide; they are long and skinny. (EX: Chile and Panama). Advantages: Transportaing raw materials to industrial centers can be relatively easy. Disadvantages: those living in the ends of the country can feel isolated, which can lead to separatist movements. (KAPLAN 267) “The borders of a COMPACT COUNTRY are equidistant from the center of the country. The country may be in the shape of a circle or a square. (EX: Uruguay, Poland). Advantages: Communication and transportation are relatively easy, as well as mobilization of the military. Disadvantage: lack of resources, because compact countries tend to be rather small. (KAPLAN 267)

SHAPE of STATES PERFORATED – completely surround another country
LANDLOCKED – completely surrounded by other countries PRORUPTED STATE – long thin arm jutting out from the rest of its territory. “In addition to wars and other SUBSEQUENT border changes, there are a few other ways in which state territory can change shape. DECOLONIZATION after World War II significantly reduced the area and number of territorial and colonial holdings of the European powers and the United States. Although most areas were granted independence, some colonial holdings were INCORPORATED and residents integrated with full citizen status. (Examples: Hawaii, Alaska. . .) ANNEXATION is another term to describe when territory is added as a result of a land PURCHASE or when a territorial claim is extended through INCORPORATION. The United States originally purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire in 1867 for $7,000,000 in gold – and became a full state in ” (PRINCETON, 195) “A PERFORATED COUNTRY has an entire state completely inside of its borders. There are only two perforated states in the world – South Africa and Italy. Italy contains two countries completely inside its borders – San Marino and the Vatican City. A country that is inside another country is known as an ENCLAVE – a country completely surrounded by another political state. ENCLAVES are LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES with no access to the sea. Any exports from an enclave must go through another country. . . Advantage: Ethnic group has its own state, possibly reducing tension. Disadvantage: the other country may get in the way of transportation and communication. (KAPLAN 269) “A PRORUPTED country has a protrusion extending out from its main base. Proruptions were often drawn by colonizers to ensure their access to raw materials or water transport Advantage: usually provides the country with access to a useful raw material and trade opportunities. Disadvantage: Proruptions are usually fiercely fought over. (KAPLAN 270)

BIG IDEA The unique shape and size of each country is a product if its physical geography and political history. Advantages and disadvantages to all situations.

BIG IDEA “There are five shapes to countries: COMPACT, ELONGATED, FRAGMENTED, PERFORATED, and PRORUPTED. Each of these has advantages and disadvantages.” (KAPLAN 249)

STRATEGIC SITES Israel, the Korean Peninsula, and Panama, all relatively small areas, loom large on the world political scene because of their strategic important locations. Hawaii, at the center of the Pacific Basin, and Istanbul, Turkey, at the crossroads of Europe and Asia also occupy key positions in the geopolitical landscape.

TYPES OF BOUNDARIES CULTURAL PHYSICAL GEOMETRIC
POLITICAL BORDERS: “The borders between political states and political sub-unit areas (counties, parishes, parliamentary districts, and city limits) are strictly FINITE lines. Political boundaries, as expressions of political control must be definable and clear. Sometimes the PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, such as rivers or other water bodies, define boundaries, and sometimes border lines are measured surveys based on treaties or other agreements between states. Non-physical boundaries often reflect CULTURAL DIVISIONS, but these are not always accurate. Such borders can be the result of aristocratic land holdings from Feudalistic eras, or be the front lines at the secession of armed conflict between states – however, treaties can change these lines. Countries with large EXPATRIATE populations (citizens living outside of their borders) have to provide consular services in large foreign cities. Citizens living in foreign countries often have to visit their country’s embassies or consulates to process legal documents, passports, and visa applications. When citizens get trapped in war zones or disasters in foreign countries, it’s up to their government’s diplomats and military to get them out.” (PRINCETON, 188) “The three primary factors that determine boundaries are latitude and longitude features or straight lines (GEOMETRIC BOUNDAIRES); natural features (PHYSICAL BOUNDAIRES), and cultural factors such as language, religion, or ethnicity (ETHNOGRAPHIC or CULTURAL BOUNDARIES). GEOMETRIC BOUNDARIES are created by using lines of latitude and longitude. These straight lines are easy to spot – EX: Colorado, Wyoming, Utah. The 49th parallel is a good example of an ANTECENDENT BOUNDARY - one that existed before human settlement of the area. Advantages: lines are easy to determine with GPS. Disadvantage: Unless there is a sign, you wouldn’t not know there was a border. PHYSICAL BOUNDARIES can include rivers, lakes, mountains, deserts, peninsulas, etc. EX: The Andes Mountains determine the boundaries between Chile and Argentina and between Ecuador and Brazil. Advantages: easy way to determine where one areas stops and another begins. Disadvantages: (1) Boundaries can move; (2) If you want to build a bridge over a border river, both governments must be involved in the process. ETHNOGRAPHIC or CULTURAL BOUNDARIES – using language, religion, or ethnicity to establish boundaries. EX: France, Germany, Portugal. Advantages: best for the people; Disadvantages: boundaries can be ambiguous and fluid. (KAPLAN 256) GEOMETRIC

