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Political Architecture

What is a Nation? Nation = People

“A reasonably large group of people with a common culture, sharing one or more important cultural traits, such as religion, language, political institutions, values, and historical experience. They tend to identify with one another, fell closer to one another than to outsiders, and believe that they belong together.”

A Nation is:

1. A group of people who want to govern themselves as an independent state for whatever reason.

2. Sometimes used as a synonym for state or country, even though the three words are not equivalents.

What is a State? State = Territory

“A state is a place. It is also a concept represented by certain symbols and demanding (though not always obtaining) the loyalty of people.”

A State is:

1. A piece of land over which a central authority maintains control.

2. Either independent or dependent, but when we use the term we usually mean independent state.

3. A word which sometimes refers to countries and sometimes to the sub-divisions of countries, e.g., the States of the United States. Remember, however, that the first 13 States of the U.S. began their histories as separate sovereign entities.

What is a Nation-State? People + Territory + Government

“A nation with a state wrapped around it…a nation with its own state, a state in which there is no significant group that is not part of the nation.”

4 steps to becoming a nation-state

1. Territory

2. Resident Population

3. Government that ensures sovereignty

4. Recognition by the international community

Nation-State Triangles

Nation-states sit on a three-legged stool. Stability requires that each leg be strong and in place. Picture the stool as an overlapping set of triangles.

Think of one triangle with the following vertices:

1. Unified People 2. Desire for Sovereignty 3. Attachment to Territory

Think of another triangle, analogous to the first, with the following vertices:

1. Nation 2. Government 3. State

Some entities on the world political map (so-called nation-states) are sitting on a very un-stable two-legged stool:

1. Palestinians:

A nation with a government, but not a state

2. Nigeria:

A state with a government, but not a nation (not a national identity)

3. Somalia:

A nation (Somalis) with a state, but not a government

4. Iraq

A state divided among three nations: Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims, and the Kurds

The World Political Map is a Lie

When we think of the states on the world political map as nation-sates, we draw conclusions that may not be true:

1. We assume that people who live in Israel are Israelis.

2. We assume that people who live in Nigeria are Nigerians.

3. We assume that people who live in Somalia are Somalis.

4. We assume that people who live in Canada are Canadians.

5. We assume that people who live in the United States are ____________.

There are few “ideal” nation-states in the sense of being culturally homogeneous:

1. Iceland (language, ethnicity, history)

2. Denmark (language, ethnicity, history)

3. Japan (language, ethnicity, history, religion) 99.5% of people are ethnic Japanese (Ainu or Ryukyans)

Most independent states are less than homogeneous national entities:

1. Russia includes many non-Russians

2. China includes many non-Chinese

3. Finland includes a significant Swedish minority and an indigenous minority, the Same.

Are you Russian by citizenship or by blood?

There are two methods of defining citizenship:

1. Jus soli: Where were you born? Anyone born in the USA is automatically a citizen.

2. Jus Sanguinis: Where were your parents born? Turks born in Germany are not automatically citizens.

How is the world’s territory political organized in 2009?

The building blocks of the world political map are:

1. Independent states (countries or nations)

2. Dependencies of independent states (colonies or protectorates

3. Global commons (The high seas and Antarctica)

Independent states

A state is a territorial entity: you can find its boundaries on the map. An independent state is one which has full authority over its internal and external affairs; it decides what will go on within those boundaries and how to deal with states beyond those boundaries. An independent state is sovereign and may be referred to as a sovereign state.

How many independent states are there on the world political map today?

Some would say 191 because there are 191 members of the United Nations.

However, the real answer is 192 or 193. Vatican City is not a UN member, but it is an independent state. To get to 193, you have to count Taiwan. But whether you count Taiwan depends on whether you recognize “one China” or “two China’s” (China vs. Taiwan). Taiwan is not a UN member (but it used to occupy the Chinese seat at the U.N.).

The world’s largest countries:

1. Russia – 6.6 million sq. mi. – 2 continents – 11 time zones (out of 24)

2. Canada

3. China

4. United States

5. Brazil

6. Australia

7. India

8. Argentina

9. Kazakhstan

10.Sudan

The world’s smallest countries:

1. Vatican City (109 acres)

2. Monaco (368 acres)

3. Nauru (8 sq. mi.)

4. Tuvalu (10 sq. mi.)

5. San Marino (23 sq. mi.)

6. Liechtenstein (61 sq. mi.)

7. Marshall Islands (70 sq. mi.)

8. St. Kitts & Nevis (104 sq. mi.)

9. Maldives (115 sq. mi.)

10. Malta (122 sq. mi)

City of Virginia Beach 248 sq. mi. City of Richmond 60 sq. mi.

