State vs. Nation Flashcards

State vs. Nation

  • State: A geographic area with:
    • Permanent population
    • Defined borders
    • Sovereign government (control over domestic and international affairs)
    • Recognition by other states
  • Nation: A group of people with:
    • Shared culture
    • History
    • Homeland
    • Desire to self-govern
  • Self-determination: The right or desire of a nation to self-govern.
  • States refer to government and land, while nations refer to groups of people.

Political Entities

  • Nation-State:
    • Self-governing state
    • Relatively uniform population
    • Common language, culture, and history
    • Strong national identity and social cohesion
    • Examples: Japan, Iceland, South Korea
  • Multinational State:
    • Multiple nations within its borders.
    • Various ethnic, linguistic, or cultural groups.
    • Dominant cultural group often controls the political, economic, and social system.
    • Example: Canada (English and French linguistic groups)
  • Multistate Nation:
    • A nation that exists across multiple states.
    • Examples: Kurdish population (Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, etc.), Basques (Spain and France)
  • Stateless Nation:
    • A nation with a history of self-determination but no officially recognized state.
    • Lacks:
      • Control over political boundaries
      • Sovereign government
      • Control over internal and external affairs
      • Recognition from other states
    • Examples: Kurds, Basques
  • Autonomous Region:
    • Located within a state with a certain level of independence.
    • Own government with a high degree of self-rule.
    • Limited state involvement.
    • Example: Native American reservations in the United States
  • Semi-Autonomous Region:
    • Regions controlled by another state with moderate self-governance.
    • Some control over internal affairs, but the controlling state can intervene.
    • Example: Hong Kong (subject to the authority of China)

Historical Events Shaping Political Processes

  • Colonialism: Acquiring territories and settling there to exert political, economic, and social control.
  • Imperialism: Growing a state or empire by exerting force over other nations for economic and political power, without establishing settlement.
  • Colonialism and imperialism led to the diffusion of religions, languages, cultures, resources, people, and ideas.
  • Colonizer culture imposed on the colonized population.
  • Political boundaries established favored the colonial ruler, disregarding local cultures.
    • Example: Berlin Conference (colonization of Africa, boundaries based on longitude and latitude).
    • Goal: create states for European benefit and resource extraction.
    • Resulting colonies lacked infrastructure, education, and were dependent on European power.
    • Newly formed states had diverse nations, leading to conflict, civil wars, and ethnic cleansing after independence.
  • European powers exerted power over countries in Asia.
    • Example: China, divided into spheres of influence among European powers.
  • Decolonization: Colonies gain independence from their colonizers.
    • Occurred primarily after World War II.
    • Former colonies continued to depend on former colonial rulers.
    • Conflict over land, resources, and political power due to colonial political boundaries.
  • Devolution: Transfer of political power from a central government to a regional government.
    • Example: The creation of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly in the United Kingdom.

Political Power and Territoriality

  • Territoriality: Establishing and defending a specific geographic area.
    • Involves using space to indicate ownership or occupation.
    • Examples: Nonverbal communication, control of boundaries, military intervention.
  • Neocolonialism: Indirect use of political, cultural, or economic power to influence or control another country.
    • Dominant countries/companies exploit power to manipulate weaker countries.
    • Multinational companies exploit low-cost labor markets or seek regions with lax regulations.
    • Example: China's investments in African infrastructure, creating debt and political alliances.
    • China is hoping to profit from a booming African economy.
  • Shatter Belt:
    • Region where countries or people are subject to political, cultural, and economic pressures from external powers in conflict.
    • Causes instability and uncertainty.
    • Examples: Eastern Europe during the Cold War, Korean War.
  • Choke Points:
    • Geographic areas that must be passed to reach a destination.
    • Influence exerted by stationing military forces, investing in infrastructure, or creating treaties.
    • Examples: Panama Canal, Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal.

Political Boundaries

  • Defining: Boundary line is agreed upon and set.
  • Delimiting: Boundary line is drawn on a map and physically marked.
  • Demarcating: Boundary is marked with permanent physical markers.
  • Geometric Boundary:
    • Uses straight lines and follows latitude and longitude.
    • Example: 49th parallel (Canada/United States border).
  • Antecedent Boundaries:
    • Existed before human settlement or cultural landscape creation.
    • Determined by local geography.
    • Example: Boundary between Argentina and Chile (mountain range).
  • Relic Boundary:
    • No longer officially recognized but still affects the cultural landscape.
    • Example: Berlin Wall.
  • Superimposed Boundary:
    • Created by an external power without considering local communities, ethnic groups, or linguistic characteristics.
    • Prioritizes foreign interests.
    • Example: Berlin Conference boundaries for African states.
  • Subsequent Boundaries:
    • Develop along with the cultural landscape.
    • Example: Majority of Europe's boundaries, based on nations, linguistic groups, and cultural landscapes.
  • Consequent Boundary:
    • Created to separate ethnic, religious, or linguistic groups.
    • Example: Border between Pakistan and India (religious differences), boundaries after the collapse of Yugoslavia (different nations).
  • Frontier:
    • Geographic area where no state has direct power or control.