TYPES OF BOUNDARIES ANTECEDENT BOUNDARY – drawn before area is populated SUBSEQUENT BOUNDARIES – drawn after a population is established – respects existing spatial patterns of certain social, cultural, and ethnic groups. SUPERIMPOSED BOUNDARY – drawn up after an area is population and do not respect cultural patterns. “Borderlines may be finite (has a limit), but they can become quite irregular in patterns especially where cultural borderlines become fuzzy. An ENCLAVE is a minority culture group concentrated inside a country that is dominated by a different, larger culture group. This could be as simple as an ethnic neighborhood or a large area such as Quebec. As part of the 1994 Dayton Peace Accords, several enclaves were formally established within Bosnia to separate warring Serb, Croat, and Muslim communities. An EXCLAVE is a fragmented piece of sovereign territory separated by land from the main part of the state’s territory. Occasionally, neighboring states attempt to claim exclaves in the name of cultural nationalism. Often armed conflicts results, but sometimes diplomatic negotiations result in official permanent exclaves. Other times state purchase territory or receive fragments of territory under peace treaties. Islands are NOT considered exclaves. Examples: (1) Alaska in the United States separated by Canada; (2) Cabinda, part of Angola separated by the Dem. Republic of Congo.” (PRINCETON, 189) “SUBSEQUENT BOUNDARIES develop along with the development of the cultural landscape. A good example of a subsequent boundary is the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. As the cultural landscape developed, the border was drawn to accommodate religious, culture, and economic differences. Another examples of the boundary between China and Vietnam. This boundary has been is dispute on many occasions. A SUPERIMPOSED BOUNDARY is a political boundary that ignores the existing cultural organization on the landscape. It is usually placed by a higher authority, such as a superpower or a delegation of superpowers, to satisfy that authority’s need rather than the needs of the area. The boundary between North Korea and South Korea is a superimposed boundary. A demilitarized zone was placed along the 38th parallel to resolve conflict between the communists to the north and U.S. forces in the south.” (KAPLAN, 260) “A RELICT BOUNDARY no longer functions as a boundary but only as reminders of a line that once divided space. Perhaps one of the most famous relict boundaries is the Berlin Wall, which no longer serves as an administrative border as it once did in dividing East and West Berlin.” (REA 178)

