Political Power and Territoriality

Political power refers to the control that states exert over their people, resources, and territory.
Spatial distribution of political power is influenced by several phenomena.

Definition: Groups of politically and ethnically fragmented states located between larger, more powerful states.
Larger states vie for control over these smaller states, often due to valuable natural resources.
Shatter belt states are typically underdeveloped and resistant to the demands of larger states, leading to conflict.
Example: The Balkan states in Southeast Europe, characterized by rival ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups; alliances with these unstable states contributed to the outbreak of World War I.
Post-World War II, four main regions have been identified as shatter belts.

Definition: Narrow, highly strategic geographic passageways restricting passage from one region to another.
Control of choke points can lead to significant economic gains, spurring battles over these territories.
Example 1: Strait of Hormuz
- Controlled by Iran; a major choke point for the global oil trade.
- Oil-exporting nations like Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain rely on passage through the Strait.
- Iran has threatened to close the Strait, demonstrating its political power on the world stage.
Example 2: Suez Canal
- Located in Egypt, crucial for trade between European and Asian countries.
- Eliminates the need to travel around Africa.
- Previously controlled by the French and British during the colonial era.
- In 1956, Egypt took control of the canal, leading to an invasion by Britain and France.
- The canal was closed on several occasions due to conflicts but remains under Egyptian political control.

Definition: Powerful countries attempt to control weaker countries through economic or cultural pressure, even after the weaker countries have gained independence.
Observed particularly in Africa.
Historical Context: Scramble for Africa
- European powers claimed African territories and reorganized their economies to serve European interests.
- African colonial economies were structured around exporting cash crops (e.g., palm oil, cocoa beans) at low prices to their colonizers.
- Trade between African countries was suppressed, hindering economic development.
Post-World War II Decolonization:
- African economies remained reliant on former colonial powers due to malformed economic structures.
- Dependency Theory: Former colonies remain dependent on greater powers for survival.

Definition: A people's connection and claim to a particular piece of land.
Sense of connection to a space leads to a desire to draw boundaries and control that space.
Example: Soviet Union and Ukraine
- The Soviet Union controlled Ukraine before its fall in 1991.
- Russian leaders, like Vladimir Putin, influenced by territoriality, have initiated conflicts to annex parts of Ukraine back into Russia.
Territoriality and the desire for boundaries often lead to conflict and war, altering boundaries of countries.