APHUG Unit 4

Sovereignty

Sovereignty

Power of a political unit/government to rule over its own affairs(domestic and international). Key principle in understanding how governments function.

Nation

Group of people who have certain things in common: common cultural heritage, beliefs, and values that unify them, traditional claim to land as homeland, and desire to establish their own state or express self-rule.

Nation-State

Nation that fulfils requirements as a state(boundaries of nation and state match) Ex: Iceland, Japan

Multinational state

A country with many nations. Most countries of the world are multinational states with dominant nations. Ex: UK, US, Canada

Autonomous Region

Defined area in a state, high degree of self gov. and freedom. Often granted to geographically, ethnically, or culturally, distinct areas.

Semi-Autonomous Region

Region that has a degree of, but not complete, self-rule

Stateless Nation

Cultural group with no independent political entity

Multi-state Nation

Nation has state of its own but stretches across borders of other states(majority in multiple states)

Nationalism

Nation's desire to create and maintain own state

Centripetal Forces

Brings people together

Centrifugal Forces

Pulls people apart

Imperialism

Includes variety of ways of influencing another state/group of people by direct conquest, economic control, or cultural dominance.

Early Colonialism

Spain and Portugal, and France and Britain. Large empires in the Americas, motivated by "God, gold, and glory," conversion to religion, wealth from exploiting land, labor, and capital, and political power expanding influence. Justified conquest by terra nullus, land belonging to no one. Wars among empires influenced colonial claims(7 years war(1756-1763)).

Explanation: Britain won Canada from France, strain of paying for war caused American Revolution, inspired more independence.

1833: Most of Latin America free from European rule and nationalism spread throughout the region.

Later Colonialism

19th century, influence of Spanish and Portuguese empires dropped, allowing other European states to launch new wave of colonialism. Competition to claim resources(feed factories) and new markets(sell goods). GB, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Germany, controlling lands in Asia and Africa. 1884-1885, Berlin Conference.

Berlin Conference

1884-1885, representatives from European countries met in Berlin to talk about claims on Africa, also known as the Congo Conference of the Scramble for Africa.

Self-Determination

Right to chose their own sovereign government without external influence.

Decolonization

Undoing of colonization. Ex: indigenous people recovered sovereignty over their territory.

Genocide

Organized mass killing when target group is because of ethnicity, race, or nationality.

Cold War

Period of diplomatic, political, and military rivalry between the US and USSR. Started after WWII(1945) and continued through collapse of Berlin Wall, until the USSR broke apart(1991). No direct war but supplied other wars on opposing sides. Biggest for the US were: Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. Make allies and stop rival from doing so. Frontline: Europe, divided by East and West.

Satellite States

State dominated by another politically and economically.

Devolution

When 1 or more regions are given increased autonomy by central political unit.

Geopolitics

Study of the affects of geography on politics and relations between states.

Territoriality

Willingness by and person or a group of people to defend the space they claim.

Religious Conflict

Conflicts based on religion.

Ex: Sunni and Shia Muslims. Divided on who should succeed Muhammad since 632. Sometimes → violence. Most clearly shown in: Saudi Arabia(Sunni and Arabs) versus Iran(Shia and Persians). Both tried to expand power over territory but → tension and instability.

Economic Self-Determination

Relying on yourself. Challenging because they usually exported one or two products and relied heavily on European manufactured goods and colonies were culturally influenced and often influence by foreign governments after freedom(neocolonialism).

Neocolonialism

New system of colonialism, economic, political, or cultural control is indirectly exerted over developing countries by developed countries.

Modern Globalization

The expansion of economic, political, and cultural processes to the point that they become global in scale and impact. After WWII and establishment of the UN → trade barriers lowered. Some European states and US offered conditional help to LDC's—loans to help them if they eased regulations and opened up free trade. Some have debt, then stuck in cycle, politically dominated by richer states.

Choke Point

Place of physical congestion between wider regions of movement and interaction. Most are water based(straits). Around 90%(80% annually) of all global goods travel by sea.

Physical Geographic Boundaries

Natural barriers between areas like oceans, deserts, and mountains.

Ex. Missouri River: divides Iowa and Nebraska, and Himalayan Mountains: divides India and China.

Cultural Boundaries

Divides using cultural divisions. Language, religion, or ethnicity.

Ex. China, cuisine once divided into two regions. Wheat North and Rice South. No exact line.

