Political Organization

Political Organization By: Jackie Deffer and Liz Mittan

Political Geography • Study of human political organization of the Earth at various levels (Three levels: Supranational, County/nation, Sub-national). • Territoriality: creating ownership over a defined space. • Sovereignty: internationally recognized control a place has over the people and territory within its boundaries

History of Political Organization (Colonialism & Imperialism) • Colonialism – The domination by a state over a separate state • Imperialism – When a state establishes political, social, and economic dominance over an area. • Colonialism comes first, imperialism second!! • Mercantilism – The colonies would send back raw materials to the mother country so they could produce goods. • 2 Periods of Colonialism • 15th Century, Western Hemisphere by Europe • Late 19th Century, Africa was split up by European Countries

Colonialism Today & Geopolitics • Neocolonialism – How today countries still economically depend on their former “mother country” • Colonized countries had to ask for loans to build their economies once their colonizers left, which left them in a continuous debt. • Geopolitics – Branch of political geography that studies how states interact with other states and the landscape.

Different Theories to Know! • Organic – Each state wants to gain more land • Heartland – Theory that sea power had ended, and it was all about land power. Whoever held Eurasia, controlled all. • Domino – Democratic countries have to work together to keep other countries from falling to communism • Dependence – Poor countries are poor because of colonization by Europe • Rimland – Build on Heartland Theory. Defined the “rimland” as all of Eurasia’s periphery. Believes not one country should hold all the power in the rimland.

States vs. Nations • State: an independent political unit with recognized boundaries, most powerful institution in globalization. • Nation: group of people sharing certain elements of culture, such as religion, language and history. • States have citizenship and sovereignty, while Nations DO NOT always have territory! • Different States! • Multinational State – States composed of more than one nation. Ex – Soviet Union • Nation State – State composed of only one nation. Ex – Denmark, Japan • Stateless Nation – When a nation does not have territory. Ex – Kurds in Iraq, Assyrians of Iraq

Ethnonationalism & Conflict • A powerful emotion an ethnic minority group in a country feels when they feel differently from other minorities. • This can cause conflicts when the minority does not feel they have self determination. • Irredentism – When a nation tries to reunite after being spread across multiple borders. Ex – Germans had spread into Yugoslavia, so Hitler wanted to control that land to reunite the Germans. • Example of Ethnonationalism Conflict – The Chechnya's are a nation in Russia that want to form there own nation.

Ethnonationalism & States • Buffer States & Zones – A country located between two countries that are in conflict • Satellite States – A country that rules over less power countries. Ex – Soviet control over Eastern Europe • Shatterbelts – A state(s) that is fought over by more power countries, and tend to be politically or culturally fragmented.

Boundaries & Frontier • Three types • Geometric – Straight line boundaries, not relating to cultural or physical features of the land • Physical (Natural) – Separating the land based off of natural barriers such as rivers and mountains. 3. Cultural – Boundaries drawn due to cultural differences such as religion or language Frontier- Land that is not politically controlled by boundaries, and is uninhabited, or a little, by people. Today it is mostly in Antarctica & Saudi Arabia.

Boundary Evolution & Creation • Antecedent Boundary – Existed before humans culture developed into what they are now. • Subsequent Boundary – Grow to divide space as a result of humans interacting • Superimposed Boundary – Boundary forced on landscape. • Relict Boundary – No longer a boundary. • Boundary Creation • Definition – Where the exact boundary is legally described. De Jure – Means to be legally recognized. • Delimitation – Boundary is drawn on a map. • Demarcation - Visible marking of a boundary such as wall, line, or sign. • Administration – Enforcement of the boundary, such as border patrol.

Territorial Morphology • The relationship between a state’s geographic shape, size, relative location, and it’s political situation • Compact- A state where distance from the center to the boundary is even almost everywhere. • Elongated– Long and narrow State • Prorupted (Protruded) – A compact state with a piece of land sticking out. • Perforated – A state that completely surrounds a different state. • Fragmented – Includes discontinuous pieces of territory.

Problems due to Shapes • Elongated – Communication problems with center • Prorupted – Prorupted state might want sovereignty • Perforated – Tensions may rise between two states • Fragmented – Fragmented pieces want sovereignty • Other State Types • Landlocked – When a state does not have a border touching water. Ex. Chad in Africa • Enclave – A State surrounded by another state. Ex. Lesotho in South Africa • Exclave – A state that is a political extension of a state. Ex. Alaska in the United States.