Who Owns the Water? WATER BORDERS
“Historically, borders are sea were poorly defined, and each country had its own laws regarding where territorial claims began and ended. Often, more than one sovereign state claimed the same piece of water. This all changes in 1982 with the United Nations Conference of the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), which proposed standard oceanic boundaries for all UN member states, and was fully ratified in The border system under UNCLOS is in two parts: TERRITORIAL SEA: Sovereign territory includes the area of sea from shore out to the 12-nautical-mile limit. [NOTE from WIKIPEDIA: The nautical mile (symbol M, NM, Nm or nmi) is a unit of length corresponding approximately to one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian. By international agreement it is exactly 1,852 metres (approximately 6,076 feet).] Within 12 nautical miles all the laws of a country apply. EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE (EEZ): Exclusive economic rights from shore out to the 200-natical-mile limit. Within 200 nautical miles of its shores, a state controls all aspects of natural resource exploration and extraction. This includes fisheries, oil and gas production, salvage operations, and permits for such activity nautical miles is beyond the shallow water continental shelf in almost all cases. The HIGH SEAS are technically outside the 12-mile limit. Past that line, cruise ships can open their casinos and ship captains gain the authority to marry couples or arrest thieves onboard their ships. These are provisions made under ADMIRALITY LAW, a part of international law that dictates legal procedures on the high seas. . . The only exceptions are when international treaties limit the capture of certain species. The 1986 INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION moratorium on commercial whale hunts banned whaling after centuries of hunting dangerously depleted populations. Norway and Japan still hunt whales, claiming their hunts are for scientific research. This claim is heavily criticized by environmental organizations who state that whale meat still makes its way to market in these countries. OVERLAPPING BORDERS: The UNCLOS makes provisions for a UN ARBITRATION BOARD to settle disputes regarding boundaries at sea. Often countries with overlapping sea claims generally agree to split the lines halfway. Where it becomes difficult in when inhabited small islets, exposed reefs, and sandbars above water are claimed by more than one country Example: two areas of the South China Sea, the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands, are claimed concurrently by China, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei.” (PRINCETON, )

BOUNDARY DISPUTES “There are four types of boundary disputes:
DEFINITIONAL BOUNDARY DISPUTES arise from the legal language of the treaty’s definition of the boundary. One of the countries involved will usually sue another country in the International Court of Justice (the World Court), which will try to determine what was intended when the boundaries were initially described. LOCATIONAL BOUNDARY DISPUTES arise when the definition of the border (ie: “the Mississippi River”) is not questioned by the interpretation of the border is. In these cases, the border has shifted, and the original intention of the boundary is called into question. Areas once in the state of Mississippi have found themselves in the state of Louisiana when the river shifted its course. OPERATIONAL BOUNDARY DISPUTES occur when two countries next to each other disagree on a major issues involving the border. For example, the United States and Mexico disagree over the issue of illegal immigration into the United States. Both sides agree where the border is but cannot agree on how to handle border crossing. ALLOCATION BOUNDARDY DISPUTES also do not question the boundary itself but rather the use of it. Allocational boundary disputes usually involve some type of natural resource, often in the open ocean and/or under ground. For example, when an aquifer (An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, silt, or clay) from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well.) extends across an boundary, who has dominant rights to the water? Or who has ther right to drill for oil out at sea? (KAPLAN, 258)

BIG IDEA “Boundary disputes arise for various reasons. Some arise from the demarcation of the boundary, while others arise from the allocation of resources along the border Inappropriate boundary lines in Africa led to wars from the moment they were drawn, because European countries used geometric and physical features to establish boundaries in Africa instead of cultural features, such as language and religion.” (KAPLAN 249)

This land is now mine! COLONIALISM
Colonial powers: Britain, Spain, Portugal, France, Sweden, Russia, Austria, China, and Japan. (BARRONS) “European nation-states began building world empires in the 16th century and competed for territories across the globe through World War II. COLONIALISM is the control by a state over another area or people. Often a state that is colonizing has a more industrialized economy than the region it is overtaking. The first period of colonialism occurred after European explorers, such as Columbus, “discovered” land in the Western Hemisphere in the 15th century. Europeans raced to form colonies in those lands and extract resources to send back home, and economic system called MERCANTILISM. Under mercantilism, a state acquires colonies that can provide it with the raw materials to ship back home and use in making products for the population in the mother country. Other motives for colonization were to spread Christianity and to bask in the glory of having more land than other states. The second major wave occurred in the late 1800s, as western European powers were competing to “carve up” Africa, gaining more land to make them appear more powerful and to feed their industrializing economies. England and France occupied nearly 70% of the colonial territory in Africa. Portugal, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Belgium also colonized Africa. Colonization fueled IMPERIALISM, the process of establishing political, social, and economic dominance over a colonized area. Europeans acculturated indigenous peoples to European Christianity and culture, even destroying indigenous landscapes and imposing European architecture that signified dominance.” (REA 184) “An international example of a former frontier dispute that has led to conflict today is in Central Africa. The CONFERENCE of BERLIN (1884) was a diplomatic meeting between the European colonial powers to set the internal political boundaries in Africa. Africa was one of the last areas of European colonial expansion. Most colonies were in coastal areas, but the interior of the continent had only recently been explored by Europeans. Diplomats at the conference went about carving up the continent’s interior and settling disputed claims. The final agreed-upon map is very similar to the political boundaries in Africa today. However, there are many problems with the 1884 order design that did not emerge until after DECOLONIZATION in the late 20th century. Most African colonial states achieved SELF-DETERMINIATION as fully independent sovereign states between 1960 and the early 1990s. The main problem with the European-set boundaries in Africa is that they do not match the cultural boundaries. This SUPERIMPOSED BOUNDARY situation is what Africans refer to as the TYRANNY OF THE MAP. Instead of the large artificial nation-states that the Europeans envisioned, the reality is that political allegiance in Sub-Saharan Africa is based upon tribal identity, and at a much smaller relative scale. The result has been that within post-colonial African states, a number of tribes have bee grouped together in a confined area, some of whom have long pre-colonial histories of conflict. (Example = Rwanda between the Hutus and Tutsi)” (PRINCETON, 193)