Functions of Boundaries

  • International Boundaries: Separate sovereign states, established through treaties.
  • Internal Boundaries: Separate regions within a single state, established by the state's government.
  • Definitional Boundary Disputes:
    • Over interpretations of original boundary documents.
  • Locational Boundary Disputes:
    • Over the location of the boundary and land ownership.
    • Example: Mississippi River shifting and altering the boundary between Mississippi and Louisiana.
  • Operational Boundary Disputes:
    • Countries having different ideas on how to manage a boundary.
    • Example: Dispute between India and Pakistan over the Line of Control in Kashmir.
  • Allocation Boundary Disputes:
    • Dispute over the use of what is on or in the boundary, usually natural resources.
  • UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea):
    • International law adopted in 1983 to resolve allocation of boundary disputes in the sea.
      • Territorial Waters: 12 nautical miles from shore; states regulate passage, political and economic control.
      • Contiguous Zone: 12-24 nautical miles from shore; states enforce laws on pollution, taxation, customs, and immigration.
      • Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): 24-200 nautical miles; states have the sole right to natural resources.
      • International Waters: Beyond 200 nautical miles; no state has direct control.
    • International Court of Justice resolves disputes.
    • Example: Disputes in the South China Sea.

Internal Boundaries and Redistricting

  • Examples of internal boundaries: US congressional districts, county, city, and school boundaries.
  • Voting Districts: Geographic area for administering elections.
  • Redistricting: Redrawing districts after a census to reflect population changes.
  • Gerrymandering: Redistricting to favor one political party over another.
    • Cracking: Spreading like-minded voters across many districts.
    • Packing: Stacking like-minded voters into a few districts.
      60%40%\frac{60\%}{40\%} of the district will be controlled by that percentage.

Forms of Government

  • Unitary State:
    • Centralized power at the national level.
      • Strong national identity.
      • Homogenous population. Many nation states can be unitary states.
  • Federal State:
    • Power is distributed between national and regional governments.
      • Suitable for large geographic areas, diverse populations, or isolated populations.
      • Allows quick response to local issues and accommodates minority needs. Mostly multinational states will be federal.

Devolution

*Devolution refers to the transfer of political power from a central government to a regional government.

  • Factors leading to devolution:
    • Physical geography.
    • Cultural divisions.
      • Ethnic Separatism: A person or group starts to identify more as their own ethnic group than as a citizen of the state and wants more political power or wants to separate from the state.
        * Example of a Statless Nation:The Basques, the Catalans, and the Kurds. All three have a * history of self determination but do not have their own state.
        * Nigeria: Multiple groups that experienced ethnic and religious conflicts between different cultural groups due to tensions with the government.
  • Political instability.
    • Economic and social divisions.
    • Government abuse of power.
    • Irredentism: A movement by a nation to unite other parts of its nation that are located in another state's boundary. (I.E. Ukrainian Russian war).

Challenges to State Sovereignty

  • Disintegration: State breaks up into smaller parts (e.g., Sudan/South Sudan, former Soviet Union).
  • Technology: Access to more information can also reduce the control and power of autocratic government as people become more aware of their government's actions and potential alternative.
  • Commodities: a country's political decisions may be influenced or constrained by their reliance on these resources, and the country may be hesitant to implement certain policies that could lead to retaliation from other states on which they depend.
  • Supernational Organizations: Alliances of multiple countries working together (e.g., United Nations, African Union, NATO, European Union, Arctic Council).
    • Political aspirations, economic factors, the environment, or the military.

Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces

  • Centrifugal Forces: Divide people, states, or groups.
    • Uneven economic and social development.
    • Cultural differences.
    • Political corruption.
      *Failed State: The state that no longer has a functioning government.
      *Ethnonationalism: a specific cultural group wants to be separate or wants control over themselves based on the specific ethnicity or nationality.
  • Centripetal Forces: Unite people, states, or groups.
    • Patriotism.
    • Economic and social opportunities.
    • Shared history, language, and religion.
    • Strong national government.