CN

UNIT 4

  • UN Law of the Sea: an international treaty that establishes rules for how the world's oceans and seas are used. At 12 nautical miles, the state has full sovereignty/it is the territorial sea. At 24 miles, it is the contiguous zone, which the state has limited jurisdiction to prevent customs violations and other related issues. Finally, at 200 miles, a nation has sovereign rights to explore and exploit natural resources within this area, but other countries have freedom of navigation.

  • Spratly Islands: According to the UN law of the Sea, each country gets their own share of the spratly islands as long as its with a 200 nautical mile radius.China completely ignores this and goes with the 9 dash line, which makes them claim all of the spratly islands.

  • median line principle: when countries dont have 200 miles of the coast and must share the resources in overlapping areas, dividing the maritime boundary equidistantly between the two nations.

  • Gerrymadering:the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor one party over another, often resulting in distorted representation in legislative bodies. The reason politicians use gerrymandering is so that they can maximize their party's electoral advantage, ensuring that their candidates have a better chance of winning seats by strategically drawing district lines.

  • Relationship between Gerrymandering and census and redistricting:The census provides the necessary data to determine population distribution, which is crucial for redistricting; however, politicians may exploit this data to draw district lines that favor their party, leading to gerrymandering practices that can significantly impact electoral outcomes. This manipulation can undermine the democratic process, as it allows for the entrenchment of power by creating districts that do not accurately represent the electorate's preferences.

  • Centripetal force: Brings a country together

  • Centrifugal force: Divides a country, often leading to fragmentation or conflict among various groups within the nation.

  • Examples of Centripetal forces:Common language,

  • Examples of Centrifugal forces: Different languages spoken, ethnic diversity, political disagreements, and economic disparities that can create divisions within society.

  • Berlin Conference: A meeting held in 1884-1885 to regulate European colonization and trade in Africa, leading to the partitioning of the continent without consideration for indigenous cultures or political systems.

  • Neocolonialism: the practice where former colonial powers continue to exert influence over newly independent states through economic, political, and cultural means, essentially maintaining control over a country without direct military occupation, often leading to economic dependence and inequality between the former colony and the dominant power.

  • Why Neocolonialism different from colonialism:Neocolonialism operates through economic and cultural pressures rather than direct political control, allowing former colonial powers to maintain influence over developing nations.

  • Antecedent boundary:An antecedent boundary is established before the area is populated, often based on physical features like mountains or rivers, whereas a subsequent boundary is drawn after settlement, often reflecting cultural or ethnic divisions.

  • Subsequent boundary:This refers to borders established after a conflict or the creation of a new state, which may not reflect the cultural or ethnic divisions of the people living in the area.

  • Consequent boundary:A consequent boundary is a type of political boundary that is drawn to accommodate the cultural, ethnic, or linguistic differences among the people living in a particular area.

  • Superimposed boundary: These boundaries are imposed by an external power, often disregarding the existing cultural or social divisions, leading to potential conflict and tension among different groups.

  • Natural boundary:a political border between countries or regions that is defined by a naturally occurring geographical feature, such as a river, mountain range, desert, or coastline, essentially acting as a physical barrier separating the areas

  • Geometric boundary:a political boundary that is defined and demarcated by straight lines or geometric shapes, often disregarding the natural or cultural features of the landscape.

  • Relic boundary:A boundary that no longer exists, although it may still appear on the cultural landscape

  • Supranational Organizations:a multinational association that has authority over its member states.

  • Goals of Supranational Orgnizations: To help countries address issues that are too big to handle alone. 

  • Examples of Supranational Organizations: Fifa, Nato, UN, EU

  • Federal governance:Division of powers, Checks and balances, national government and regional government.

  • Examples of federal governance: US, Canada, India, Germany, Austrailia

  • Unitary governance: Central government, laws are the same throughout the country, Strong national identity

  • Unitary governance examples: UK, France,Japan, China, Italy, South Korea