COLONIALISM GEOGRAPHIC COLONIALISM: “Very few concepts have had as profound an impact on the world as we know it as COLONIALISM – the practice of established political dominance over a people for economic, political, and territorial gain. Colonialism began with the Ancient Greeks and their exploration of the Mediterranean Sea. Today, the era of colonialism has ended politically for the most part, but the issue of economic colonialism is still alive and well. The political geographer FRIEDRICH RATZEL, who coined the term GEOPOLITICS, based his ORGANIC THEORY on the growth of states. Ratzel argued that the state was like a living entity that constantly needed to grow and thrive. According to Ratzel’s theory, states constantly need new territory to meet the demands of their ever-growing populations. Europeans have had the largest impact on the world as colonizers. Europe colonized for four major reasons: to spread Christianity, to gain natural resources, for the prestige of owning more property, and for the benefits that more land could offer. James Rubenstein pointed out, “God, Gold, and Glory, as the three reasons for European colonialism. We add geography, or land itself, to those reasons. RELIGIOUS COLONIALISM. “A fundamental tenet of the Christian faith is that one should seek to save the unsaved. All of the European colonizers participated in some form of conversion. The Spanish largely forced Christianity upon the indigenous peoples of South and Central America; if they did not convert, they were killed. The Spanish also set up missions in what is now the southwestern United States. The French and English set up missions in the New World, many of which still exist today. Montreal was first established as a mission and trading post on the St. Lawrence Seaway by the French. (KAPLAN 261) “According to the DEPENDENCY THEORY, many countries are poor today because of their colonization by European powers. Proponents of their theory assert that former colonies in South America, Africa, and Asia have not been able to heal from the imperial domination established by the European colonizers and are still dependent on them. In most cases, the Europeans drew political boundaries according to the resources available to colonizers, not according to the cultural (national) groupings of the native peoples. Therefore, when the Europeans left and the lands became independent states, the populations in those states were not unified, leading to violent ethnonational conflicts, as seen in Nigeria and Sudan, for example. Additionally, the political and economic structures established by the Europeans benefited the colonizers, not the local people, in most cases. Educational systems, health care networks, roads, communication lines, and other basic elements of infrastructure were not built in most colonized lands. As a result, many countries that were once European colonies are now in deep debt to their former colonial masters, burdened by loans they arranged with their former colonizers as a means of building up their economies that were, arguably, destroyed by their colonizers. The continued economic dependence of new states on their former colonial masters is called NEOCOLONIALISM (or POSTCOLONIAL DEPENDENCY).” (REA 185)

BIG IDEA “Colonialism has had a profound impact on the world today. The major colonial powers were Great Britain, Portugal, Spain, and France. Meinig’s colonial empire themes describe how these empires were colonized. Great Britain and France used the settler empire, Portugal used the sea empire, and Spain used the land empire.” (KAPLAN 249)

I can Choose For myself SELF-DETERMINATION
“SELF-DETERMINATION is the power of the people to establish their own government the way that they see fit. Many former colonies would rather see chaotic conditions ruled over my members of their own country than peaceful conditions ruled by a colonial power. Many peoples want the right of SUFFRAGE, of the power to vote on issues regarding their welfare, as when American colonists spoke out against “taxation without representation’ To this day, in some countries men have the right to vote, but women do not. Even in the United Sttaes, WOMEN’S ENFRANCHISEMENT (the right of women to vote) didn’t come until 1920 with the passing of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.” (KAPLAN 263)