Dependencies

Dependencies are external possessions of the world’s independent states. We used to call them “colonies” or “protectorates”. The most general term today might be “territories”

1. The largest in land area is Greenland, a self-governing possession of Denmark. It is the world’s largest island, but it has only 56,000 people. Its official name is Kalaallit Nunaat

2. The larges in population is Puerto Rico, a possession of the United States. It is an island in the Caribbean Sea and has almost 4 million people.

Only 1% of the world’s population lives in dependencies today.

They are rare in today’s landscape, yet they have certain common characteristics:

1. Most are islands

2. Most are relatively isolated

3. Most are small in population and area: some are unpopulated.

4. Most are the remnants of formerly widespread colonial empires.

5. Most of the populated ones have not asked for independence.

Global Commons

Virtually the whole world is today under the control of independent states. On the earth’s surface, there are only two politically unorganized territories left:

1. Oceans. The “High Seas” beyond the 12-mile territorial limits of coastal states and the “International Seabed” beyond 200 miles. No state owns the open ocean (but coastal states do own resources out to 200 nautical miles. It is governed under the rules laid down in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

2. Antarctica. Although the political map of Antarctica looks like a pie cut into many wedges, these zones are simply “territorial claims.” Under the Antarctic Treaty (1959), not state owns any part of Antarctica; all states have the right to conduct scientific research there. The US recognizes no territorial claims to Antarctica and has none of its own. The US does have research stations in Antarctica.

Boundaries

The three primary factors that determine boundaries are

Geometric boundaries - latitude and longitude features or straight lines

Most of the US and Canada boundary – 49th parallel

Physical boundaries – natural features such as lakes, rivers, mountains, deserts, peninsulas, etc.

US & Canada – Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway

US & Mexico – Rio Grande

Chile and Argentina & Ecuador and Brazil – Andes Mountains

India, Nepal, Bhutan and China – Himalayas

Ethnographic or Cultural boundaries – language, religion, ethnicity

The creation of boundaries

Creating boundaries can resolve tensions-or incite hostilities. There are four main types of boundary origins that a geographer classifies on the landscape:

Antecedent boundary – existed before human settlement of the area.

Subsequent boundaries – develop along with the development of the cultural landscape. As the cultural landscape develops, the border was drawn to accommodate religious, cultural, and economic differences.

Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

China and Vietnam

Superimposed boundary – is a political boundary that ignores the existing cultural organization on the landscape. It is usually placed by a higher authority, such as a superpower or a delegation of superpowers, to satisfy that authority’s needs rather than the needs of the area.

North Korea and South Korea – demilitarized zone along the 38th parallel

Relic boundary – this is a boundary that no longer exists, but its impact is still felt and seen on the landscape.

East Germany and West Germany – differences in economic developments

Four types of boundary disputes

Definitional boundary disputes – arise from the legal language of the treaty’s definition of the boundary. One of the countries involved will usually sue another country in the International Court of Justice (World Court) which will try to determine what was intended when the boundaries were initially described.

Locational boundary disputes – arise when the definition of the border is not questioned by the interpretation of the border is. In these cases, the border has shifted, and the original intention of the boundary is called into question.

Operational boundary disputes – occur when two countries next to each other disagree on the major issue involving the border. US and Mexico disagree over the issue of illegal immigration into the United States. Both sides agree where the border is but cannot agree on how to handle border crossing.

Allocation boundary disputes – do not question the boundary itself but rather the use of it. They usually involve some type of natural resources, often in the open ocean and/or under the ground. For example, when an aquifer extends across a boundary, who has dominant rights to the water? (Colorado River) Or who has the right to drill for oil out at sea?

Today’s world political map is much different than it was 100 years ago, 200 years ago etc.

In 1900 – the British King and the Russian Czar alone controlled 1/3rd of the land on earth.

You also had the French, Austro-Hungarian, German, Dutch, Danish, Belgian, Italian, American, Ottoman, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish Empires

How will the world’s territory be politically organized in 2100?

