APHUG - Unit 4 - Political Patterns and Processes

Nation

A group of people who share common cultural characteristics:

• Language

• Ethnicity

• History

• Desire for self-governance

Shared identity, not legal sovereignty

Ex. Quebecois, Kurds

Nation-state

A political entity characterized by:

• Defined territory

• Permanent population

• A government

• The capacity to enter into relations with other states

• Shared cultural identity among its people

High ethnic and cultural homogeneity

Sovereign and independent

State-less nation

A group of people who share a common identity, culture, language, or history but do not possess their own sovereign state.

Seek greater autonomy and recognition

Ex. Palestinians, Basques, Tamil, Catalans

Multinational state

A sovereign entity that is home to multiple nations or ethnic groups, each with its own distinct culture, language, and identity.

Ex. the United States, Canada, the UK, China

Multistate Nation

Ethnic or cultural groups that exist across multiple state boundaries, forming a cohesive identity despite being divided by political borders

Ex. Koreans, Kurds

Autonomous Region

Area within a state that has a high degree of self-governance and independence, allowing them to manage their own affairs while still being part of the larger state.

Allows maintenance of their own identity

Ex. China’s autonomous regions, Greenland, Native Americans

Semi-Autonomous Region

Areas within a state that have a degree of, but not complete, self-government.

Ex. Hong Kong

Sovereignty

The political authority of a state to govern itself

Allows it to make its own laws without external interference

Self-determination

The principle that nations and peoples have the right to freely determine their political status and pursue their economic, social, and cultural development

Colonialism

The practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country and settling there to exert political, economic, and social control

Imperialism

The policy of extending a country’s rule over foreign nations, often by military force or by gaining political and economic control of other areas

Independence movement

Effort by people to create a new sovereign state in a place inside of another state

Devolution

The transfer of power from a national / central government to regional governments

Balkanization

When a state breaks up into different states (often due to conflict within the state)

Ex. Yugoslavia, the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary

Neocolonialism

Former colonial powers exerting influence over less developed countries through economic, political, and cultural means, rather than direct military control

Shatterbelt

Different geographic areas getting caught up between larger powers that are at odds with each other

Often fragmented by aggressive rivals

Instability and uncertainty for residents

Chokepoints

Narrow, strategic maritime passages or land corridors crucial for global trade, energy transportation, and military mobility

Territoriality

The connection of people, their culture, and their economic systems to the land

Relic Boundary

No longer functions as a boundary

Show the cultural and political histories of nations

Ex. Berlin Wall, Great Wall of China

Superimposed Boundary

Forcibly put on a landscape by an outside party

Ignores cultures, historical and social landscapes

Frequently arise from colonialism/imperialism

Ex. African countries - Berlin Conference

Subsequent Boundary

Drawn to accommodate existing cultural, linguistic, ethnic, or religious differences

Ex. Ireland/Northern Ireland

Antecedent Boundary

Existed before human cultures developed into their current forms

Usually physical
Ex. Himalayan Mountains

Geometric Boundary

A boundary created by using lines of latitude and longitude and their associated arcs

Ex. the US-Canada border along the 49th parallel

Consequent Boundary

A boundary line that coincides with some cultural divide, such as religion or language

Ex. India/Pakistan, Quebec in Canada

Fortified Boundary

When a state creates a wall or physical boundary

Demarcation

Boundary is marked on the ground - stone pillars, walls, etc.

Delimitation

The drawing of boundaries - putting it on a map officially

Demilitarized zone (DMZ)

An area in which military forces and equipment are prohibited, aiming to reduce the potential for conflict between neighboring states.

Ex. Korean DMZ

Definitional/Positional Boundary Dispute

Fights over the language of the border agreement in a treaty or boundary contact

Ex. US and Canada

Locational/Territorial Boundary Dispute

When the conflicting parties agree on the definition but not on where the boundary exists on the Earth of the map

Ex. Lakes in Africa

Operational/Functional Boundary Dispute

Conflicts over the way a boundary should operate or function (how to manage the border, how to handle different situations on the border)

Ex. US-Mexico

Allocational Boundary Dispute

Fights over natural resources that may not be divided by the border

Ex. South China Sea

UNCLOWS - UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

Set of UN laws establishing states’ rights and responsibilities concerning the ownership and use of the Earth’s waters and their resources

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

A sea zone where a state has special rights to the natural resources and exploration and use of marine resources stretching 200 nautical miles from the coast

Median-line principle

A line that is drawn in the water equidistant from each competing party to settle a question of sea resource access

When there’s a EEZ conflict/when states are less than 400 nautical miles apart

Redistricting

The process of drawing electoral district boundaries in the United States

To reflect population changes and to ensure fair representation

Gerrymandering

Drawing political boundaries to give your party a numeric advantage

• “Packing” or “cracking”

Can strengthen/weaken a particular party

Lack of social cohesion, sense of community, can be greater tension

Can discourage some voters

Unitary states

Most, if not all, power resides in a central authority

Uniformity in law and policy across the nation

Centralized government

Efficient governance but limits autonomy and local representation

Works best in nation-states with few internal differences (homogeneous)

Ex. France, Japan, UK, China

Federal states

Allocates strong power to units of local government within the country

Local governments have power to adopt their own laws

Boundaries can be drawn to correspond with regions inhabited by different ethnicities

Empowers different nationalities

Maintains diverse populations and a unified national framework

Ex. United States, Canada, India, Germany

Confederation (Confederal States)

A union of sovereign states/groups

Mutual defense, promotion of common interests

Significant independent power

Ethnic separatism

Advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group

To secede or gain autonomy from a larger state

Largely due to cultural or linguistic differences

Ethnic cleansing

The systematic removal or extermination of an ethnic group from a particular territory, often through violent means

From a dominant ethnic group aiming to achieve political, territorial, or cultural homogeneity

Terrorism

The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims

Irredentism

A political and popular movement that seeks to reclaim and reoccupy a territory that the movement's adherents believe rightfully belongs to their nation

“Lost” territory from their nation’s past

Ex. Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, Hungary’s claims on territories lost after WWI

Supranationalism

The process of nation states organizing politically and economically into one organization or alliance

An organization/governance that transcends national boundaries

Benefits:

• Larger market, more trade

• Greater international influence and economic/political power

• War is less likely

Drawbacks:

• Loss of identity

• Loss of control over individual policy

• Give up some sovereign control

Ex. the EU, NAFTA