Geography - SUPERPOWERS CASE STUDIES AND EGs

what was the british empires growth based on?

colonisation
economic interests were protected by the british army and royal navy
acculturation occurred as british values and customs spread to british colonies

when was the world unipolar with the british empire as the greatest power

1850-1920s
UK controls up to 25% of land area and up to 25% of global population

why was the world multipolar from 1919 to 1939?

rise in power of USA, USSR,Japan and Nazi Germany challenged great britains global position, creating regional spheres of influence

why was the world bipolar from 1945 to 1991?

majority of britains colonies became independent
USA (capitalist) USSR (communist)
cold war

how is china a rival to the USA’s hegemony

rapid economic growth
military expansion
belt and road initiative

what is the point of the belt and road initiative

develop modern infrastructure to promote international trade
over 140 countries with 40% of global gdp and 60% of global population will be directly influenced
soft power

what are the BRICS

an IGO comprising Brazil, Russia , India, China
could challenge US dominance of the global economy and are seen as a counterbalance to the western-led world

strengths of brazil

lots of natural resources
leading exporter of agricultural products eg soybeans
strong regional influence in S america
strong renewable energy sector , inc HEP and biofuels
hosted global sporting events eg 2016 olympics

weaknesses of brazil

inequalities in income
disparities in access to health and education
political instability and corruption
environmental issues eg deforestation
protectionist trade policies
high levels of crime

strengths of russia

geopolitical influence
nuclear weapons and large number of armed forces
energy rich (oil, natural gas)
permanent UN security council seat

weaknesses of russia

economy dependent on energy
sanctions and isolation due to war on Ukraine
shrinking and ageing population
human rights issues

strengths of india

large youthful population
large potential market
robust economic growth
large number of active military personnel
nuclear power and innovator in space tech
educated workforce
worlds largest democracy

weaknesses of india

poverty and inequality
investment needed in transport and energy infrastructure
geopolitical tensions with pakistan and china
large agricultural sector exposed to climate change

strengths of china

robust economic growth
strong manufacturing and exports; global trade partnerships
large number of active military personnel and investment in military resources
rising incomes and middle class
established economic links with many countries through FDI
educated workforce
technological advances
stable govt

weaknesses of china

human rights issues
environmental issues
ageing population - legacy of 1 child policy
trade disputes eg with US
geopolitical tensions eg S china sea

strengths of south africa

most developed economy in africa with regional trade links
rich in mineral resources eg gold, platinum
biodiversity

weaknesses of south africa

highly unequal society - apartheid legacy
high unemployment
corruption
skills gaps
high crime levels
political uncertainty

commonalities of BRICS nations

large military
large population
large landmasses
all regional powers
spheres of influence contain neighbouring countries
emerging or established economies

differences between BRICS nations

russia has a poorly diversified economy - economic growth likely to be slowest in russia
russia and china UNSC members , brazil and india arent
russia china and india are nuclear powers
india and brazil have outdated militaries
india and brazil have strong cultural soft power
india and brazil democracies
russia and china semi-authoritarian

give some examples of USA TNCs

apple
microsoft
nike

give some examples of Chinese TNCs

huawei
state grid corporation of china
sinopec

give 2 examples of military alliances

NATO
ANZUS

What is NATO

North atlantic treaty organisation - members cooperate on defence and security with the aim of preventing conflict
recent expansion of NATO has led to tensions with russia

what is ANZUS

australia, new zealand and US security treaty - cooperate on peace and security issues in the pacific ocean
supports US presence in indopacific
protects trade routes
NZ partially suspended due to its nuclear free policy

give 3 examples of economic alliances

EU, USMCA, ASEAN

what is the EU

one of the largest trade blocs in the world
promotes free movement of people, goods, capital and services between member states

what is USMCA

US - mexico - canada agreement - replaced NAFTA in 2020
increases market access for all 3 countries
modernised compared to NAFTA
reduces tariffs and trade barriers
trade disputes still occur

what is ASEAN

association of southeast asian nations - promote economic growth and social development in the region
through ASEAN member states have more influence
controls major global shipping routes
slow decision making

give an example of an environmental alliance

IPCC

what is the IPCC

intergovernmental panel on climate change - assesses the science linked to climate change
195 member states
globally influential
can’t force govts to do anything

give 3 examples of global environmental agreements

UNFCCC - aims to combat human interference with the climate
Kyoto protocol - provided mechanisms to support reducing GHG emissions by 2012
paris agreement - aim of keeping global temp rise no more than 2 degrees above pre industrial levels

what is environmental agreements is china part of

UNFCCC
Kyoto protocol (without legally binding targets)
paris agreement

what environmental agreements is the US part of

UNFCCC
Was in paris agreement - left under trump, rejoined under biden, re-left under trump

why are there overlapping territorial claims to the arctic

UNCLCS considers claims to areas of the ocean corresponding to a countrys continental shelf

which countries are making territorial claims in the arctic

denmark
russia
norway
US
canada

why are countries attempting to claim the arctic

significant resource reserves including oil, gas , rare earth metals
shrinking ice cover means easier access to region for shipping and resource exploration

how is russia expanding its influence in the arctic

military presence
land/ocean area claims
establishing communities eg Barentsburg, svalbard

what countries are there overlapping territorial claims between in the south china sea?