1. Are there countries coming together? – European Union, NAFTA, etc.

2. Are there countries breaking apart? – East Timor (2002), Montenegro (2006), etc.

Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces

Centrifugal Forces – divisive forces – F FOR FRACTURE

Centripetal Forces – unifying forces – T FOR TOGETHER

1. The borders of France are generally reinforced by physical features such as mountain ranges and bodies of water.

2. The wealthiest regions of Italy are in the north and the poorest regions, particularly the Mezzogiorno, are in the south.

3. The Roman Catholic faith gave unity to the Poles even as the borders of Poland moved all over the map of eastern Europe.

4. Belgium’s northern region uses Flemish as an official language and its southern region uses French as an official language.

5. There are over 250 different cultural groups in Nigeria, the most important of which are the Hausa, Yoruba, and Ibo.

6. In 1971, each of the two parts of Pakistan became an independent state: Pakistan in the west and Bangladesh in the East.

7. Almost half of the population of Uruguay lives in the capital city of Montevideo and there are virtually no other important urban centers.

8. From 2000 BC onward there is a continuous record of Chinese civilization, an important contributor to China’s cultural identity.

SIZE & SHAPE OF STATES

Every independent state on the world political map has a size and a shape:

The size and shape of a state may encourage either unity or division

Size: quantitative date, measured in square miles or square kilometers

1. The largest state in the world has 6.6 million square miles. What is it? Where is it?

2. The smallest state in the world encompasses 1/5th of a square mile. What is it? Where is it?

Shape: qualitative data, measured according or how much it looks like a known shape or geometric form

Italy looks like a boot kicking a football? What is the name of the football? What do you think it belongs to Italy?

Nepal looks like an elongated rectangle?

| |Centrifugal forces |Centripetal forces |

|Size |“too big” or “too small” |“Just the right size” |

|Shape |“too much like shattered glass” or “too much like |“Just the right shape” |

| |Swiss cheese” | |

SIZE: A CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

Very Large – over 1 million square miles

Large – 135,000 to 1 million square miles

Medium 60,000 to 135,000 square miles

Small – 10,000 to 60,000 square miles

Very Small – Under 10,000 square miles

Ministates – 500 to 5,000 square miles

Microstates – Under 500 square miles

| |Advantages |Disadvantages |

|Large Size |Large Population |Difficult to Unify Population |

| |More talent |More spread out |

| |Large Army |More culturally diverse |

| |More Natural Resources |Transportation difficult |

| |Economic Self-sufficiency | |

|Small Size |Easier to Unify population |Small Population |

| |Closer together |Less Talent |

| |Less culturally diverse |Small defense force |

| |Transportation easy |Vulnerable to Attack |

| | |Fewer Natural Resources |

| | |Economic vulnerability |

The Soviet Union – RIP

The Soviet Union was the largest state of the 20th century. It ranks among the largest states to ever have existed. Did size have anything to do with the demise of the Soviet Union?

Small states are vulnerable states; they exist only because their larger neighbors permit them to exist. If they have no larger neighbors or are isolated by physical geography (ie, islands) their survival potential increases. Some small states flip back and forth between being independent and incorporated within other states

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were part of the Russian Empire, became independent after WWI, and were acquired by the Soviet Union in 1939, and became independent again in 1991.

SHAPE

Compact – circular to Hexagonal – Uruguay, Poland, Switzerland

Communication and transportation are relatively easy in a compact country, as is the mobilization of the military. A disadvantage is a lack of resources b/c compact countries tend to be smaller in size

Elongated – Long, usually skinny – Nepal, Italy, Gambia, and Chile

Twice as long as they are wide usually. Transportation of raw materials to industrial centers can be relatively easy but those living in the ends of the countries can feel isolated, which can lead to separatist movements.

Prorupt – with a panhandle – Thailand, Namibia, Mexico, India, Florida is a proruption from the US.

One advantage of having a proruption is that it usually provides the country with access to a useful raw material. It may also provide trade opportunities.

The disadvantage is that the proruptions are usually fiercely fought over. Proruptions are usually the doings of colonial powers and therefore, hard to justify.

Fragmented – several non-continuous pieces – Indonesia (13,000 islands 3,000 miles), USA, Russia

A fragmented country is in pieces that are not attached to each other. Usually islands.

USA – when it added Alaska and Hawaii in 1959.

Alaska is an exclave – an area separated from its state by another state.