People used to think physical-political boundaries were always more stable than geometric boundaries. Through studies of many places, political geographers have confirmed that this idea is false. Construct your own argument explaining why physical-political boundaries can create just as much instability as geometric boundaries. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. 54

How Does the Study of Geopolitics Help Us Understand the World?
Classical Geopolitics Late 19th century/early 20th century geopoliticians were usually either part of the German school or the British/American school. The German School Tried to explain why certain states were powerful and how they became powerful. Friedrick Ratzel: influenced by Darwin; the state resembles a biological organism whose life cycle extends from birth through maturity and, ultimately, decline and death. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

The British/American School Sir Halford J. Mackinder, “The Geographical Pivot of History” in the Royal Geographical Society’s Geographical Journal. Land-based power, not sea power, would ultimately rule the world. Influence of Geopoliticians on Politics NATO Geopolitics: term with negative connotations © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critical Geopolitics Critical Geopolitics: intellectuals of statecraft construct ideas about geographical circumstances and places, these ideas influence and reinforce their political behaviors and policy choices, and then affect what happens and how most people interpret what happens. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Geopolitical World Order Cold War: bipolar, with Soviet versus West alliances New World Order: Global cooperation to bring discipline to rogue states Unilateralism: one country (e.g., United States) in position of dominance, with other countries following its lead © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

HEARTLAND-RIMLAND THEORY
“In 1904, British geographer Halford Mackinder proposed what would become known as the HEARTLAND-RIMLAND MODEL. Mackinder’s model was an effort to define the global geo-political landscape and determine areas of potential future conflict. He identified that agricultural land was the primary commodity that states were interested in. Several states with limited land area wanted to expand their territory – as they had done by expanding their colonial empires. However, they also eyed one another’s European farming areas. The largest of these was the EASTERN EUROPEAN STEEPE, a very productive area of grain cultivation mostly controlled by the Russian Empire at the time. This, combined with the mineral and timber-rich region across the Urals into Siberia, was identified by Mackinder as the HEARTLAND. It was this portion of the earth’s surface that bordering RIMLAND states such as the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Romania were potential invaders of. The Rimland also contained other LANDWOLVES eager to grab at neighboring territory such as France and Italy. Likewise, there were SEAWOLVES, such as Great Britain and Japan, who would use their navies to leverage geopolitical power. In effect, Mackinder accurately predicted the battle lines of the Eastern Front during World War I. In 1921, he revised the model, expanding the Heartland further into Central Europe. In essence, Mackinder stated that the same geopolitical situation remained, with land still being the primary COMMODITY OF CONFLICT: the thing that countries were wiling to fight over. From 1904 onward, Mackinder points out that the areas of future conflict are the borderlines between the Heartland and the Rimland. This prediction comes true again with the 1931 invasion of Manchuria by the Japanese, which some Asian scholars identify as the actual start of World War II. The European border conflict areas in the model are also realized with the 1939 German invasion of Poland, a country within the redrawn Heartland.” (PRINCETON, ) A geopolitical theory first proposed by British geographer Halford J. Mackinder in Mackinder argued that the heartland, referring to the interior of Eurasia, benefited from a number of strategic advantages over the rimland, or coastal areas of Europe, the Mediterranean, and Asia. These benefits included a central location and relative immunity to Western naval power, from which he concluded that world domination could be achieved by a Eurasian power that was capable of unifying the heartland. For Mackinder, this meant Russia, which by the turn of the century had accomplished much of this task of unification. The Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and the later German interest in heartland theory guaranteed Mackinder's work a wide audience and long shelf life, despite what many geographers came to see as its overreliance on environmental and technological determinism. (Source: HEARTLAND THEORY: In 1904, Sir Halford MacKinder, a British political geographer wrote a thesis and presented it before the Royal Geographic Society in London. In his article titled, “The Geographical Pivot of History,” he outlined his HEARTLAND THEORY. The Heartland Theory suggests that whoever owns Eastern Europe and Western Asia has the political power and capital to rule the world. Eastern Europe contained one of the richest agricultural regions in the world. The Ukraine region could produce enough wheat and other agricultural products to sustain a large population – and feed its armies. Also, abundant raw materials such as coal, essential to develop a military and industrial base, are available in this region. Adolph Hitler believed in the Heartland Theory, which is why he invaded Eastern Europe. Hitler underestimated the Soviet citizen’s resolve and the severity of the Russian winter and eventually had to retreat ignominiously. The Soviet Union lost 16 million citizens during World War II. After World War II, the Soviet Union exerted control over Eastern Europe, greatly concerning Western Europe, the United States, and other noncommunist countries. Prior to World War II, Eastern Europe was not as technologically advanced as Western Europe. However, after World War II, the Soviet Union began updating its technology base, posing a serious threat.” (KAPLAN )