Antecedent Boundary

Before development of cultural landscape and settlement, usually based on physical features.

Subsequent Boundary

While cultural landscape is evolving, and is subject to changing all the time. Ethnographic in nature, may be drawn to accommodate ethnic, religious, linguistic, or economic differences among groups. Often altered because of non-cultural developments like gov. negotiations or war.

Ex. Starting in mid-16th century, Monarch of Scotland and England said emigrate to Ireland(under English rule then). Scots and English Protestants did, to Roman Catholic North Ireland. Resentment and violence→1921 Northern Ireland joined UK. New border= political and cultural landscape.

Ethnographic

Related to cultural phenomena.

Super Imposed Boundary

Drawn by outside powers and can ignore existing cultural patterns. Often lack conformity to natural features. (Often geometric). Ex. Berlin Conference→ African states.

Landlocked States

States unable to access a large body of water without going through neighboring countries(surrounded by land on all sides).

Relic Boundary

Abandoned for political purposes but evidence of it remains. Kept sometimes for history preservation purposes.

Ex. Berlin Wall, made 1961 and torn down in 1989 to stop separating East and West Germany but parts of it remain as a tourist attraction.

Geometric Boundary

Straight line/arc that doesn't doesn't closely follow any physical figure. Usually lies on latitude/longitude. Many to divide within a state. (Colorado and Wyoming).

Cultural Consequent Boundary

Takes cultural traits into account: language, religion, ethnicity, or others

Physical Consequent Boundary

Takes physical characteristics of the land into account: natural features like rivers, deserts, mountains.

Open Boundary

Unguarded and people can cross easily with little to no political intervention→ usually between countries with friendly relations.

Ex. EU→ continent almost borderless. Less likely to turn violent.

Militarized Boundary

Heavily guarded and discourages crossing. Many harbor limited military presence but some are fortified with a constructed barrier.

Defined Boundary

Established by legal document. (Ex. treaty) that divides two entities(invisible line).

Delimited Boundary

Drawn on a map by a cartographer to show limits of a space.

Demarcated Boundary

Identified by physical objects on landscapes. Simple as signs or complex as fences or walls.

Definitional Boundary Dispute

2 or more disagree on how to interpret maps or documents that show map. Often w/ antecedent boundaries.

Locational/Territorial Boundary Dispute

Conflict centered on where boundary should be, how it's mapped, or demarcated.

Irredentism

Type of expansionism where seeking to annex territory has cultural ties to the population or historical claims to land.

Operational/Functional Boundary Dispute

Conflict centered on how a boundary functions. Can be related to trade, transportation, or migration.

Allocational/Resource Boundary Dispute

When conflict breaks out over natural resources that may be used by two countries separated by a boundary.

Administered Boundary

How it'll be maintained, function, and what goods and people will be able to cross→ all important aspects.

Controlled Borders

This has checkpoints where passports or visas is required to enter country. This lets them allow some goods and people and deny others.

Exclaves

Territories part of a state but geographically separated from mainland by 1 or 2 states.

Ex. Alaska from US, Nakhchivan(autonomous region) from Azerbaijan, by Armenia.

Political Enclaves

States, territories, or parts of a state that's completely surrounded by the territory of another state. Ex. Native American Reserves

Shatterbelt

Place located between two very different and contentious regions. Constant stress and maybe instability/fragmentation from external aggression.

Ex. Eastern Europe, historically this for Russia(orthodox and communist) and Western Europe(Roman catholic/Protestant and capitalist) (Gov. systems for most of 20th century).

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS)

1973–1982, >150 countries signed. On a state's influence on the ocean. Defines 4 zones. Territorial sea, contiguous zone, EEZ, and high seas.

Territorial Sea

Extends up to 12 nautical miles of sovereignty where commercial vessels may pass but non-commercial vessels may be challenged. Nautical miles= 1.15 land miles.

Contiguous Zone

Coastal states have limited sovereignty for up to 24 nautical miles where they can enforce laws on customs, immigration, and sanitation. Nautical miles= 1.15 land miles.

Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ)

Coastal states can explore, extract minerals, and manage natural resources up to 200 nautical miles. Nautical miles= 1.15 land miles.

High Seas

Water beyond any country's EEZ that's open to all states.

Small Island Developing State

Control around 30% of all oceans and seas and EEZ is much bigger than landmass.