Kaliningrad is an exclave of Russia – separated by Latvia, Lithuania, and Belarus from Russia

The advantage of being fragmented is that another country would have a hard time trying to occupy and control your country. For example, invading Indonesia would involve invading thousands of separate islands. However, communications and the transportation between the separated areas can be cumbersome, especially if another country is in the way.

Perforated – with a hole – Lesotho (South Africa) Vatican City & San Marino (Italy)

Lesotho, Vatican city are called enclaves – a country that is completely surrounded by another political state. They are always landlocked countries with no access to the sea.

The advantage to having a country completely within your borders is that the ethnic group of the enclave has its own state. Usually, the enclave is ethnically different from the perforated country. If those people were part of the perforated country, there might be tensions.

The disadvantages of having a country completely within your borders is that it may get in the way of transportation and communication. The shortest, least expensive route may run through the enclave country. Telephone lines, railroad tracts, and highways are all negatively impacted by having a country within your borders.

The Political Organization of Space

Humans use space in different ways and have different methods of how to govern that space. These differences can cause harmony or dissention within and between countries. Governments usually create organizations to assist with their interactions with other countries.

In the United States, the Department of State runs offices, called embassies, in most countries around the world. The embassies’ job is to represent US interests to the leadership of other countries. The lead officials representing the United States are called ambassadors. Embassies are usually located in the capital of a country. The Department of State also runs consulates, secondary offices that usually deal with economic issues as well as the granting of visas to enter their home countries. Consulates are usually located in regional cities.

Other countries have embassies in Washington, DC. Only the US federal government has the right to establish embassies or consulates in other countries.

FEDERAL OR UNITARY ???????????????

Many things lead to disagreements – which can then lead to military confrontation. Different organizations have been set up around the world to ease tensions between different states.

The United Nations

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – in response to the Warsaw Pact (Iron Curtain)

The Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO)

The Central Treaty Organization (CENTO)

The Heartland Theory

In 1904, Sir Halford MacKinder, a British political geographer

The Heartland Theory suggests that whoever owns Eastern Europe and Western Asia has the political power and capital to rule the world. Eastern Europe contains one of the richest agricultural regions in the world. The Ukraine region could produce enough wheat and other agricultural products to sustain a large population – and feed its armies. Also abundant raw materials such as coal, essential to develop a military and industrial base, are available in this region.

Adolf Hiltler believed in the Heartland Theory, which is why he invaded Eastern Europe. Hitler underestimated the Soviet citizens’ resolve and the severity of the Russian winter and eventually had to retreat.

After WWII, the Soviet Union exerted control over Eastern Europe, greatly concerning Western Europe, the United States, and other noncommunist countries.

The Rimland Theory

Nicholas Spykman (Dutch political geographer at Yale)

The Rimland Theory suggests that forming alliances is necessary to keep the Heartland in check. Because the Heartlard is so powerful, no individual country can contain it by itself. Hence, you had the establishment of NATO, SEATO, and (CENTO) in response to the spread of the communism around the world.

Spykman believed that the Heartland may control the land but the Rimland will control the sea. The Heartland is trapped in a sense by its own geography. To the north is an ocean that is icebound much of the year. To the east are the Ural Mountains and vast tracts of land with sparse populations. To the south is the Middle East with its immense deserts. The Rimland would use the oceans to contain the Heartland, engaging in a battle between land and sea.

The Domino Theory

The domino theory was adopted by the United States during the Cold War. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) developed this theory, which suggests that when one country experiences rebellion or political disunity, other countries around it will also experience turmoil as a result, leading to a domino effect of political instability in the region. It justified US military involvement in SE Asia and Central America. Opponents of the domino theory point to the political stablility of the US despite political instability in Mexico as an example of its invalidity. Proponents of the theory suggest that a lack of border security is causing political instability in the United States.

IRRENDENTISM

Much of US foreign policy has been aimed at irredentism. Irredentism is the attempt by one country to provoke coups or separatist movements in another country – through literature, radio, television, and the internet.

The US practices irredentism when it sends radio transmissions into another country to communicate the benefits of capitalism and democracy and relay truthful news about world events. The US has sent transmissions from Florida into Cuba, into Eastern Europe during the Iron Curtain era. Often the US hopes that resistance movements will rise up, eventually overthrowing a leader unfriendly to the United States.

SUPRANATIONALISM

EU

NAFTA

OPEC etc

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DO THIS IN THE NOTES

Unified People

Classify each of the following states:

Egypt – 386,662 square miles

Luxembourg 999 square miles

Liberia – 38,250 square miles

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