Political Geography and International Organizations

Ethnic cleansing

The execution of one cultural group by another cultural group

Federal state

A governing system where power is evenly distributed

Autonomous regions

Areas with freedom from federal powers, a place of autonomy

Balkanization

The breakup of a country, e.g., Yugoslavia

Supranationalism

Alliance of countries for cultural, economic, or military reasons

Irredentism

The reclaiming of land that was once part of a country

USMCA

US-Mexico-Canada agreement, a trade agreement for North American workers

WTO

Supranational organization creating policies for global trading

Internal boundaries

Boundaries within a country dividing it into states/provinces/regions

Census

Process of collecting and publishing data within a state, e.g., in the US every 10 years

Reapportionment

The process of reallocating representation in various states

Redistricting

The process of making electoral districts

Cracking

The practice of distributing voters to dilute their influence

Packing

Concentrating all voters in one district to reduce their influence

Stacking

Similar to packing, concentrating voters in one district to reduce their influence

Terrorism

The use of violence in a group to scare the population

Voting district

A politically drawn area for voting

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of voting districts using stacking, packing, and cracking

Unitary state

A governing system where power is held in one place or by one person

NATO

Political alliances agreeing to defend against communist countries

OPEC

An oil agreement organization

Trade agreements

Groups of countries agreeing to eliminate tariffs, quotas, and preferences for goods and services

United Nations

An organization preserving peace, deterring conflict, and promoting prosperity and equality worldwide

European Union

An organization promoting development through economic cooperation, peace, eradication of poverty, and the protection of human rights

ASEAN

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

African Union

An organization aiming for greater unity, cohesion, and solidarity among African countries and nations

Failed state

A country that has failed to provide basic functions and responsibilities

Centrifugal

Forces leading to the breakup or disunity of a country

Centripetal

Forces promoting unity and cooperation within a country