SHATTERBELT THEORY “Mackinder died in 1947, but his legacy lived on in Cold War-ear geopolitical models and theory. In 1950, American geographer Saul Cohen proposed the SHATTERBELT THEORY. He modified Mackinder’s Heartland in the “PIVOT AREA” and Rimland into the “INNER CRESCENT”. The rest of the world became the “OUTER CRESCENT”, including the United States. His land-based concept was that Cold War conflicts would likely occur within the Inner Crescent. He pointed out several Inner Crescent areas of geopolitical weakness that he called SHATTERBELTS. Like Mackinder’s earlier predictions, Cohen’s Shatterbelts accurately identified numerous areas where wars emerged between 1950 and the end of the Cold War in 1991.” (PRINCETON, 212) During the Cold War, “two superpowers battled indirectly by using other countries as pawns. Regions caught up in a conflict between two superpowers are called SHATTERBELT REGIONS. Their boundaries are often changed as a result of the conflict. East Asia was a shatterbelt region during the Korean and Vietnam wars. The Middle East was a shatterbelt region as the superpowers vied for access to petroleum. During the 1980s, the shatterbelt region was in Central America with conflicts in Nicaragua and El Salvador. The United States gave resources and military equipment to the Contras, who were fighting against communism in the region. (KAPLAN 272)

We must Stop it! CONTAINMENT THEORY
“Some of these conflict areas were ones that the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China would attempt to capture to create BUFFER STATES, lands that would protect them by creating a surrounding buffer of sympathetic countries. Influenced by Mackinder and Nicholas Spykman’s theoretical work, U.S. diplomat George Kennan first proposed the strategic policy of CONTAINMENT to the American government in In this proposal, the U.S. and its allies would attempt to build a containment wall around the core Communist states. Anytime the USSR or China attempted to expand the realm of influence politically or militarily, the forces of NATO and other democratic state allies should be deployed to stop them. . . They feared a DOMINO EFFECT where one state would fall to Communism and then inspire and support Communist uprisings in neighboring states.” (PRINCETON, 213) THE RIMLAND THEORY: “Nicholas Spykman, another political geographer, used MacKinder’s ideas when he wrote his own theory on world domination and politics. Spykman was originally from the Netherlands and came to the United States to teach at Yale University. He originated the Rimland Theory of containment and is known as the “godfather of containment.” The RIMLAND THEORY believes that forming alliances is necessary to keep the Heartland in check. Because the Heartland is so powerful, no individual country can contain it by itself. Hence, you had the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO), and the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), in response to the spread of the communism around the world. Spykman believed that the Heartland may control the land, but the Rimland will control the sea. The Heartland is trapped in a sense by its own geography. To the north of the Heartland is an ocean that is icebound much of the year. To the east are the Ural Mountains and the vast tracts of land with sparse populations. To the south is the Middle East with its immense deserts. The Rimland would use the oceans to contain the heartland, engaging in a battle between land and sea.” (KAPLAN 273)

BIG IDEA “The Heartland Theory established by Halford Mackinder suggests that whoever owns the Heartland of Eastern Europe will control the world. The Rimland Theory developed by Nicolas Spykman suggests that sea power is more valuable and that alliances will keep the Heartland in check. The domino theory, a response to the spread of communism, suggested that when one country falls, others around it will experience the same political instability.” (KAPLAN, 249)