Unitary vs. Federal • A states shape influences it’s political organization. • A compact state, typically with one culture, tends to have a unitary government. Unitary Government – Where all of the power is located in the central government. • A large state, with multiple ethnicities or cultures, tends to have a federal government. Federal Government – Where power is not located all in the central government but where some power is given to local governments. • BUT SIZE DOES NOT MATTER!!! NOT ALL COMPACT, HOMOGENEOUS STATES HAVE UNITARY, AND ALL LARGE STATES HAVE FEDERALISM. • Today most governments are working towards federalism. Confederation Structure • A state where the regional governments hold almost all the power, the central government has barely any power.

Political-Territorial Arrangements • Core States: region in a state where its economic and political power is concentrated, helps spread development. • Multicore States: countries that have more than one core region. Ex: Nigeria with its northern and southern regions competing for control. • Primate City: Capital city that has the most political and economic power than any other city in the state, often seen in LDC’s. • Forward Capital: A capital city built by the state in order to achieve a national goal. Ex: Brasilla, Brazil. • Electoral Boundaries: redrawn every 10 ears by the U.S. House of Representatives • Gerrymandering: redrawing of the electoral districts to favor one party and give an advantage. • Three Forms: • Wasted vote: spreads opposition voters across many districts. • Excess vote: concentrates opposition voters into a few districts. • Stacked vote: linked distance through like-minded voters in an oddly shaped district.

Centripetal vs. Centrifugal • Centripetal: something that unifies a country and its people. • Ex: National Anthem • Centrifugal: something that divides the county and its people. • Ex: Different ethnicities • Devolution: moving from a unitary government to a federal where power is devolved from the central government to regional areas. • Ex: U.K. and its devolution of Scottland

Supranationalism and the UN • Supranatonalism: organization of political and economic affairs at the international level, countries of three or more can form an alliance. • Many established post WWII to prevent a third world war and foreign attacks. • Examples: • United Nations • Warsaw Pact • NATO • ASEAN • European Union • African Union • United Nations • Most extensive supranational ever to exist, consisting of more than 200 members • Mainly peace-keeping force, with little military troops • NATO • Created post WWII to prevent communism from spreading to other countries, now expanded to former communist countries. • Warsaw Pact • Created to oppose NATO, comprised of all coummunist states but eventually fell apart.

Regional Organizations • African Union • 53 countries, established in 2002 to help economic integrations in Africa • European Union • Goal is for the member countries to all develop through economic cooperation. • Created the Euro • Original Members: Belgium, France, Italy, West Germany, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. (27 members today) • Economic Supranationalism – When three or more states come together to work on economic goals! Ex. European Union • Leading superpower is not United States or China, but the EU led by Germany! • Leading Military superpower is the United States, but tested by terrorism.

Terrorism • Terrorism is the use of violence and terror to intimidate or coerce mainly for political purposes. • Terrorism against Americans • 1993 WTC car bombing • 1995 Oklahoma City bombing killed 168 • September 11, 2001 WTC and Pentagon • Al-Qaeda • Founded by Osama Bin Laden • Issued a fatwa (religious decree) Muslims have a religious duty to rage a Holy War against the U.S. • Located in 34 countries and live in “cells” around le world • Use religion to justify attacks

Middle East Summary • Iran • Hostile with US since 1979, were worried since they could be helping terrorists & forming nuclear weapons. • Afghanistan • Civil War began in 1970’s, Soviet Union went in 1979 and withdrew in 1989. • Taliban gained control after, but now there is a power struggle after they fell apart in 2001. • Iraq • Saddam Hussein was president in 80’s, where US sided with them against Iran • The US linked Saddam with Al-Qaeda and invaded in 2003. • Pakistan • Created after partition in 1947. • Multiethnic state that it is in political turmoil over control, includes Taliban. There is a war on terror. • They hid Saddam in their mountains.

Helpful Links! • http://www.slideshare.net/1gdholbrook1/centripetal-centrifugal-forces-15688189 • http://www.studystack.com/flashcard-204459 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mky11UJb9AY

Territoriality Kurds Cells Subsequent Unitary Compact Alaska National Anthem Protruded Supranationalism Irredentism NationState Sovereignty Ethnic Conflict Gerrymandering

Political Organization