china,vietnam, malaysia, brunei and taiwan

which islands are contested in the south china sea?

spratly islands
scarborough shoal
paracel islands

what is the 9 dash line

a vague line that shows chinas claims in the south china sea which extend well beyond its EEZ

why is china making such large claims of area in the south china sea

gaining access to resources eg fishing grounds, oil and gas reserves
controlling key trade routes
countering US influence in the Asia Pacific region

how is china displaying hard power projection in the south china sea?

claimed small uninhabited islands
artificial island building (vietnam has retaliated and is also trying to do this)
increasing military presence (bases and patrols)

reasons for russias invasion of ukraine

historical ties - were both part of soviet union
maintain strategic depth between russia and NATO

why is ukraine geopolitically significant

essential for russias black sea access for oil and gas exports
strong russian cultural presence in ukraine
russia concerned about EU and NATO expansion as Ukraine wants to join
ukraine is a large grain exporter

what is strategic depth

distance from a nations borders to its vital centres creating space and time to recover and counterattack

why is trade to africa valuable for china

the value of goods china exports to africa is more than the value of goods africa exports to china
africa is in a trade deficit to china
raw materials china buys from africa are cheaper than manufactured goods china sells to africa
african countries become part of BRI , extending chinas sphere of influence

give 4 examples of chinese FDI projects in africa

telecom network investments, nigeria
copper-cobalt mines, DRC
port development and military base, djibouti
oil backed reconstruction loans, angola

since when have chinese FDI flows into africa been greater than USA’s

2013

what kind of aid does china give to africa

loans, charging interest over a certain time period

opportunities of the china-africa economic relationship

FDI helps chinese companies grow their business
FDI helps african countries to develop
aid projects help local people and help countries progress towards sustainable development goals
port infrastructure aids economic growth and provides bases for military security

challenges of the china-africa economic relationship

protests by local people towards chinese projects
neocolonialism by china leading to exploitation of african resources
rising debt issues
debt trap democracy
environmental challenges
employment rights and safety issues

environmental impacts in africa as a result of exploitation by TNCs

land degradation through open cast mining
loss of habitat such as tropical rainforest and savanna
contamination of water and land through toxic waste and oil spills

give some examples of chinas regional tensions

south china sea
taiwan
hong kong
tibet
indian border dispute

give some examples of indias regional tensions

disputes with pakistan over kashmir
chinese border dispute
lllegal migration from bangladesh

give reasons for instability in the middle east

historical conflicts and colonial legacy lead to border disputes
diverse religious groups - sunni and shia muslims, christians, jews
65% of known global oil reserves and 38% of known gas reserves
water insecurity
lack of political freedom
rise of terrorist and extremist groups

israels allies and tensions

USA and its allies
palestinian state tensions

iraqs allies and tensions

USA and its allies
tensions following iraq war

syrias allies and tensions

russia and iran
ongoing civil war

irans allies and tensions

syria
sanctions imposed by US and allies because of nuclear weapon development

arabian peninsula (saudi arabia, UAE, qatar, kuwait) allies and tensions

USA and its allies
tensions between saudi arabia and yemen

turkey allies and tensions

NATO member
tensions with kurds who want to establish their own nation state

what are the economic issues linked to population in the EU

decreasing proportion of population that is economically active - labour shortages and less tax revenue

increase in proportion of population that is retired - pressure on health and social care

increased migration required to provide workers in key professions

how does NASA help the USA maintain superpower status

national security and planetary defence
scientific exploration
tech developments eg GPS
international collaboration
promoting STEM education and research

give 2 examples of space exploration in emerging economies

indian space research organisation has launched satellites, a mars orbiter
china national space administration has landed a spacecraft on the far side of the moon

state factors affecting the future global balance of power

global population growth is slowing down
ageing population in USA, europe, japan, china
demographic dividend for india - economic benefit due to increase in proportion of working pop
new and existing conflicts
rise of asia
tech development
response to environmental challenges