BIG IDEA “Supranational organizations, such as the European Union and the United Nations, have a strong influence on the world’s political climate.” (KAPLAN 249)

What Are Supranational Organizations, and What Are Their Implications for the State?
Supranational organization: three or more states that forge an association and form an administrative structure for mutual benefit and in pursuit of shared goals League of Nations to United Nations Started with the League of Nations in 1919 United Nations (UN), FAO, WTO, UNESCO Regional Supranational Organizations Benelux, Marshall Plan © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

What Are Supranational Organizations, and What Are Their Implications for the State?
European Union After the Marshall Plan, the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) formed. EU formed in 1992. Not all EU member states are currently a part of the euro-zone, but the euro has emerged as a significant global currency. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

UNITED NATIONS “The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. Due to its unique international character, and the powers vested in its founding Charter, the Organization can take action on a wide range of issues, and provide a forum for its 192 Member States to express their views, through the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and other bodies and committees. The work of the United Nations reaches every corner of the globe. Although best known for peacekeeping, peacebuilding, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance, there are many other ways the United Nations and its System (specialized agencies, funds and programmes) affect our lives and make the world a better place. The Organization works on a broad range of fundamental issues, from sustainable development, environment and refugees protection, disaster relief, counter terrorism, disarmament and non-proliferation, to promoting democracy, human rights, gender equality and the advancement of women, governance, economic and social development and international health, clearing landmines, expanding food production, and more, in order to achieve its goals and coordinate efforts for a safer world for this and future generations.” (SOURCE: PREAMBLE WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, AND FOR THESE ENDS to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples, HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.

EUROPEAN UNION “Another important supranational organization with several purposes is the EUROPEAN UNION (EU). In 2007, the EU grew to 27 member states with a small number of applicant states awaiting membership. The EU was named in 1991 under the Treaty of Maastricht, which expanded the organization’s role beyond trade relations. Prior to that, the European Coal and Steel Community (created in 1957) helped strengthened steep production between Italy, France, Luxembourg. Belgium, and the Netherlands. The success of this limited free-trade network encouraged the development of European Economic Community, the “Common Market” or EEC. By 1973, the EEC eliminated all tariffs on trade goods between its 12 Western European member states. Today, the EU acts like a federal government for Europe but lacks some of the administrative aspects of other confederations like the United States. The modern EU serves five main purposes: FREE TRADE UNION – no taxes or tariffs are charged on goods or services that cross the internal borders of the EU. OPEN-BORDER POLICY – there are no longer any border control stations for immigration or customs inspections within EU members. MONETARY UNION – using the EURO as a common currency. The United Kingdom, however, has retained its own currency. JUDICAL UNION – The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg provides a legal venue for cases between litigants in separate EU member states. LEGISLATIVE and REGULATORY BODIES – The 785-seat EU Parliament was established to propose and approve laws within the union. In sum, the EU governance has been successful in creating a singular economy Instead of 27 small economies, the EU acts are one state economy that is highly competitive with the United States, Japan, and emerging economies like Russia, China, India, Brazil, or a proposed Free Trade Zone of the Americas. In terms of total gross domestic product (GDP), the 2008 CIA World Factbook reports the EU has expanded to a nearly 19-trillion-dollar economy compared to the 14-trillion-dollar U.S. economy.” (PRINCETON, )

Figure 8. 23 Member States of the United Nations
Figure 8.23 Member States of the United Nations. This map shows charter members, members after 1945 (with dates of entry), and nonmembers of the United Nations. Data from: the United Nations © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Figure 8. 22 Select Supranational Organizations
Figure 8.22 Select Supranational Organizations. Data from: Crawford, Jo-Ann and Roberto V. Fiorentino “Changing Landscape of Regional Trade Agreements,” World Trade Organization. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

How Does Supranationalism Affect the State?
What Are Supranational Organizations, and What Are Their Implications for the State? How Does Supranationalism Affect the State? Economics associations: NAFTA, CIS, etc. European Union: “taken on a life of its own” Deterritorialization: globalization, networked communities, etc. undermine the state’s traditional territorial authority Reterritorialization: the state is moving to solidify control over its territory © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter 8: Political Geography

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