Ex. Tuvalu's(South Pacific) EEZ→ 27,000 times size of land and has valuable minerals, natural gas, fishing stocks, and prospect of tourism.

Blue Economy

New economic opportunities based on the ocean for small island developing states(SIDS).

Internal Boundaries

Used at subnational scale to divide countries into smaller units

Electoral Geography

Using spatial thinking techniques and tools to analyze elections and voting patterns

Voting Districts

Internal boundaries that divide a country’s electoral into subnational regions

Electorate

People eligible to vote

Census

Pop. count every 10 years to make sure national congressional districts have have the same number of people. In the US, the Constitution requires the federal gov. to do it.

Reapportionment

Changing the number of representatives to reflect the state’s population.

Redistricting

District boundaries redrawn so each has the same population.

Gerrymandering

Drawing of boundaries for political districts by the party in power to increase/protect its power.

Cracking

Dispersing a group into several districts to prevent a majority

Packing

Combining like-minded voters into one district to prevent them from affecting elections in other districts.

Stacking

Diluting a minority-populated district with majority populations

Hijacking

Redrawing two districts in order to force two elected representatives of the same party to run against each other

Kidnapping

Moving an area where an elected representative has support to an area where he or she does not have support

Federal State

Unites separate political entities into an overarching system that lets each entity maintain a degree of sovereignty. This power sharing = vertical with different functions and responsibilities of a government found at national, provincial, and local level.

Ex. Germany, US, Nigeria

Unitary State

Most/all of government power = national government. All local gov, subject to authority of national gov.

Ex. France, Japan, Kenya

Annexation

Process of legally adding a territory to a city

Devolution

Transfer of political power from central government to subnational levels of government

Ethnic Separatism

The advocacy of full political separation from the larger round along cultural, ethnic, tribal, or governmental lines.

Ethnic Cleansing

Purposeful policy designed by one ethnic/religious group to remove another group from certain geographic area by violent/terror inspiring means.

Terrorism

Organized violence aimed at government and civilian targets to create fear for the advancement of political goals.

Irredentism

Movement to unite people who share a language or other cultural elements but are divided by a national boundary.

Autonomous Regions

Have their own local and legislative bodies to govern a region with a population that is an ethnic minority within the entire country. Handle own day-to-day governance but not fully independent.

Subnationalism

People who have a primary allegiance to a traditional group or ethnicity(rather than a country)

Balkanization

Fragmentation of a state or region into smaller, often hostile, units along ethno-linguistic lines.

Globalization

Integration of markets, states, communication, and trade on worldwide scale.

Supranationalism

Multiple countries forming an organization for the benefit of all members

United Nations(UN)

Who: 193 member states, most states of the world plus two as non-member observer states

Goal: Peace, security, and human rights

North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO)

Who: 30 states, US, Canada, Iceland, most countries in Western and Central Europe, and Turkey

Goal: Give mutual defense of other members

European Union(EU)

Who: 27 states, mostly Western and Central Europe, and Turkey

Goal: Integrate member states politically and economically

United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement

Who: US, Canada, Mexico

Goal: Free trade between the three

Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN)

Who: 10 SE Asian states

Goal: Advance economic growth, peace, social progress, and cultural and economic development in region

Arctic Council

Who: 8 states, only those with territories in arctic, Canada, US, Russia, states of northern Europe

Goal: Foster cooperation, coordination, and interaction among Arctic states with participation of Arctic indigenous communities

African Union

Who: 55 states, all states of Africa

Goal: Advocate peace, security, and stability on continent through better cooperation, economic development, and global integration

World Trade Organization(WTO)

One of largest and most influential supranational organization.

Goal(s):

-Have countries agree to a set of fair and non-discriminatory guidelines for international trade.

-Make sure trade flows freely, smoothly, and predictably

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC)

Focuses on production of oil, spans three continents with countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Indonesia, Venezuela, Nigeria, and Iran.

Goal(s):

-Coordinate and unify members’ petroleum policies to stabilize oil markets

Transnational Corporations

Companies that conduct business on a global scale

Democratization

Transition from autocratic to more representative forms of politics.

Time-Space Compression

Social and psychological effects of faster movement of information over space in a shorter period of time.

Centrifugal Forces

Forces that pull a country apart

Ex.

-Many ethnicities/nationalities

-Economic inequality

-Territory disputes

-Lack of infrastructure