Geopolitics - Chapter 8

irredentism

irredentism

movement by a nation to unite other parts of its nation that are spread over borders (like Hitler during WWII)

chokepoint

land claimed by multiple countries/is used for trade

shatterbelt

a geographical region endangered by local conflicts within the states or between countries in the region

enclave

country within a country

exclave

part of country not attached to the mainland

territoriality

how a group claims its space, both physically and symbolically (helps for identity) (ex: computer stickers)

define

document the boundary with specific points in the landscape, coordinates, lines of latitude and longitude, etc.

delimit

draw on map

demarcate

mark the boundary with pillars/fences/walls

administer

maintain the border and make the rules about borders

200 nautical miles

the max amount of sea off the shore of a country that belongs to said country

Antarctic Treaty

an international agreement to use Antarctica for peace and science

compact state

borders are equidistant from the center (Kenya, Rwanda)

elongated state

at least twice as long in one direction than the other (Chile)

prorupted state

has a protrusion sticking out (Namibia, Thailand, panhandles)

perforated state

has another state within its borders (South Africa, Italy)

fragmented state

pieces are not attached to the mainland,cut of by water or another state (archipelagos)

anocracy

somewhere between democracy and autocracy (Russia, Thailand, Nigeria)

unitary state

places most power in the hands of the central gov officials

• smaller states, less autocracy

federal state

allocates strong power to units of local gov within the country

• Local gov has authority to adopt their own laws

• More suitable for larger states

Arab Spring

movement by citizens in the Arab Middle East to gain political and economic freedoms long withheld by autocratic leaders

supranationalism

organizing multiple countries into an alliance

devolution

process by which a country’s gov cedes power

terrorism

systematic use of violence by a group in order to intimidate a populace or coerce a gov into granting demands